by Samantha Sheets“Who am I?” is a question the title character Anya ponders throughout act one of the musical “Anastasia”, based off the 1997 Fox movie. The story is based loosely off of Russian history and ancestry. "Anastasia: The Musical" tells the tale of Anya, a young girl with amnesia who may be a Romanov heiress who has witnessed her entire family be massacred in a revolution. And while the movie bats an eye around this dark theme, only really addressing the harrowing past of this young girl in a nightmare, the musical addresses it head-on. The Broadway production’s book was written by Terrence McNally, accompanied beautifully alongside Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’s music and lyrics. It is currently being shown at the Broadhurst Theater. Like in the movie, Anya embarks on a journey to her past alongside two con-men, Dmitry and Vlad. Anya hopes to retrieve her memories and regain contact with the woman she suspects is her grandmother, the last surviving Romanov. Dmitry and Vlad are in pursuit of the money reward being offered for the grand duchesses’s return home. So the two conmen attempt to pass Anya off as Anastasia so that all three can get what they want. The conmen get their money and Anya regains her past. Although it is based heavily off of the 1997 movie of the same name, this adaption does stray from its roots. Musical Anya/Anastasia, unlike her 1997 movie version, has become fearful from the trauma she does not remember. Interestingly, she now holds many symptoms that match PTSD. This is evident in several instances within the musical as the audience begins to believe she might actually be the lost princess. The biggest difference this adaption faces is its villain. In the movie, the antagonist is the dark monk Rasputin, who is accompanied by his albino bat; Both seek to murder our protagonist through the use of black magics. The musical chooses to swap that out for a more realistic approach and creates its own villain who fulfills Rasputin’s role. This villain is a revolutionist named Gleb, played by Ramin Karimloo. The audience quickly learns that Gleb’s father had participated in the fall of the Romanov hierarchy firsthand and had been one of the soldiers who took part in the gruesome murder of Anastasia's family. Although this alteration makes the piece more realistic, as an audience member I began to question if a villain in the production was entirely necessary. Karimloo, although extremely talented, was forgettable. That being said, his final number where he finally embraces his role as the villain and draws a gun on our protagonist was chilling to say the least. The staging of the scene replicates the horrid murder of Anya/Anastasia’s family, and Gleb begins to question if he can fulfil what his father began a decade prior. While this scene had me on the edge of my seat as a gun was pressed against Anya/Anastasia's head, it inevitably ended too abruptly. (Start of spoiler) Gleb is unable to pull the trigger because he has fallen in love with Anya/Anastasia, even though the two have only interacted three times within the show at this point (End of spoiler). Gleb’s inclusion into the plot paralleled that of Ted Hinton in the flopped musical Bonnie and Clyde. While Hinton was historically in love with Bonnie Parker, his inclusion made the troubled show fall flat, much like how I felt about Gleb. And while I thoroughly enjoyed all of the musical numbers sung by Gleb, if you removed him from the plot the show would move on seamlessly without him. His inclusion does not affect the show in any real way. Gleb’s interactions with Anya/Anastasia, aside from his final number mentioned above, do not imprint worry that he might truly stop her from completing her journey. Therefore, as an audience member, rather than fear him I questioned his competence. With the criticisms out of the way, I genuinely enjoyed this production. While I was not necessarily surprised by anything the show offered, as I have seen the movie and own the Broadway musical soundtrack, the show still left me in awe. The costumes were impeccable, and I am baffled on how the musical lost the Tony Award for “Best Costumes”. The musical replicated outfits from the movie perfectly and the actors who filled these costumes embraced the characters wholeheartedly. A number that showcases these costumes is “Quartet at the Ballet”. In the scene, the characters are all lavishly dressed in preparation to attend a Parisian ballet. Anya/Anastasia wears a blue sequined dressed that perfectly resembles the dress worn in the movie. Christy Altomare who plays Anya/Anastasia and fills this blue dress is phenomenal. She not only believably plays fearful and hopeful with ease, she’s also charismatic and makes you understand every complex emotion Anya/Anastasia is feeling. Whether that be Anya/Anastasia's frustration at not being able to relearn her past easily, or simply her glee of arriving in Paris where she can finally prove she is the lost princess. Anya/Anastasia’s love interest Dmitry (Derek Klena) is not to be overlooked either. Klena naturally resembles his character from the movie, and has a powerhouse voice that is swoon worthy. The duo make the small casted show feel large within the world they are able to successfully create. You feel you are in St. Petersburg in Dmitry’s solo “My Petersburg”. When the trio travels to Paris in “Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)”, you teleport there alongside them. These travel sequences are accompanied by projections of scenery that can be seen through windows that are set on stage. You can see time pass as the seasons change in “Learn to Do It” and you are in 1907 Russia with Anya in the famous “Once Upon a December”. The projections, much like the gorgeous costumes, do not feel cheap and look magnificent. Both the set and clothing designs definitely set it apart from other Broadway productions. Similarly to when Dmitry sees Anya/Anastasia in her blue gown, I was left speechless. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by "Anastasia: The Musical". I was going into this performance already being a fan of the music and lyrics, and it was still able to leave a twinkle in my eyes. I overall enjoyed my time at the Broadhurst Theater as a whole and being teleported to both Russia and Paris simultaneously. I actually plan to buy another ticket for a second viewing as I want to relive the magical atmosphere the show provides. Anya might begin act one by struggling to dance and questioning "Who am I?", but the musical has found its footing and is sure of itself.
3 Comments
Antonia
7/14/2017 03:34:16 pm
I agree that the charakter of Gleb is not necessary. I get that they needed to include some sort of antagonist (and i still prefer him over Rasputin) but still i find his scenes/ songs to be kind of boring.
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Samantha Sheets - Author of the article
8/21/2017 06:10:20 am
Slight informal update:
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