THE VISIT
Goodman Theatre, Chicago, Illinois, Friday, September 21 through Saturday, November 3, 2001. Opening night was October 1, 2001.

Friedrich Durrenmatt's classic story of revenge was revisited by Terrence McNally with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The three had previously collaborated on Kiss of the Spider Woman. The original production was directed by Frank Galati with choreography by Ann Reinking on the Albert Ivar stage of the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.

Derek McLane (Sets); Susan Hilferty (Costumes); Brian MacDevitt (Lighting); Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (Sound); and David Loud (Musical Direction).

Synopsis:
Chita played Claire Zachanassian, the richest woman in the world, who returns to her hometown, the economically devastated city of Brachen, which she had fled years before on the heels of a scandal, destitute and without a friend to help her. Anticipating her visit with hope that her generosity will resurrect their fortunes, the people of Brachen have chosen to overlook the disgrace that forced Claire to leave their city in the first place. But Claire has not forgotten, and at the celebration welcoming her home, she announces the true intent of her return.

It seems that Claire fled Brachen at the age of seventeen, because she had been betrayed by her lover, Anton Schell (played by John McMartin), now a shopkeeper and one of Brachen’s most respectable citizens. When she became pregnant with his child, he denied her, not wanting his life to be dragged down by marriage to a girl half-Gypsy, half Jew. Anton even went so far as to hire two young men to say, in court, that they had enjoyed Claire’s sexual favors repeatedly, paying them with a bottle of schnapps. Her life in ruin, Claire fled Brachen and began life as a whore, gradually working her way up through ever richer and more powerful men, and amassing the world’s largest fortune in the process.

Now she wants justice for the injury she has endured, and she offers the town a deal: all the money they can use in return for the life of Anton Schell. The town is horrified and declines the offer in the name of humanity.

“I’ll wait,” Claire sings, before she settles into the local hotel with her bizarre entourage of servants.

Life in Brachen goes on, but its citizens curiously feel a new sense of optimism about the future. They begin to buy on credit. Frightened by this new prosperity and by the fact that his own wife and children seem caught up in the euphoria, Anton Schell decides to flee the town, but is met at the station by a crowd of citizens. Confronted as much by his own conscience as by the crowd, Schell is paralyzed and misses his train.

As the people of Brachen look forward to a golden future, Schell comes to accept his fate, and he reaches a kind of reconciliation with Claire. He waits for Brachen to vote to accept or reject Claire’s offer.

They accept and the men of the town execute Anton with their bare hands.

In the final scene, Claire and her entourage leave the town with the body of Anton Schell in the magnificent coffin brought for the occasion. The visit is over.

Musical Numbers

Act I

Prologue...........................................Young Claire, Young
Anton, Anton, Townspeople

Out of the Darkness.....................................Townspeople

At Last................................Claire, Eunuchs, Townspeople

A Happy Ending............The Mayor, The Police Inspector, The Doctor, The Priest, The Schoolmaster, Townspeople

You, You, You...................................Young Anton, Anton, Claire, Young Claire

I Know Claire........................................................ Anton

You Know Me..........................Matilda, The Mayor's Wife

Look at Me................................Anton, Claire, Entourage, Young Anton, Young Claire, Family

Look at Her................................................Townspeople

All You Need to Know...........................Claire, Entourage, Townspeople

A Masque..................................The Mayor, Townspeople

Eunuchs' Testimony.............................................Eunuchs

Winter......................................................................Claire

Yellow Shoes....................Kurt, The Doctor, Townspeople

Intermission

Act II

Chorale ...................................................... Townspeople

A Confession .........................................Claire, Entourage

I Would Never Leave You .....................Entourage, Claire

Back and Forth ....................................The Schoolmaster

The Only One .......................................The Schoolmaster

A Car Ride .................Anton, Matilda, Ottilie, Karl, Claire

Winter Reprise .............................................Young Anton

Love and Love Alone .............................................Claire

In the Forest Again ..............Anton, Claire, Young Anton, Young Claire

Finale ..........................................................Townspeople

 

Cast
Chita Rivera (Claire Zachanassian)
John McMartin (Anton Schell)
Guy Adkins (Karl Schell)
McKinley Carter (Annie Dummermut)
Mark Jacoby (Mayor Peter Dummermut)
Cristen Paige (Otillie Schell)
Ami Silvestre (Matilde nee Blumhard)
Steven Sutcliffe (Schoolmaster Kuhn)
Scott Calcagno (Man);
Tina Cannon (Young Claire);
Jim Corti (Doctor Hans Nuesslin);
Mark Crayton (Louis Perch);
Joseph Dellger (Policeman Hahncke);
Roberta Duchak (Woman);
John W. Eskola (Man);
James Harms (Rudi);
Rob Hatzenbeller (Lenny);
Brian Herriott (Young Anton);
Rosalyn Rahn Keirns (Woman);
Leisa Mather (Woman);
Matt Orlando (Benny);
Adam Pelty (Evgeny);
Greg Walter (Man);
Jonathan Weir (Priest);
Raymond Zrinsky (Jacob Chicken)

The Visit Trivia:
Claire Zachanassian and Anton Schell were played on the Broadway stage in the original Dürrenmatt play by Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt in 1956. References to Claire’s artificial limbs, deemed too grotesque for the grand lady, were cut from the script. Dürrenmatt was devoted to the Lunts, as they had starred in Fools are Passing Through (originally The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi, which marked his international breakthrough as a playwright).

In the 1964 film version of The Visit, Claire Zachanassian and Anton Schell were played by Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn.

The musical version was originally conceived as a vehicle for Angela Lansbury, who backed out of the production when her husband fell seriously ill.

An off-Broadway production was scheduled for the Public Theatre in January 2004 with Chita as Claire and Frank Langella as Anton, but was cancelled when backers pulled out in August 2003. Behind the scenes the creators were rumored to be working with the Roundabout Theatre with a mind to a Broadway opening at Studio 54 within the same January 2004 time frame, but no production ever materialized. After repeated disappointing delays, Chita finally moved on and began work on Chita Rivera: the Dancer's Life with Terrence McNally.

Chita in her fabulous Act One ball gown,
flanked by "The Eunuchs"

 

Chita and John McMartin as Claire and Anton

 

The townspeople in the Goodman Theatre premiere of The Visit

 

Chita and members of the company dance "The One Legged Tango"
in the world premiere production of The Visit at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.