A musical retelling of Sophocles' Greek tragedy Medea, with music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa.

The setting for this adaptation is New Orleans in the late 19th Century. The titular character, Marie, is the Medea figure, a creole woman who practices voodoo. The Jason figure is Dante Samuel Keyes, a ship's captain from Chicago.

The plot closely follows that of Medea: Marie is seduced by Dante, murders her brother, accompanies Dante to Chicago, is abadoned by him when it is politically inconvenient, and, to exact her revenge, murders their two children.

The Broadway production starred Audra McDonald. In terms of style, the music is a complex tapestry, the term "song" only loosely applicable. In many respects, Marie Christine is more of an opera than a musical. In a review that I wrote for the CASTRECL mailing list, I presented the term "music drama" to describe the style of Marie Christine.


Cast (in order of stage appearance)
Prisoner No. 1 - Jennifer Leigh Warren
Prisoner No. 2 - Andrea Frierson-Toney
Prisoner No. 3 - Mary Bond Davis
Marie Christine L'Adrese - Audra McDonald
Marie Christine's Mother - Vivian Reed
Serpent - Donna Dunmire
Dante Keyes - Anthony Crivello
Celeste, a maid - Lovette George
Ozelia, a maid - Rosena M. Hill
Jean L'Adrese, Marie Christine's elder brother - Keith Lee Grant
Paris L'Adrese, the younger brother - Daris de Haas
Lisette, Marie Christine's maid - Kimberly JaJuan
Joachim, a valet - André Garner
Osmond, a valet - Jim Weaver
Monsieur St. Vinson - Jim Weaver
Monsieur Archambeau - André Garner
Beatrice, Jean's fiancée - Joy Lynn Matthews
The children of Marie and Dante - Powers Pleasant, Zachary Thornton, Joshua Walter
Magdalena, an entertainer - Mary Testa
Petal, Magdalena's "daughter" - Janet Metz
Duchess, Magdalena's "daughter" - Kim Huber
Charles Gates, Dante's financier - Shawn Elliott
Bartender - Peter Samuel
Bar Patron - Michael Babin
Larry, associate of Gates - Michael McMormick
McMahon, associate of Gates - Mark Lotto
Esau Parker - Mark Lotito
Olivia Parker - Janet Metz
Grace Parker - Kim Huber
Helena, Gates' daughter - Donna Dunmire
Chaka - David Pleasant


The Track Listing

1. Before the Morning
2. Mamzell' Marie
3. Your Grandfather Is the Sun
4. Beautiful
5. In an Instant
6. Way Back to Paradise
7. The Storm
8. C'est l'amour/To Find a Lover
9. Nothing Beats Chicago/Ocean is Different
10. Danced With a Girl
11. Tout Mi Mi/He Is My Release
12. Miracles and Mysteries
13. I Don't Hear the Ocean
14. Bird Inside the House
15. We're Gonna Get to Chicago
16. And You Would Lie/I Will Give
17. Act I Finale
18. Cincinnati
19. You're Looking at the Man
20. The Scorpion
21. Lover, Bring Me Summer
22. Tell Me
23. Billy Was Sweet/Paradise is Burning Down
24. Prison in a Prison
25. Better and Best
26. Good Looking Woman
27. No Turning Back/Before the Morning (reprise)
28. Beautiful (reprise)
29. I Will Love You
30. Your Name
31. Finale - Innocence Dies