ANASTASIA Previews — Page 3

Hope all is OK sunset.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Act I. Though I have to say, the "no backs to the audience" note is something I haven't heard since high school theater. LOL. I see it happen pretty often, actually.

They're really banking on that "Fanastasia" stuff, huh?

Re: Gleb

Interesting... the character had empathy in Hartford--did they remove scenes like where he warns Anya about her eyes?

Hope everything is alright, sunset. Appreciate you taking the time to write up Act 1 for us! I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it.

*Plot discussion below*

@TheSassySam: I seem to recall the Hartford script had him realizing he did not want to be like his father, taking orders without a question. Or at least that was the implication from the preceding dialogue. Is that thread gone from the Broadway version, then?

disneybroadwayfan22 said: "Song list??



"

ACT I



Prologue: Once Upon a December - Dowager Empress and Little Anastasia

The Last Dance of the Romanovs - Ensemble

A Rumor in St Petersburg - Dmitry, Vlad and Ensemble

In My Dreams - Anya

The Rumors Never End - Gleb and Ensemble

Learn to Do It - Vlad, Anya, Dmitry

The Neva Flows - Glen and Anya

The Neva Flows (Reprise) - Men

My Petersburg - Dmitry and Anya

Once Upon a December - Anya and Ensemble

A Secret She Kept - Anya

Stay, I Pray You - Count Ipolitov, Anya, Dmitry, Vlad Ensemble

We'll Go From There - Vlad, Anya, Dmitry, Ensemble

Traveling Sequence - Gorlinsky, Anya Dmitry Vlad

Still - Gleb

Journey to the Past - Anya

Act II

Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart) - Vlad, Dmitry, Anya and Ensemble

crossing a Bridge - Anya

Close the Door - Dowager Empress

Land of Yesterday (showstopper, imo) - Countess Lilly and Ensemble

The Countess and the Common Man - Vlad and Countess Lilly



Land of Yesterday (Reprise) - Gleb

A Nightmare - Romanov Children, Tsar and Tsarina (this song gave the classic line, "I have a secret! Im gonna die soon."

Ina Crowd of Thousands - Dmitry and Anya

Meant to Be - Vlad

Quartet at the Ball - Anya, Dmitry, Dowager Enpress, Greb Ensemble

Everything to Win - Dmitry

Once Upon a December (Reprise) - Anya and Dowager Empress

The Press Conference - Countess Lilly, Vlad and Ensemble

Everything to Win (Reprise) - Anya

Still/The Neva Flows(reprise) - Greb, Anya and Ensemble

Finale - Anya, Dmitry and Company

Updated On: 3/23/17 at 11:30 PM

Thanks everyone for the kind words and warm wishes. They were certainly much appreciated.

Wow so much changes! And btw: you meant Ballet right?



EDIT: Oh snap Anya's brown hair is back! Thank God!

Updated On: 3/23/17 at 11:49 PM

A bit perplexed by the lack of responses after tonight's first preview...

Tell me they got the blue ballet dress from the movie back

10086sunset said: "GreasedLightning said: "
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Act I. Though I have to say, the "no backs to the audience" note is something I haven't heard since high school theater. LOL. I see it happen pretty often, actually.

They're really banking on that "Fanastasia" stuff, huh? "

LMAO. Greased, it's really true, it also takes me back to high school.

Yes, they are banking hard on the "Fanastasia" stuff."

I thought the ads all over nyc looked a bit odd when Anastasia wasn't had her back towards the audience (you only see the back of her hair and dress.) normally in ad you show a beautiful face to promote the show.

Theres no rush/lottery option for Anastasia right?

Hi all-- don't worry, I have a report! I completely disagree with basically everything Sassy Sam wrote- "But the highlight was Caroline O'Conner. If this show gets any acting Tony nominations. It'll be for her role as Lilly. "

Really?

Anyway, I digress.

I loved the show in Hartford and I love it on Broadway. To be honest, they've done a lot of work. There are lots of new lyrics in Rumor in St Petersburg and some dialogue changes all through the first act. Some of them seemed to be fine to me before, but the new ones are just as good. It seems that they clarified some of the political stuff to make it easier to understand-- there's a new line about spies. I don't have my Hartford playbill handy but I feel like some stuff may have been moved around. IIRC there was a bad Gleb song near the top of the show that is now gone, or changed significantly. Gleb has a new song near the end of the first act called Still, right before Journey to the Past, which is much improved.

The pacing of the first act did seem a little off to me, but it was a first preview so that is to be expected.

I have to say I applaud the work they've done on Gleb, and casting Ramin was a fantastic choice. He really brings the appropriate amount of menace and the motivations are clearer-- it is still a little muddy but again, much improved IMO. There isn't a weird why is he so obsessed with her? is he in love with her? thing anymore, it's about his father and his father's legacy.

Christy did drop the music box, but no one in the mezz audibly gasped or noticed, despite reports to the contrary upthread. There was a loud bang and then when she was holding it the top was gone. It was fine, she hid it nicely.

I truly think the leading performances by Christy and Derek are wonderful, and Mary Beth Peil and John Bolton should not be counted out awards time.

The set! Holy wow the set is stunning. It was gorgeous in Hartford but it's 10x better now. Bigger and more video screens and it is just beautiful. You have to see it to believe it. The costumes too are just beautiful.

The ending is the same as it was in Hartford and still feels like a bit of a cop out, but like I said, Ramin really sells it. "Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart" has been completely restaged--- they all sort of danced around a small Eiffel Tower in Hartford. There is none of that here-- it lands much better.

Happy to answer any questions!

bwayrose7- Meant to Be is the same melody and it is now used throughout the act. It really works nicely.

Concierge- as far as lack of responses here, the audience seemed to be almost entirely tourists, especially in the mezz. There was a massive tour group from the South behind me. It was packed with many tourists and people who are not traditional theater audiences.

Updated On: 3/24/17 at 09:19 AM

If I was on the Tony nominating committee, I would certainly nominate Christy as Anya, but they don't usually do what I think they should do. So we'll see.

She has definitely grown in the role, but she is just so wonderful. She really captures the spunkiness and the optimism of the character but there is no doubt that she can take care of herself. She is massively vulnerable, but also really feisty, and she has a clear arc as she becomes Anastasia (spoiler!) in the second act. She handles all the big songs with absolute grace and she was in great voice.

Updated On: 3/24/17 at 09:27 AM

Neon, thanks for your report! I can't wait to see this.

Just a couple of questions:

You already kinda answered this but compared to Hartford, is Anya a bit more feisty here?

I'm glad they changed the staging Paris is the Key! Could you go into more detail about that?