Anastasia (musical)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anastasia

Artwork from the Broadway Production

Music Stephen Flaherty

Lyrics Lynn Ahrens

Book Terrence McNally

Setting Russia & France

Basis 1997 film Anastasia

Premiere May 27, 2016: Hartford Stage, Hartford, Connecticut

Productions 2016 Hartford

2017 Broadway

Awards 2016 Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Best Musical

Anastasia is a musical with music and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, and a
book by Terrence McNally. Based on the 1997 film of the same name, the musical tells the
story of the legend of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, which claims that
she in fact escaped the execution of her family. Anastasia, who appears in the plot as an
amnesiac orphan named Anya, hopes to find some trace of her family and sides with
conmen who wish to take advantage of her likeness to the Grand Duchess.

Production[edit]
A reading was held in 2012, featuring Kelli Barret as Anya (Anastasia), Patrick Page as
Vladimir, Angela Lansbury as the Empress Maria and Aaron Tveit as Dimitri.[1] A workshop
was held on June 12, 2015 in New York City workshop, and included Elena Shaddow as
Anya, Ramin Karimloo as Gleb Vaganov, a new role, and Douglas Sills as Vlad. [2]
The original stage production of Anastasia premiered at Hartford Stage in Hartford,
Connecticut on May 13, 2016 (previews), with direction by Darko Tresnjak and
choreography by Peggy Hickey, and starring Christy Altomare and Derek Klena as Anya
and Dmitry, respectively.[3]
The musical opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on March 23, 2017 in
previews, officially on April 24, 2017, featuring most of the original Hartford principal cast. [4][5]
[6]

Director Tresnjak explained: "We’ve kept, I think, six songs from the movie, but there are 16
new numbers. We’ve kept the best parts of the animated movie, but it really is a new
musical."[2] The musical also adds characters not in the film.[4] Additionally, Act 1 is set in
Russia and Act 2 in Paris, “which was everything modern Soviet Russia was not: free,
expressive, creative, no barriers,” according to McNally.[7] The production was met with
mixed to positive reviews by critics, citing uneven plots and an overly long running time as
primary issues. [8]

Synopsis[edit]
Prologue[edit]
Saint Petersburg: 1907-1917
In 1907 St. Petersburg, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna is preparing to move to
Paris. Her youngest granddaughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov, is
saddened that her “nana” is moving and begs Maria to take her to Paris with her. The
Dowager Empress comforts her by promising her that she’ll live in Paris with her when
she’s older, going to the ballet every night and walking on Pont Alexandre III, a bridge
named after Anastasia’s deceased grandfather. Before she leaves, the Dowager Empress
gives Anastasia a special music box that plays their lullaby (“Once Upon a December-
Prologue”). Anastasia chases after her nana as she departs, but her father, Nicholas, the
Tsar of Russia, distracts her by dancing and pretending to hold a ball. Ten years later,
Anastasia is now a beautiful teenager, who is celebrating an annual ball with her parents,
her three older sisters, Olga, Maria, & Tatiana, and her little brother, Alexei. But, the royal
family's happy lives come to an end when the Bolsheviks invade their palace. The
Romanovs attempt to escape, but end up being captured off-stage. As they escape,
Anastasia leaves them behind to retrieve her music box, but gets shot by the Bolsheviks in
capture. The Romanov family is confirmed to be dead and the Dowager Empress mourns
her loss (“Dance of the Romanovs”).
Act 1[edit]
Leningrad (Saint Petersburg): 1927
Gleb Vaganov, a general for the Bolsheviks who now control Russia, announces to the
gloomy Russians that the now-poor Saint Petersburg has been renamed Leningrad, and he
promises a bright and peaceful future. The Russians protest this change, but are uplifted by
a rumor that Anastasia may have survived the Bolshevik attacks. Two wanted con men, the
handsome young Dmitry and an ex-member of the Royal Court named Vlad Popov, hear
the rumors and brainstorm “the biggest con in history”, in which they will groom a naive girl
to become Anastasia in order to extract money from the Dowager Empress (“A Rumor in St.
Petersburg"). Behind Gleb’s back, Dmitry and Vlad hold unsuccessful auditions for the
scheme at the theater in the abandoned Yusupov Palace. Just as they are about to give up
hope of finding a suitable imposter, a young street sweeper named Anya walks in to ask
Dmitri about paperwork to get tickets for Paris. Vlad and Dmitry dismiss her, but Anya
vaguely remembers that she was at the theater long ago and talks of a time when she saw
a play there. Dmitry and Vlad become fascinated as Anya explains that she doesn’t
remember who she is and has very little memories of her past (“In My Dreams”). Amazed
by her memory loss and resemblance to Anastasia, they select Anya as their impostor.
At the capitol, government workers sort through rumors and reports for any that require
further action. Three bitter actresses report Anya, Dmitry, and Vlad's plot to Gleb, but he
dismisses them and files a case for Anya (“The Rumors Never End”). Back at the palace,
Vlad and Dmitry groom a feisty Anya to become Anastasia through history, dining, and
dancing lessons. Months later, Anya is poised to meet the Dowager Empress (“Learn to Do
It”) when she is arrested in the streets and turned over to Gleb. Gleb, having feelings for
her, warn her about the consequences of pretending to be Anastasia and tries to convince
her that Anastasia is really dead. He assumes this because his father was the one who
shot the Romanovs and living across the street from Ipatiev House, Gleb, as a boy, heard
the gunshots and their screams. However, Gleb notices that Anya has the "Romanov eyes"
and realizes that Anya could be Anastasia. He lets her off with a warning ("The Neva
Flows").
Anya reunites with Dmitry and they are attacked by his old con partners, whom they must
fight off (“The Neva Flows” Reprise). Dmitry is impressed by her fighting skills and when
Anya notes that he has it much easier as a boy, Dmitry dismisses that claim. He explains
that his father was a revolutionary against the Bolsheviks and was killed in one of their
camps and with his mother being dead, he had to take care of himself. (“My Petersburg”).
Dmitry begins to trust her enough to show her a broken music box, unaware it is the
memento that was given to Anastasia by the Dowager Empress. Anya winds the box and
begins to vaguely remember her past, including a royal family ball many years ago (“Once
Upon a December”). In return, Anya gives Dmitry her most prized possession, a diamond
that was found sewn to her dress when she was discovered as a girl (“A Secret She Kept”).
They reunite with Vlad and Anya gives them the diamond to obtain tickets to Paris.
At the train station, Count Ipolitov recognizes Anya as Anastasia and kisses her hand. As
they board the train to Paris, Count Ipolitov leads everyone in a prayer of farewell to Russia
(“Stay, I Pray You”). During the train ride, Anya, Dmitry, and Vlad reflect on what they hope
to accomplish in Paris: Anya hoping to discover that she is actually Anastasia, Dmitry’s
desire for the money, and Vlad hoping to win back Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch
("Sophie" in the 1997 animated film), the Dowager Empress’s lady-in-waiting with whom he
had an affair (“We’ll Go From There”). Count Ipolitov is fatally shot by the police for illegally
boarding the train. Triggered by the gunfire, Anya experiences an emotional breakdown and
Dmitry comforts her. The police officers then go after them since they are wanted criminals
in Russia and they jump off the train, narrowly avoiding capture.
As they travel across Russia by foot, the head general of the Bolsheviks, Gorlinsky, orders
Gleb to follow Anya and kill her (“Traveling Sequence”). Gleb agrees to the task, but he
realizes that he is in love with Anya and questions his heart ("Still"). Anya, Vlad, and Dmitry
finally arrive in France, and as they travel to Paris, Anya summons the courage to continue
on and hopes that she will finally discover who she is (“Journey to the Past”).
Act 2[edit]
Paris: 1927
Anya, Vlad, and Dmitry arrive in Paris and are swept up by the sounds and the sights of the
city (“Paris Holds the Key (to Your Heart)”). When Vlad and Dmitry go off on their own,
Anya visits the Pont Alexandre III bridge and feels a strong connection to it and starts to
vaguely remember her grandmother's promise (“Crossing a Bridge”).
Now a bitter, elderly woman, the Dowager Empress reads the letters of various Anastasia
impersonators and, heartbroken, gives up hope of finding Anastasia (“Closing the Door”).
As Gleb arrives in Paris, Lily parties at the Neva Club, where rich and noble Russians
reminisce about the old Russia (“Land of Yesterday”). Lily is reunited with Vlad, with whom
she is angry for stealing her jewelry. The two rekindle their scandalous romance and Vlad
convinces her to let Anya meet the Dowager Empress at the ballet the next night (“The
Countess and the Common Man”). But, Vlad accidentally drops the ballet tickets and Gleb,
overhearing their plans, picks up their tickets ('Land of Yesterday Reprise").
At the hotel, Anya has a nightmare about her family and the execution (“A Nightmare”).
Dmitry comforts her and recounts a story of how he bowed to Anastasia at a parade as a
young boy. Anya vividly remembers this, and the two realize that Anya is indeed the Grand
Duchess Anastasia (“In a Crowd of Thousands”).
At the ballet, Vlad suspects that Anya and Dmitry are falling in love and is heartbroken that
they can never be together (“Meant to Be”). During the performance of Swan Lake, Anya
sees the Dowager Empress and remembers her. The Dowager Empress also sees Anya
and recognizes her, but clings to denial. Dmitry and Gleb (who is conflicting to shoot Anya)
reflect on their romantic feelings for Anya (“Quartet at the Ballet”).
After the ballet, Lily also recognizes Anya as Anastasia and immediately takes her to the
Dowager Empress. Dmitry is anxious about the meeting and realizes that he is in love with
Anya, but knows he must let her go to her family (“Everything to Win”). Anya leaves the
meeting enraged, having learned from the Dowager Empress that Vlad and Dmitry
intended to use her in their scheme for money. As she storms off, Dmitry waits for the
Dowager Empress. Marie coldly dismisses him off, but Dmitry disrespectfully stops her. He
begs her to see Anya and when she refuses again, he damns her and Russia. Impressed
by Dmitry’s courage to stand up to her, she agrees to see Anya.
At their hotel, Anya stops her packing to speak with Marie. She is shocked by the Dowager
Empress’s cruelty, asserting that she isn’t the nana that Anya remembered. The Dowager
Empress angrily questions Anya about her past and the Romanov Family, but Anya
compels her to reflect on the person she has become over last twenty years. Anya
suddenly remembers the night that the Dowager Empress left her for Paris. When Anya
produces the music box and sings the lullaby, the Dowager Empress finally realizes that
Anya is Anastasia and the two embrace, now reunited after twenty years (“Once Upon a
December-Reprise”).
A press conference is held the next morning, where Vlad and Lily try to fend off the hungry
reporters (“The Press Conference”). Before appearing in public, Anya expresses misgivings
about her future life as a princess. The Dowager Empress notices her anxiety and insists
that no matter what she chooses, they’ll be together. Anya runs off to think and realizes that
she is in love with Dmitry, and decides that she must go after him (“Everything to Win-
Reprise”). As she turns to leave, Anya sees that Gleb has slipped in and locked them in the
room. She realizes why he is there and Gleb says that he must kill her to complete his
father’s mission. Anya now clearly remembers the day her family was killed and, without
fear, taunts him to kill her so that she can be with her family. Overcome with emotion and
not willing to bear the shame of his father, Gleb is unable to kill Anya ("Still/The Neva Flows
Reprises”). Anya comforts Gleb and they call a truce.
Vlad, Lily, and the palace staff search for Anya and the Dowager Empress is joyful, knowing
that Anya is now where she belongs. She and Gleb announce to their people that the
rumors of Anastasia will now cease. Anya finds Dmitry at Pont Alexandre III, where they
embrace. The couple leave Paris together as the spirits of the Romanovs celebrate the life
that Anya and Dmitry will have together (“Finale”).
Changes from the 1997 film[edit]
In adapting the film into a live stage musical, the following significant changes are made:
 The film's antagonist, the evil sorcerer Grigori Rasputin and his sidekick Bartok the
Bat have been cut and replaced with General Officer Gleb Vaganov for the stage
musical.

 Anya's companion pet dog Pooka has been removed.

 Vlad's love interest / countess has had a name change. In the 1997 film, she was
named Sophie and in the stage musical, she was renamed Lily.

 Anastasia calls her Grandmother (Dowager Empress) differently. In the film, she
called her "Grandmamma" while in the stage musical, she was called "Nana".

 One of the biggest changes is that Dmitry and Anya's relationship is much less
sarcastic and problematic than the film. It is at first, but they mostly get along after they
fight Dmitry's ex-partners.

 Additionally, Anya herself is less sarcastic & witty and she is more serious.

 In the film, Anya is 18 the whole time. In the stage musical, Anya is a teenager in
the prologue. For the rest of the show, she's 26.

 In the film, Anya was given necklace by the Dowager Empress as a young girl that
says "Together In Paris". It's excluded from the stage musical, but the music box
remains.

 In the film, the lullaby is "Once Upon a December", but with different lyrics. In the
stage musical, the lullaby is the last verse of "Once Upon a December."

 The Seige of the Palace when the Romanovs got executed in the Prologue is told
differently. In the film, Rasputin returns to the Palace for revenge after being banished
by Nicholas II for treason. Feeling betrayed, Rasputin sells his soul in exchange for an
unholy reliquary, which he uses to place a curse on the Romanov family, sparking the
Russian Revolution. Anastasia and the Dowagar Empress are able to escape where a
young Dmitry (who was working as a servant boy) shows them a secret passage away
in Anastasia's bedroom (also leaving Anastasia's music box behind). While escaping
from the Palace, Rasputin confronts them nearby a frozen icy river which begins to
crack sending Rasputin to fall and drown. As the pair reach a nearby train, the
Dowagar Empress is able to board while Anastasia falls and hits her head causing her
to have her amnesia. In the stage musical, the Bolsheviks break into the Palace during
a ball tearing everything down. While the family tries to escape, Anastasia races to her
bedroom to grab her music box but gets captured and shot.

 The introduction of Anastasia (as Anya the Orphan) is different between the film and
the stage musical. In the film, Anya leaves a rural orphanage which is run by the
inconsiderate owner "Comrade" Phlegmenkoff (who was also cut from the musical)
where she grew up, still suffering from amnesia. Phlegmenkoff sends Anya away to
work at the local fish factory. In the stage musical, we first see Anya, working as a
street sweeper and getting scared by the sound of a truck backfiring.

 The train escape chase scene is told differently in the film and the stage musical. In
the film, Anya, Dimitry, and Vlad hide in the luggage car after finding out they got the
wrong passports. While hiding there, Rasputin calls his green minions from the
reliquary to make the train as a runaway train with no driver. The minions also destroy
a bridge. Anya, Dmitry, and Vlad try to stop the train, but end up jumping off just in time
 before the train falls below a deep forest. In the stage musical, Anya, Dmitry, and Vlad
jump off the train to avoid being captured from the Bolsheviks.

 The song "Journey to the Past" comes at a different point in the film and stage
musical. In the film, the song introduces the character of Anya as she is forced to
choose to either live her life working in a fish factory or travel to Paris to find her family.
In the stage musical, the song is performed in the end of the first act as Anya, Dmitry,
and Vlad arrive in Paris.

 The song "In the Dark of the Night" was removed from the stage musical due to the
removement of Rasputin.

 The song "Learn to Do It" comes at a different point in the film and stage musical. In
the 1997 film, the song is performed while Anya, Dmitry, and Vlad are traveling to Paris.
In the stage musical, the song is performed while Anya, Dmitry, and Vlad are at the old
Palace.

 The song "Paris Hold the Key (To Your Heart)" comes at a different point in the film
and the stage musical. In the film, it is sung by the character of Sophie (renamed Lily
for the stage version) taking Anya, Dmitry, and Vlad on a sightseeing tour and shopping
for the Ballet. In the stage musical, the song is the opening of Act 2 which Anya, Dmitry,
and Vlad do sightseeing and shopping on their own.

 The song "The Countess and the Common Man" was based on the animated film
song "Learn to Do It (waltz)". The song later shows up.

 The ballet that Anya, Dmitry, and Vlad goes to see are different. In the film, they go
see a ballet production of Cinderella. In the stage musical, they go see Swan Lake.

 The revealing that Anya is really Anastasia is told differently in the film and stage
musical. In the film, Anya remembers a boy working in the old Palace who opened a
wall with a secret passageway escape route in her bedroom. In the stage musical,
Anya remembers bowing down to a boy at a parade. The boy in both the stage musical
and film happens to be Dmitry.

 Anya's nightmare is told differently in the film and stage musical. In the film, the
nightmare happens on a ship that Anya, Dmitry, and Vlad take en route to Paris.
Rasputin's green minions (from the reliquary) cause Anya to nearly sleepwalk
overboard and having visions of her family. Dmitry rescues her after Pooka the dog
wakes him up. In the stage musical, the nightmare happens in Anya's hotel room in
Paris. The ghosts of the Romanovs keep asking her if she knows who she is and has a
flashback of the execution. Anya screams before Dmitry hurries to her bedroom to
comfort her.

 Dmitry begging for the Dowager Empress to see Anya is told differently in the film
and stage film. In the film, Dmitry tried to make an introduction in the Dowager
Empress' box seat at the Opera house, however she refuses to listen thinking it's
another "Anastasia imposter". Anya overhears the confrontation from outside the door.
Heartbroken, Anya slaps Dmitry in the face and storms off. To not give up, Dmitry
kidnaps the Dowager Empress taking her to the hotel where Anya is staying in and
reveals the music box (hidden in his coat pocket) which he kept for many years.
Surprised to see the old music box, the Empress changes her mind and goes to see
Anya. In the stage musical, Lily takes Anya to see the Dowager Empress in her box
seat at the opera house. However, the Empress tells Anya that she is another
"Anastasia imposter". Anya storms off in tears. However to not give up. Dmitry waits for
 the Empress leaving her box seat. As she leaves, Dmitry disrespectfully stops,
confronts, and begs the Dowager Empress to go see Anya. This time, it is Marie who
slaps Dmitry. Impressed by Dmitry's strong courage, the Empress goes to see Anya at
her hotel room.

 In the film, the Dowager Empress recognizes that Anya is Anastasia when
Anastasia recognizes her smell in her hand (peppermint) and tells her of a vivid
memory. In the musical, the smell is orange blossoms. Anya recognizes the smell right
away, but doesn't tell her a story. That doesn't make the Dowager Empress recognize
that Anya as Anastasia, but she lets Anya keep talking after that.

 In the film, the Dowager Empress sees Anastasia impersonators in her Paris home.
In the musical, she reads their letters, though it is mentioned she sees impersonators.

 In the pre-Broadway run in Hartford, Anya wore a pink gown to the ballet. Anya's
blue ballet gown was restored for the Broadway production.