ANASTASIA National Tour- Page 2

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 10/15/18 at 5:08pm

Rhoda4 said: "Saw the show this past Friday night in Schenectady. I am no expert on this show but the production seemed the same as when I saw it in NY. All the performances of the touring cast were excellent, as were the costumes and set. Great show!"

 

THANK YOU for the report. I’m still going in almost “blind” to this show. It’ll be a first for me. Haven’t had time to download or listen to the OBCR.

If anyone has links to the Schenectady shows pls post them. I’d love see something of the sets and costumes before I see it Sunday, as the tour starts tomorrow in Pittsburgh. 

 

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 10/15/18 at 5:27pm

Just looked on the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s website to see how the show is selling at the Benedum Center. Less than 1% availability for Sunday, and only one front row balcony, which was center section and on the aisle. I switched seats and paid the $16 difference to move forward 10+ rows and a have much better seat. Hope it’ll be worth it. :)

[xmaschild]

Posted: 10/15/18 at 8:48pm

Link to review and pictures:

https://www.timesunion.com/entertainment/article/Review-Anastasia-Proctors-10-12-18-13305236.php#photo-16270424

We saw it in NYC 2 months ago so didn't go to Proctor's for the tour.  A number of friends saw it and loved it.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 10/16/18 at 7:17pm

First Pittsburgh show is tonight! Getting more and more excited about the show. :)

https://mobile.twitter.com/mark_mackillop/status/1052250188641910784

Anyone who saw the show in Schenectady, did the souvenir stand have window cards? 

[Markecib]

Posted: 10/16/18 at 10:31pm

Just got out. Lila Coogan was out (she posted on Instagram she was sick) Beth Stafford Laird was on as Anya and she was amazing! It was her first time, I wonder how much notice she got before hand.

There’s a full merch cart that takes up the whole
middle of the lobby. Not sure of window cards, but they had so much stuff displayed.

The projections used are really good. I enjoyed the show. The cast is still finding pacing in some spots, but it was a great evening overall.

[StardustsChild]

Posted: 10/16/18 at 10:41pm

The understudy for Anya is on today in Pittsburgh! Would love to hear how she is tackling the role.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 10/17/18 at 6:16am

Thank you Markecib for the update! 

https://mobile.twitter.com/mark_mackillop/status/1052392260195749889

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 10/21/18 at 12:15pm

At the show now waiting for the theater doors to open. No window card (booooooo) but lots of other very nice things. The music box looks exquisite. Did buy the magnet and souvenir program book.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 10/21/18 at 7:10pm

Some pictures from the show today. I’ll get some thoughts together and post tomorrow. Very long day, and lots of traffic on the 2hr drive back home.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/57377062@N04/albums/72157702660551665

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 10/22/18 at 2:23am

Some spoilers may be ahead...

The theater door opening, and the 1pm Sunday matinee show, all happened 15 minutes later than normal. No reason or announcements were made as to the reason why. The biggest pre-show disappointment was that the sound folks had decided to place a giant, elongated speaker that all but covered the double-eagle crest at the top of the front stage design. It was visible from the forward orchestra section, so I went there first and took a picture before heading up to the balcony and my seat. The main scrim was animated with snowflakes and flowers fluttering around. It was very pretty up close. For this show I had switched my regular season ticket location to a front row balcony, just off center on an aisle seat.

Having gone into this show without any prior knowledge of the cast, show plots, and music - a first for me - I was surprised at how much of a difference it made. The songs seemed to go on forever, and ever, and ever, there seemed to be a LOT of them, and there was one every time you turned around. Looking now at the show program, Act 1 has 15 songs and musical numbers, Act 2 also has 15 as well. Is that a lot?

Anyways, most all of the songs were fine enough, several are forgettable (but really not in a bad way, they just moved the storyline along), one or two were quite humorous in parts, and a couple of them incredibly haunting and gorgeous. I got chills all over when Anya (Lila Coogan, and with such a lovely voice) broke into “Once Upon A December”. Also, I really enjoyed “In My Dreams”, “The Neva Flows”, “My Petersburg”, “Journey To The Past”, and “Land Of Yesterday”. The playlist from the show’s program does not list “Crossing A Bridge” from the OBCR, which was removed from the tour.

The ballet scene in the show was also very pretty, although I could have done without all of the songs during the dancing. I absolutely love “Swan Lake”, and wanted to hear the music more than the plot-advancing numbers.

Altogether, I thought the singing was very well done, very clear, and enunciated well enough to not have any problems at all.

The orchestra and sound techs were also spot on. I found, and listened to, the OBCR on the drive home, and the two - National Tour and Broadway Cast - were very, very close in the way the songs sounded.

The main set piece really never changed, but it did have digital panels within it, and behind it, that changed as the scenes changed. As for that ever-changing digital backdrop...

I thought it came off fairly well, and in several scenes it was quite wonderful. During the hauntingly beautiful “Once Upon A December”, the train track scene in the traveling sequence, and “Journey To The Past”, is was mesmerizing and amazing, especially the latter which was breathtaking with the pink-flowered trees and the City of Lights.

The costumes, notably those in the palace scenes, were gorgeous. Those in the street scenes and other parts of the show were very smart looking and/or quite attractive. And the red dress in the second act is stunning.

The most touching moment of the show comes in Act 2 when the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna finally realizes that Anya really is Anastasia, cries and embraces her.

There were, of course, some very dark parts of the show, and the digital backdrop was key to a few of those, especially during the attack on the palace and the Red Army silhouette. One particular scene in Act 2, when Gleb pulls the gun out of his pocket and points it at Anya, walking up to her and almost sticking it right into her chest, was to me very disturbing and IMHO definitely not for the very little ones to see. The audience was utterly motionless and you could have heard a pin drop.

The acting was, for the most part, fine as well, but it seemed at times there were just way too many people on stage for the moment, and all of them competing for our attention. I guess that had to be done for the palace, railway station, and Neva Club scenes, but it just seemed too busy. Somehow this worked better in shows like the bar-packed scene in “My Fair Lady”, and with the mostly minimized royal court in “The King and I”.

And I agree with Markecib who previously stated that the cast was still finding their pacing in some spots.

I did talk to quite a few people (at intermission while in the bathroom line, the souvenir stand line, the lovely couple sitting next to me, and while exiting the theater, which took forevvvvver) and for the most part everyone loved the show. One did comment that he had hoped the show would be much closer to the movie and seemed disappointed. I never saw the movie.

The music box at the souvenir stand was $125, a bit expensive for my taste. I asked to see it close up, to which it was explained to me that they were all hand-painted. It did have some nice weight to it, and I wound it up and listened to it. Quite lovely. They did have what looked like a tiara, other pieces of jewelry, and the standard t-shirts, CD, tote bag, magnet, and souvenir program, etc. I was very disappointed that there was no window card. Looks like another one I’ll have to order online.

Overall, this was quite an enjoyable time at the theater, and I’m glad I drove the 4-hours roundtrip to see it.  

Updated On: 10/22/18 at 02:23 AM

[sfs1414]

Posted: 10/22/18 at 3:43pm

Saw this show last night in PGH.

  The train got stuck on stage and 3 stagehands had to come out to help get it off. The next scene continued as the train sat on stage. They had to open up a door on the floor of the train to work on it. The cast exited off of the train when they realized that it wasn't going to move. Overall the crew did a great job of getting it off in a timely fashion. It was probably on stage for a minute longer than it was supposed to. 

 

The designers made smart changes to the set from the Broadway production. Great cast giving very energetic performances. 

 

Bravo. 

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 10/22/18 at 5:07pm

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpPQMLiB6pj/?hl=en

[suicidalmickeymouse]

Posted: 10/30/18 at 11:59pm

Does anyone know if the Kennedy Center is doing rush/lottery?

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 3/6/20 at 1:22am

After entering the lottery (for the Oklahoma City stop) for the Anastasia tour all week and losing, I decided to get a $26 rush ticket for the show tonight. For this show, they’re offering unlimited rush/senior citizen discount tickets (all located in the balcony). My seat was located in left balcony - Row D - Seat 15 which is located on the left aisle. Good, unobstructed view, but glad I brought my binoculars.

I should note I’ve never seen the movie or listened to the cast recording prior to seeing the show tonight. We had three understudies: Jeremiah Ginn as Vlad, Kenneth Michael Murray as Russian Doorman, and Sareen Tchekmedyian as Countess Gregory.

Everyone was in fine voice, especially Lila Coogan (Anya). Despite this, I didn’t feel much emotional connection to the action on stage or the characters. In fact, a woman and her young daughter in front of me did not return for act two. The mother came back with her daughter to grab her sweater that she left in the seat and then they departed before act two began. To be fair young fella a few seats over from me exclaimed at end of Act 1 that he was loving it.

Despite this, at intermission, spurred on by the great merch booth, I went a little crazy. I bought the magnet, mug (too bad they didn’t have the transforming mug so I got the other one), velvet pouch, program and reusable tote bag.

Luckily, I enjoyed Act 2 better. Most of Act 1 (and part of Act 2) has a very Les Miserables vibe to it. However, Act 2 spices things up starting with Land of Yesterday featuring Countess Lily (Alison Ewing). Ewing had a very Patti LuPone vibe to me and she was my favorite of the show.
It also helped that Land of Yesterday felt very-Cabaret-like to me. Her subsequent number with Vlad was also fun. I also loved the ballet! I preferred Act 2 over Act 1. I felt more emotionally connected to Anya.

Regarding the set which extensively uses projections, the projections often work quite well but occasionally are distracting. I didn’t hate the music, but don’t feel desire to seek out cast recording to listen to (not available for streaming on Apple Music...boo!).

Costuming was a huge plus especially that final red dress for Anya.

Upon exiting the theater, I did buy the socks (this has recently become a thing after buying socks for both Hamilton and Wicked). I entered the lottery for both Saturday performances. Upon exiting the theater, I thought that I would likely go again if I won the lottery but now I’m not so sure but that’s probably more to do with me being tired and the late hour.
Lottery seats apparently can be anywhere in the Civic Center so likely would have a better chance of not being in the balcony.

Updated On: 3/7/20 at 01:22 AM

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 3/6/20 at 10:11am

Glad you had the chance to see Lila. I always thought she was well cast in this as she has a very similar style to Christy Altomare. The show just announced that Lila is taking her final bow on April 5 and Beth Stafford Laird is taking over for the rest of this segment of the tour which runs until August.

https://twitter.com/AnastasiaBway/status/1235335310948659200

[windowwaving]

Posted: 3/6/20 at 11:50am

According to casting notices it looks like the show is going non-eq after this summer.