Christine

by Bartho Smit. A highly controversial play about an Afrikaner artist haunted by his betrayal of his Jewish lover to the Nazi’s. Originally commissioned by CAPAB for the opening of the Nico Malan Theatre Complex in Cape Town in 1971, it was banned by the Administrator of the Cape Province (in his capacity as chairman of the Board) at the last minute, and shelved for a later possible workshop production, which never happened.

First published by Tafelberg in 1971.

Performance history in South Africa

Finally it was directed by Francois Swart for PACT in 1973 with Tine Balder, Sandra Prinsloo, Don Lamprecht and Louis van Niekerk. (The Pretoria run was threatened with banning unless certain changes were made.)

Christine opened for CAPAB at the Arena Theatre of the Nico Malan Complex in an experimental production by Esther van Ryswyk on 26 May 1987, a month after the author's death. The director was assisted by Fiona Coyne, the set designed by David van Rijswijk, lighting by Pieter de Swardt. Babs Laker played Christine, Percy Sieff Paul Harmse, Marion Holm was Die Meisie and Willie Fritz Die Man.

A production by students of the University of Stellenbosch Drama Department was presented at the H.B. Thom Theatre in November 1993, directed by Waldemar Schultz, starring Chris Vorster as Paul Harmse, Ira Blanckenberg and Melina Dreyer alternating as Christine, Launa Kotze and Judy-Ann Deacon alternating as Meisie, Waldemar Schultz as Man.

Translations and adaptations

An English translation published in Hauptfleisch and Steadman: South African Theatre: Four Plays and an Introduction by HAUM Educational in 1984. English translation by Michael Rice.

Sources

CAPAB 25 years. Unpublished research. p 117 and 448.

Theatre pamphlet 1987.

Theatre pamphlet, 1993.

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