Candle in the Wind (play)
| Candle in the Wind | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Maxwell Anderson |
| Date premiered | October 22, 1941 |
| Place premiered |
Shubert Theatre New York City, New York |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | France |
This is an article about the play; not the Elton John song see "Candle in the Wind"; for the movie see Candle in the Wind 1997
Candle in the Wind was a 1941 Broadway three-act drama written by Maxwell Anderson, produced by the Theatre Guild and the Playwrights' Company and directed by Alfred Lunt. Jo Mielziner created the scenic and lighting design. It ran for 95 performances from October 22, 1941 to January 10, 1942 at the Shubert Theatre as a part of the 1941-1942 play season. It was included in Burns Mantle's The Best Plays of 1941-1942.
Madeline Guest- A very persistent American actress who falls in love with Raoul.
Cissie- A Viennese woman who is an expert of being on the run from German soldiers.
Maisie Tompkins- A tall, broad American woman, Madeline’s friend.
Charlotte and Mercy- School teachers from New Hampshire who are fascinated with Marie Antoinette.
Col. Erfurt- Leader of this concentration camp.
Lt. Schoen- Col. Erfurt’s right-hand man.
Corporal Mueller- Attempts to aid Madeline but isn’t very trustworthy.
Raoul St. Cloud- A French journalist who gets captured by the Germans.
M. and Madame Fleury- A French couple who are allowed to see their son only to get information for the Germans.
Fargeau- A workman who is very proud of being French.
Deseze- A park attendant.
Henri- A janitor.
1940s France. The gardens at Versailles, the concentration camp and Madeline’s hotel suite. The play takes place during the German occupation of France in World War II.
September 1940. Fargeau, Henri and Deseze are talking about the war, Charlotte and Mercy are visiting from America and are trying to rebuild the past. They want to see Versailles as it was in Marie Antoinette's time. They are upset because the land and history changed too much. Madeline is avoiding Maisie because she has fallen in love and doesn’t want to go back to America. She tells Maisie all about Raoul St. Cloud. Moments later he appears in the distance and tells Madeline about his adventures in the war, how his ship sank and he helped hijack a plane. He and Madeline pick up where they left off in their relationship. German soldiers enter and seeing Raoul in a French uniform, ask for his papers. Raoul, unable to produce them, saying they are lost at sea; gets arrested and taken to a concentration camp.
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