Christian

Christian Perrin, known by his stage-name Christian, was a French actor and singer in operetta, born in Paris, 1 January 1821, and died there in December 1889.

He featured in other revivals such as La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein and La belle Hélène (Agamemnon). He also appeared in the opérettes of Hervé such as Le mot de la fin and La veuve du Malabar. He appeared at the Théâtre de l'Odéon from 1870 to 1872 and then briefly at the Variétés before re-joining Offenbach at the Gaîté where he appeared in the premiere of Le Voyage dans la lune and in revised versions of Orphée aux Enfers (as Jupiter) and Geneviève de Brabant (Golo). When the 'Théâtre-Lyrique' opened at the Gaîté after Offenbach’s departure, he even undertook the opéra comique repertoire, including La poupée de Nuremberg, Giralda (Don Japhet), Les rendez-vous bourgeois and Le sourd (Doliban).

In January 1875 he was withdrawn from the revival of Les brigands after a complaint from a government minister to the theatre management that Christian had introduced the actor playing Gloria-Cassis in the tones of catholic liturgy.

The revival by Castellano of Le voyage dans la lune at the Théâtre du Châtelet in 1877 brought him back to operetta. From 1878 Christian rejoined the Variétés where he featured in new stage works – Le Tour du Cadran, Coup de foudre, Le Voyage en Suisse, Les Variétés de Paris, Mam'zelle Nitouche (as Château-Gibus), La Cosaque, Mam'zelle Gavroche, Mes Anciennes – alongside popular revivals, L'Homme n'est pas parfait, La belle Hélène (Calchas), La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein (Boum), Le Père de la débutante, Les brigands (Pietro), La princesse de Trébizonde (Cabriolo), and Barbe-bleue (Popolani).

Christian suffered a stroke at the Variétés on 20 November 1889 after a dress rehearsal for the revue Paris-Exposition and died shortly afterwards. His last words were apparently « I am dying just like Molière ».