Editing Anna Christie

{{Short description|1921 play by Eugene O'Neill}}
{{Others}}
{{Distinguish|Anna Christy}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox play
| name       = Anna Christie
| image      = Anna-Christie-1921-1.jpg
| image_size =
| caption    = [[Pauline Lord]] in the original Broadway production of ''Anna Christie'' (1921)
| writer     = [[Eugene O'Neill]]
| genre      = Drama
| setting    = 1910; a New York City saloon; on a barge at anchor in [[Provincetown]].
| subject    = A former prostitute falls in love, but runs into difficulty in turning her life around.
| premiere   = November 2, 1921
| place      = [[Vanderbilt Theatre]]<br>[[New York City]]
| orig_lang  = English
}}
'''''Anna Christie''''' is a [[Play (theatre)|play]] in four acts by [[Eugene O'Neill]]. It made its [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut at the [[Vanderbilt Theatre]] on November 2, 1921. O'Neill received the 1922 [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama]] for this work. According to historian [[Paul Avrich]], the character of Anna Christie was based on Christine Ell, an anarchist cook in [[Greenwich Village]], who was the lover of [[Edward Mylius]], a Belgian-born radical living in England who libeled the British king [[George V]].<ref> Paul Avrich, ''Anarchist voices'' (Princeton University Press, 1995, page 490, and Note, 264, page 500.</ref>

==Plot summary==
''Anna Christie'' is the story of a former prostitute who falls in love, but runs into difficulty in turning her life around.

; Characters
* Johnny the Priest
* Two longshoremen
* A postman
* Larry — bartender
* Chris C. Christopherson — captain of the barge ''Simeon Winthrop''
* Marthy Owen
* Anna Christopherson — Chris's daughter
* Mat Burke — a stoker
* Johnson — deckhand on barge

=== Act I ===
The first act takes place in a bar owned by Johnny the Priest and tended by Larry. Coal-barge captain Old Chris receives a letter from his daughter, a young woman he has not seen since he lived in Sweden with his family and she was five years old. They meet at the bar and she agrees to go to the coal barge with him.

=== Act II ===
The barge crew rescues Mat Burke and four other men who survived a shipwreck in an open boat. Anna and Mat don't get along at first, but quickly fall in love.

=== Act III ===
A confrontation on the barge among Anna, Chris and Mat. Mat wants to marry Anna, Chris does not want her to marry a sailor, and Anna doesn't want either of them to think they can control her. She tells them the truth about her past: She was raped while living with her mother's relatives on a Minnesota farm, worked briefly as a nurse's aide, then became a prostitute. Mat reacts angrily, and he and Chris leave.

=== Act IV ===
Mat and Chris return. Anna forgives Chris for not being part of her childhood. After a dramatic confrontation, Anna promises to abandon prostitution and Mat forgives her. Chris agrees to their marriage. Chris and Mat have both signed to work aboard a ship that is leaving for South Africa the next day. They promise to return to Anna after the voyage.

== Productions ==
[[File:Anna-Christie-1921-2.jpg|thumb|[[Pauline Lord]] as Anna Christopherson, James T. Mack as Johnny-the-Priest, and [[Eugenie Blair]] as Marthy Owen in the original Broadway production of ''Anna Christie'' (1921)]]

O'Neill's first version of this play, begun in January 1919, was titled ''Chris Christopherson'' and performed as ''Chris'' in out-of-town tryouts. O'Neill revised it radically, changing the barge captain's daughter Anna from a pure woman needing to be protected into a prostitute who finds reformation and love from life on the sea. The new version, now titled ''Anna Christie'', premiered on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] at the [[Vanderbilt Theatre]] on November 2, 1921, and ran for 177 performances before closing in April 1923. The production was staged by [[Arthur Hopkins]] and starred [[Pauline Lord]].<ref>Schmidt, Shannon McKenna and Joni Rendon. ''Novel Destinations: Literary Landmarks from Jane Austen's Bath to Ernest Heminway's Key West''. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2008: 13. {{ISBN|978-1-4262-0277-3}}</ref>

[[Alexander Woollcott]] in ''[[The New York Times]]'' called it "a singularly engrossing play", and advised "all grown-up playgoers" to see it.<ref>{{cite news | author=Alexander Woollcott | title=''Anna Christie:'' Second Thoughts on First Nights | url=http://www.eoneill.com/artifacts/reviews/ac1_times.htm | work=New York Times | date=November 13, 1921 | access-date=October 13, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829174248/http://eoneill.com/artifacts/reviews/ac1_times.htm | archive-date=August 29, 2018 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[London]] West End premiere was staged at the [[Novello Theatre|Strand Theatre]] (now the Novello) in 1923. This was the first time an O'Neill play was seen in the [[West End theatre|West End]]. The play starred Pauline Lord, who had been the original Anna Christie on Broadway. The play had a great reception. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine wrote, "In London, the first night of Eugene O'Neill's ''Anna Christie'', with Pauline Lord in the title role, received a tremendous ovation. After the first act the curtain was rung up a dozen times during the applause."<ref>{{cite magazine | author=Time writers | title=Notes | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,845905,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930094005/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,845905,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 30, 2007 | magazine=Time | date=April 21, 1923 | access-date=October 13, 2008}}</ref>

===Revivals===
* 1952: The play was revived at the [[Lyceum Theatre (Broadway)|Lyceum Theatre]] on January 23, 1952, staged by [[Michael Gordon (film director)|Michael Gordon]] and designed by Emeline C. Roche with [[Celeste Holm]] as Anna, [[Kevin McCarthy (actor)|Kevin McCarthy]], and [[Arthur O'Connell]]. It ran for 8 performances.
[[File:Anna Christie 1977 revival.jpg|thumb|upright|Poster for the 1977 Broadway revival by [[James McMullan]]]]
* 1955: The play was revived at the Teatro 5 de diciembre of [[Mexico City]], directed by [[Tulio Demicheli]]. It starred [[Silvia Pinal]] as Anna and [[Wolf Ruvinskis]].
* 1966: The play was successfully revived in Los Angeles at the Huntington Hartford Theatre on May 2 and ran through May 21.  Directed by [[Jack Garfein]], it starred his wife [[Carroll Baker]] as Anna, with [[James Whitmore]] as Chris and [[Hermione Baddeley]] as Marthy. The show then transferred to the Tappen Zee Playhouse in Nyack, New York where it ran from June 23 to July 2 with [[Isabel Jewel]] replacing Baddeley as Marthy. 
* 1977: The play was revived at the [[Imperial Theatre (Broadway)|Imperial Theatre]] on April 14, 1977, directed by [[José Quintero]] and designed by Ben Edwards. It starred [[Liv Ullmann]]  as Anna, [[Robert Donley]], [[John Lithgow]] and [[Mary McCarty (actress)|Mary McCarty]]. It received [[Tony Award]] nominations for Liv Ullmann as Best Actress and for Mary McCarty as Best Featured Actress. It ran for 124 performances.
* 1990: The play was staged at the Young Vic theatre in London and starred [[Natasha Richardson]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/oct/19/young-vic-40th-birthday-anniversary|title=Young Vic at 40: The Young and the restless|website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=October 19, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/earthy-beauty|title = Earthy Beauty|newspaper = The Daily Beast|date = March 19, 2009|last1 = Eyre|first1 = Peter}}</ref>
* 1993: The play was revived on Broadway on January 14, 1993 by [[Roundabout Theatre Company|The Roundabout Theatre Company]] at the Criterion Center Stage Right. It was directed by [[David Leveaux]] and designed by [[John Lee Beatty]]. It starred [[Natasha Richardson]], [[Liam Neeson]], [[Anne Meara]], and [[Rip Torn]]. It received [[Tony Award]] nominations for Best Actress (Natasha Richardson), Best Actor (Liam Neeson), Best Featured Actress (Anne Meara), Best Direction (David Leveaux), and won the award for Best Revival. Neeson and Richardson both received the [[Theatre World Award]]. The production won the [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival]] and the [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play]] for Richardson. It ran for 54 performances.
* 2002: The play was directed by Gar Campbell at the [[Pacific Resident Theatre]], rerunning from January 5, 2002 to May 5, 2002, starring [[Lesley Fera]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pacificresidenttheatre.com/anna-christie-by-eugene-oneill/|title=2002 Pacific Resident Theatre|last=Anna|first=Christie|date=January 5, 2002|publisher=[[pacificresidenttheatre.com]]|access-date=January 5, 2002}}</ref>
* 2011: The play was produced at the [[Donmar Warehouse]], London, running from August 4, 2011 to October 8, 2011, with [[Ruth Wilson (actress)|Ruth Wilson]] as Anna, [[Jude Law]] as Mat, and [[David Hayman]] as Chris. It was positively received by critics, with mostly 4 and 5 star reviews, and it won the 2012 [[Olivier Award]] for "best revival".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/london/E8831334500720/Full+List+%26+Photos%3A+2012+Olivier+Award+winners.html|title=2012 Olivier Award winners|last=Girvan|first=Andrew|date=April 15, 2012|publisher=[[Whatsonstage.com]]|access-date=July 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619051004/http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/london/E8831334500720/Full+List+%26+Photos%3A+2012+Olivier+Award+winners.html|archive-date=June 19, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Billington|first=Michael|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/aug/09/anna-christie-review|title=Anna Christie – review|access-date=September 2, 2011 |date=August 9, 2011 |work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Spencer|first=Charles|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/8691856/Anna-Christie-Donmar-Warehouse-review.html|title=Anna Christie, Donmar Warehouse, Review|access-date=September 2, 2011 |date=August 10, 2011 |publisher=The Telegraph}}</ref>

==Adaptations==
[[File:Silver Sheet January 01 1923 - ANNA CHRISTIE.pdf|left|thumb|Blanche Sweet's ''Anna Christie'' was featured on the cover of ''The Silver Sheet'', a studio publication promoting [[Thomas H. Ince|Thomas Ince Productions]] (1923)]]
The play was adapted by [[Bradley King (screenwriter)|Bradley King]] for a [[Anna Christie (1923 film)|1923 film of the same name]] directed by [[John Griffith Wray]] and [[Thomas H. Ince]], with stars [[Blanche Sweet]], [[William Russell (American actor)|William Russell]], [[George F. Marion]], and [[Eugenie Besserer]].

The play inspired ''Kiri no Minato'', directed by Kenji Mizoguchi in 1923, though the plot is quite different from the original. This film is actually lost.

A [[Anna Christie (1930 English-language film)|1930 film adaptation]] by [[Frances Marion]] was directed by [[Clarence Brown]] and starred [[Greta Garbo]], [[Charles Bickford]], George F. Marion and [[Marie Dressler]]. This [[pre-Code]] film used the marketing slogan "Garbo Talks!", as it was her first talkie. Her first spoken line has become her most famous: "Give me a whiskey with ginger ale on the side, and don't be stingy, baby." George F. Marion, who had performed the role of Anna's father in the original [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production, reprised the role in both the 1923 and 1930 film adaptations.

A [[Anna Christie (1930 German-language film)|German-language adaptation]], also starring Garbo, was filmed in 1930 and released the same year, using the same production as the English language film that had concluded filming in 1929. This version was adapted by Frances Marion, translated by [[Walter Hasenclever]] and directed by [[Jacques Feyder]]. In addition to Garbo, the cast included Theo Shall, [[Hans Junkermann (actor)|Hans Junkermann]], and [[Salka Viertel]].

In 1957, a thoroughly reworked adaptation by [[George Abbott]] with music and lyrics by [[Bob Merrill]], called ''[[New Girl in Town]]'', opened on Broadway. It ran for 431 performances.

In 2018, [[Encompass New Opera Theatre]] presented an opera adaptation composed by Edward Thomas with a libretto by [[Joe Masteroff]] at the [[Baruch College]] Performing Arts Center in New York City. Directed by Nancy Rhodes and conducted by [[Julian Wachner]], it featured Melanie Long in the title role, Frank Basile as Chris, [[Jonathan Estabrooks]] as Mat, Joe Hermlayn as Marthy and Mike Pirozzi as Larry. It ran for 12 performances.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://operawire.com/masteroff-thomas-anna-christie-an-opera-18-years-in-the-making| title=Masteroff & Thomas' ''Anna Christie'', an Opera 18 Years in the Making| date=November 2, 2018}}</ref> A recording with the original cast, produced by [[Thomas Z. Shepard]] and conducted by [[Julian Wachner]], with the orchestra NOVUS New York, will be released by [[Broadway Records (2012)|Broadway Records]] on August 16, 2019. It is a collaboration of [[Trinity Church (Manhattan)|Trinity Church]] and Encompass New Opera Theatre.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.annachristieopera.com/aboutalbum|title=Anna Christie (World Premiere Recording)}}</ref>

==Trivia==
According to actress [[Ellen Burstyn]] in the 2012 film ''Marilyn in Manhattan,'' [[Marilyn Monroe]] performed a scene from ''Anna Christie'' at the [[Actors Studio]] with [[Maureen Stapleton]]. Calling the story "legendary," Burstyn said, "Everybody who saw that says that it was not only the best work Marilyn ever did, it was some of the best work ever seen at Studio, and certainly the best interpretation of Anna Christie anybody ever saw. She...achieved real greatness in that scene."

==Awards and nominations== <!-- Non-performance awards only -->
;Awards
* 1922 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
* 1993 Drama Desk Award for Best Revival of a Play
* 1993 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play
* 2011 Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last=O'Neill | first=Eugene | title=Anna Christie: A Play in Four Acts | edition=First | location=London | publisher=Jonathan Cape | year=1923 | oclc=252007125}}
* Johnson, Katie N. “‘Anna Christie’: The Repentant Courtesan, Made Respectable.” The Eugene O’Neill Review 26 (2004): 87–104.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Anna Christie}}
* {{Gutenberg|no=4025}}
* {{IBDB show|1606}}
* {{IBDB title|12677|Anna Christie|(1921 original production)}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311002810/http://www.americantheatrewing.org/seminars/detail/anna_christie_01_93/ Production: ''Anna Christie''] — ''Working in the Theatre Seminar'' video at [[American Theatre Wing]]
* {{Librivox book|title=Anna Christie|author=Eugene O'Neill}}

{{Eugene O'Neill}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for ''Anna Christie''
| list = 
{{DramaDesk PlayRevival 1976–2000}}
{{OlivierAward PlayRevival 2001–2025}}
{{Pulitzer Prize for Drama 1918-1925}}
{{TonyAward Revival}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1921 plays]]
[[Category:Broadway plays]]
[[Category:Drama Desk Award–winning plays]]
[[Category:Plays by Eugene O'Neill]]
[[Category:Pulitzer Prize for Drama–winning works]]
[[Category:Tony Award–winning plays]]
[[Category:West End plays]]
[[Category:American plays adapted into films]]
[[Category:Plays about prostitution]]
[[Category:Plays set in New York City]]
[[Category:Female characters in literature|Christie, Anna]]
[[Category:Fictional prostitutes|Christie, Anna]]
[[Category:Works about prostitution in the United States]]