[1] It was more a romance than the theological drama of the novel, as an Anglican vicar of a slum parish in 1890's London tries to persuade a music hall performer to give up her career.

It was first produced by Liebler & Company, with staging by Walter Clark Bellows, sets by Louis Young, music by William Furst, and starring Viola Allen.

The tours were very successful, netting Liebler & Company a half-million dollars over the next few years,[4] enabling it to produce plays with less commercial appeal, such as Children of the Ghetto.

Archdeacon Wealthy, Parson Quayle, Father Lamplough, and Mrs. Callender all drop by, each giving a picture of their philosophy and character thru conversation.

He gives a dinner in her honor, at which are Lord Robert, the Manager, the Faro King, and "three graces": Betty, Nettie, and Letty.

Act II (The clubroom of St. Mary Magdalene Church, the next day) Father John is serving a poor parish in the slums of Soho, undertaking to fulfill both spiritual and temporal needs.

Lord Robert and Horatio Drake hope to buy the church in order to expand their music hall, which stands next door.

Lord Robert, Horatio Drake, the Faro King, and the Manager try to intimidate Father John, but are set upon by a mob of his devoted parishioners.

It was a new company, with just one prior production to its credit, though Tyler had eight years previous experience managing troupes and producing plays.

[2] The Lyceum Theatre stock company under Charles Frohman lent Edward J. Morgan to The Christian to play the male lead opposite Viola Allen, with the condition he would be returned in mid-November 1898.

[9] Sets were designed by Louis Young from photos and drawings brought back from Britain by Viola Allen, while William Furst composed incidental music based on Manx folk melodies she also collected.

[6] As independent producers, Liebler & Company were not part of the Theatrical Syndicate, so this outside investment was a form of insurance for them, guaranteeing their future bookings.

[16] The theatre was crowded; the author, occupying a box, was cheered by the audience after each act, with the final curtain not falling until after midnight.

[18] One reviewer, while praising the writing and performances, thought the staging could be improved, while also noting the short fourth act was "almost superfluous".

[7] Viola Allen had top billing, with the author's name in much smaller letters, and unusually, all sixteen principals listed below the title.

[21] The reviewer for The New York Times noted the theatre on opening night was crowded to the doors with no room for late-comers, which they attributed to Viola Allen rather than Hall Caine's talent as a dramatist.

Dale felt Glory's transition from simple country girl in the prologue to dazzling music hall success with the first-act opening demanded more in the way of explanation.

[23] The reviewer for The Sun was more concerned with the story than its structure, but raised an interesting point by saying there were two sincere suitors for the hand of Glory Quayle and the more worldly one might have made the better husband.

[25] Frank Keenan, the stage manager who also played Brother Paul, kept the curtain closed after the third act while asking for any doctors in the house to come backstage.

[25] She came from a theatrical family; her mother was then performing in Washington D.C., while her father and older sister had also died in theaters from heart trouble.

[26] Due to a prior booking at the Knickerbocker Theatre, The Christian finished there on November 19, 1898, after a six-week run, during which the production made $70,000.