At left, Marie Christine stars Audra McDonald and Anthony Crivello. At right, Vivian Reed, who plays Marie Christine's voodoo priestess mother. Marie Christine is a modern American retelling of the Greek Medea story by Euripides (circa 431 B.C.). The tale is set in New Orleans a century ago. McDonald plays a passionate young woman willing to do anything to preserve her love for an ambitious sea captain, the Jason figure, played by Crivello. Act One is set in the South, Act Two is in Chicago. LaChiusa wrote the lead role with McDonald in mind.
The musical runs though Jan. 9 at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre.