''Candle in the Wind'' was a 1941

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

three-act drama written by

Maxwell Anderson James Maxwell Anderson (December 15, 1888 – February 28, 1959) was an American playwright, author, poet, journalist, and lyricist. Background Anderson was born on December 15, 1888, in Atlantic, Pennsylvania, the second of eight children to ...

, produced by the

Theatre Guild The Theatre Guild is a theatrical society founded in New York City in 1918 by Lawrence Langner, Philip Moeller, Helen Westley and Theresa Helburn. Langner's wife, Armina Marshall, then served as a co-director. It evolved out of the work of the W ...

and the

Playwrights' Company The Playwrights Company (1938–1960) was an American theatrical production company. History Maxwell Anderson, S. N. Behrman, Sidney Howard, Elmer Rice, Robert E. Sherwood and John F. Wharton established The Playwrights Company in 1938 (incorpor ...

and directed by

Alfred Lunt Alfred David Lunt (August 12, 1892 – August 3, 1977) was an American actor and director, best known for his long stage partnership with his wife, Lynn Fontanne, from the 1920s to 1960, co-starring in Broadway theatre, Broadway and West End thea ...

Jo Mielziner Joseph "Jo" Mielziner (March 19, 1901 – March 15, 1976) was an American theatrical scenic, and lighting designer born in Paris, France. He was described as "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway", and worked on both sta ...

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 Robert Burns Mantle (December 23, 1873February 9, 1948) was an American theater critic. He founded the ''Best Plays'' annual publication in 1920.Chansky, Dorothy (2011)"Burns Mantle and the American Theatregoing Public" in ''Theatre History Stu ...

's ''The Best Plays of 1941-1942''. Film rights were sold to Fox for $35,000.LOOKING BACKWARD AT THE 1943-44 SEASON: Being a Summary and Many Figures of the Year's Activities New York Times 4 June 1944: X1.

Characters

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 Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

. Col. Erfurt- Leader of this

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

. 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.

Original cast

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have w ...

as Madeline Guest *

Lotte Lenya Lotte Lenya (born Karoline Wilhelmine Charlotte Blamauer; 18 October 1898 – 27 November 1981) was an Austrian-American singer, diseuse, and actress, long based in the United States. In the German-speaking and classical music world, she is best ...

as Cissie *

Leona Roberts Leona Roberts (born Leona Celinda Doty; July 26, 1879 – January 29, 1954) was an American stage and film actress. Life and career Roberts was born in a small village in Illinois. According to Find A Grave she was born in Monroe Twp, Ashtabu ...

as Charlotte *

Tonio Selwart Antonio Franz Theus "Tonio" Selmair-Selwart (June 9, 1896 – November 2, 2002) was a German actor and stage performer. Biography Selwart was born in Wartenberg, Bavaria, Germany, and raised in Munich. After studying medicine like his fathe ...

as Lt. Schoen *

Evelyn Varden Evelyn Varden (born Mae Evelyn Hall;"Girl Claims Oil La ...

as Maisie Tompkins *

John Wengraf John Wengraf (23 April 1897 – 4 May 1974) was an Austrian actor. Early years Wengraf was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. Career Wengraf became a matinee idol in the 1930s, and was director of the Vienna State Theatre. He emigrated to Brit ...

as Col. Erfurt *

Joseph Wiseman Joseph Wiseman (May 15, 1918 – October 19, 2009) was a Canadian-American theatre, film, and television actor who starred as the villain Julius No in the first James Bond (film series), James Bond film, ''Dr. No (film), Dr. No'' in 1962. Wiseman ...

as Corporal Mueller *

Louis Borel Louis Borel (6 October 1905 – 24 April 1973) was a Dutch stage and film actor. During the 1930s, he appeared in a number of British films, such as the musical '' Head over Heels'' (1937).Larkin p.203 He later moved to the United States ...

as Raoul St. Cloud * Philip White as Fargeau * Stanley Jessup as M. Fleury * Michelette Burani as Madame Fleury * Brian Connaught as first guard * Ferdi Hoffman second guard * George Andre as third guard * Guy Moneypenny as fourth guard * Bruce Fernald as Captain * Mario Gang as Corporal Behrens * Nell Harrison as Mercy * Robert Harrison as Deseze * Knud Kreuger as German Lt. * Benedict MacQuarrie as Henri * William Malten as Corporal Schultz * Harro Meller as German Captain

Plot

Setting

1940s France. The gardens at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

, the concentration camp and Madeline's hotel suite. The play takes place during the German occupation of France in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Act 1

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. At the concentration camp, Colonel Erfurt allows the Fleury family to see their son only if they agree to help gather information for the German party. They hesitate, but ultimately give in because they want to see their son. They are mortified by what they see in the camp. He denies Madeline access to Raoul because he has Sterben written on his file. He says “This is a camp of dead men.” Madeline vows that she will see Raoul again.

Act 2

Exactly one year later. Cissie and Maisie talk about France's condition in Madeline's hotel room. Maisie is hungry and nervous about German soldiers barging in on them. Cissie reassures her that they will not come. Madeline and Colonel Mueller talk about plans to break Raoul out and the three women will leave for London the next afternoon after the plan unfolds. The plan fails. Madeline tells the girls to unpack, they are staying. Maisie tells her that the best way she can help Raoul is by going back to America, back to work and get more money. Lieutenant Schoen arrives saying that he knows a fool proof way to get Raoul out of the camp. Maisie and Cissie leave to get Cissie a visa. Madeline and Lt. Schoen talk about the plan and she gives him her ring to pawn for money as a gift for helping her and Raoul. Lt. Schoen leaves his number, saying that if he can get Raoul out the following day, he will call.

Act 3

The next day, back at the gardens. Henri reads the executed list in the paper and sees Fargeau's name on the list. He always said that he'd rather be who he is and die for it than live as someone the Germans want him to be. Fargeau died trying to buy a gun, the shop didn't have any so he killed a German officer for one. Henri and Deseze mourn him for a moment as Madeline enters. Lt. Schoen never called but meets her at the gardens. He delivers good news that the plan worked and Raoul will be there any moment. Raoul arrives and Madeline is delighted. They immediately embrace, still as in love with each other as they were a year ago. She tells him to go to London and wait for her. But after he leaves, German soldiers arrive at the gardens and begin questioning Madeline. She obliges, thinking that the longer the soldiers are with her, the further away Raoul will get from France. Col. Erfurt and Madeline argue and he ends up confiscating Madeline's passport, leaving her to be a prisoner in France. Madeline and Raoul do not end up together.

Title

The idiom Candle in the Wind means something fragile which could finish at any time, a constant fight against all odds. Madeline and Raoul's love is a candle in the wind: the constant fight to free Raoul, even after a year, and the hope that he still loves her.

References

External links

* * Anderson, Maxwell. Candle in the Wind, a Play in Three Acts. Washington, D.C.: Anderson House, 1941. Print. * http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/10538/Candle-in-the-Wind * http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1942/03/15/page/162/article/candle-in-the-wind-with-helen-hayes-opens-tomorrow *https://web.archive.org/web/20150518095045/http://www.oneworldofenglish.com/english_idioms/idioms_C/candle_in_the_wind.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Candle in the Wind (play) 1941 plays Broadway plays Plays by Maxwell Anderson Plays set in France