ANASTASIA Previews- Page 6

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/27/17 at 11:38pm

I was there tonight, and despite some lovely costumes and a nice performance from Mary Beth Peil, I thought Anastasia was a swing and a miss. The whole thing felt so bland and the plot (what little there was) just kept plodding along. The production, especially in act one, never felt like it could accelerate past first gear. I don't thing anything genuinely sparked until Caroline O'Connor came on the scene in act two- she takes over the show for about 20 minutes in a rather extraneous, yet crowd-pleasing and invigorating subplot. 

I wasn't expecting so much of the humor to be as cornball as it was (e.g. You better save the first dance for me!/I've given up dancing...for lent.- I mean groan.) 

I think a big part of the reason I found it so unengaging was that you're always 10-15 minutes ahead of where the characters are. As soon as a scene or a song starts you can tell exactly where it's going. Dmitry and Vlad has a Higgins/Pickering song where they Rain in Spain Anya into being Anastasia. Of course she struggles at first, but by the end of the song, by George, I think she's got it! The show offers few surprises, which is why O'Connor is so entertaining because for the first time all evening you're not quite sure what someone is going to do. 

Gleb's subplot held little interest, and honestly the whole character could be cut and it wouldn't affect the story at all. Maybe Gleb/Dmitry/Anya were once supposed to be a love triangle? Or a partially unrequited love triangle? If that's the case, I found it unsuccessful. 

Act one mainly focuses on the trio of Anya/Dmitry/Vlad, but once they get to Paris for act two the focus fractures as we're sent on detours with the supporting players. 

The projections were sometimes fine, but other times they became uber cheesy; at all times I was very aware of them and I think they pulled focus from the action on stage. 

Maybe most disappointing for me was the score; I adore Ragtime- it's truly one of my favorites- but this felt pedestrian- with the only two standout melodies being Once Upon a December and Journey to the Past. 

There seemed to be plenty of teens there enjoying themselves, so maybe the show is hitting the mark with its core demographic, but unless they cut the act two opener and replace it with Ah, Paris! for Mary Beth Peil to sing again, I probably won't be going back. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 12:18am

This was always my fear. I know the show has its fans on here, but the whole things just comes across as subpar Disney. From the production values - I mean projections just feel out of date for something like this - to the director himself. And an out of town tryout in Hartford just seemed odd too. Seems like they were trying to save some coin. 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 12:23am

It all felt very Disney princess/Cinderella wannabe to me. In fact, the whole time I kept thinking how much better Laura Osnes already played this role in Cinderella, and of course with better songs too. 

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 12:30am

I was there tonight and I really enjoyed it--it definitely exceeded my expectations. I haven't particularly loved other musicals based off kids' movies and if I hadn't read the comments on here about the pre-Broadway versions I may not have seen it. I would not have wanted to see a musical version of the movie with the sorcerer and such. 

George53, I can see why you are a proud uncle! Your niece is crazy talented.  I thought her performance was just lovely. At intermission I heard several people saying the whole cast was great but she was upstaging them all because she was so good  :)

Caroline O'Connor and Josh Bolton were my other favorites.  Their scene together in the second act was quite funny and she is just hilarious.  Overall the cast was excellent.

I agree with Whizzer that it was entirely predictable but it didn't bother me. To me it was just a nice, heartwarming musical. It's not groundbreaking or revolutionary, but it's enjoyable without being too cartoonish or childish. (Although yes...  a couple jokes went a bit overboard with the cheese factor.)

I find it interesting to read that in prior iterations there seemed to be a sense that Gleb's motivation was some sort of obsession with Anya. I wondered about that. There were just a few lines where it seemed like it was supposed to be some sort of love triangle but I wasn't sure if I was imagining that as t was not at all clear and I got that his primary motivation was the history of his father. I found the hint of a romantic obsession distracting but hopefully they're on the path to doing away with that--I think it was literally one or two minor lines that gave me that impression. 

At times the projections were well-done and lovely. But at times they were way too busy for my non-millennial brain. The maps, for example, were distracting and didn't add anything because it's not like they actually told you where they were on their journey (nor did they need to). The whole scene on the train I went back and forth between trying to decide whether i liked it or not. It was realistic and it was cool how they synced it to the changed angle of the train, but sometimes it was a bit dizzying. But the vast majority of the audience was younger than me. Perhaps since "kids these days" are more accostomed to sensory overload it will work well for them. And if it works for their target audience, more power to them. 

Lots of groups of teens in the audience and it seemed to be largely attracting tourists. I am no expert but I would think it would continue to do well with these crowds. The teens around me all loved it and were beaming. It also seems like it will be a candidate to be a popular choice for high schools to perform someday.  Good solos for a few leads plus a chorus that could be a flexible size and opportunities to showcase talented dancers. 

 

Overall is it my favorite musical this season?  No. But it was a nice, pleasant, feel-good evening. And I teared up several times (which is something of a litmus test for me in terms of musicals... I tend to tear up whenever I am enjoying them!)

Updated On: 3/28/17 at 12:30 AM

[ForB4]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 12:34am

I have a feeling this show will be like Wicked, mixed critically but a huge audience hit. Looks like it's selling extremely well, really appeals to the millennial generation.

 

[curel1]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 12:40am

WhizzerMarvin said: "The whole thing felt so bland and the plot (what little there was) just kept plodding along."

There's plenty of plot...

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 12:47am

I actually don't think there's all that much plot, especially given the runtime. Remember the film is only 94 minutes and the musical has been stretched to 2:45. The story has become padded to the max. 

[curel1]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 12:52am

WhizzerMarvin said: "I actually don't think there's all that much plot, especially given the runtime. Remember the film is only 94 minutes and the musical has been stretched to 2:45. The story has become padded to the max. 

 

"

Haha, I think we'll have to agree to disagree then

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 1:00am

RippedMan said: "And an out of town tryout in Hartford just seemed odd too. Seems like they were trying to save some coin. 

 

"

What do you mean by this?

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 1:00am

RippedMan said: "And an out of town tryout in Hartford just seemed odd too. Seems like they were trying to save some coin. 

 

"

What do you mean by this?

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 1:00am

RippedMan said: "And an out of town tryout in Hartford just seemed odd too. Seems like they were trying to save some coin. 

 

"

What do you mean by this?

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 1:00am

RippedMan said: "And an out of town tryout in Hartford just seemed odd too. Seems like they were trying to save some coin. 

 

"

What do you mean by this?

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 1:00am

RippedMan said: "And an out of town tryout in Hartford just seemed odd too. Seems like they were trying to save some coin. 

 

"

What do you mean by this?

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 1:00am

RippedMan said: "And an out of town tryout in Hartford just seemed odd too. Seems like they were trying to save some coin. 

 

"

What do you mean by this?

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 1:00am

BWW : WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS!!!

Updated On: 3/28/17 at 01:00 AM

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 1:02am

I wholly preferred the musical Anya, but all things considered, this provided an acceptable evening's entertainment. Its structure and musical style evoke the musicals of the past, though emerging more as echoes of their predecessors than as full-bodied entities themselves. Indeed, as the evening progressed, the ghosts of such old friends as Anya, Kean, Tovarich, Gigi, Irene, and Cinderella seemed to make fleeting appearances on stage. As I loved all of those shows, I was certainly pleased to see them!

The book moves efficiently, but is short on both spark and sparkle. The meeting scene between Anya and her grandmother is a cut above the rest. The score is rather bland, but at least it's easy on the ears, which is a hell of a lot more than one can say for such musical clunkers as Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Amélie, Groundhog Day, and that pretentious tuneless bore to end all pretentious tuneless bores, Sunday in the Park With George.

I thought John Bolton used his comic skills to good effect, and it is always a pleasure to see Mary Beth Peil on stage.

The show is not so much vin ordinaire as fraises Romanoff with ordinary strawberries. Still, I'll take it any day over the castor oil forced down our throats at the above-named musicals this season.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 1:38am

You lost me dissing "Sunday.." that score is PERFECTION. 

[SweetLips]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 3:03am

If something is 'forced down your throat'-then one is usually physically restrained to do such a thing..

Were you strapped to your seat, made to attend against your wishes and only released when it was over?

 

[Babe_Williams]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 8:46am

So how is Ramin Karimloo? Full disclosure, I am not a huge fan of his, but think he has potential to be a great star on broadway but it seems like he sticks with these big box musicals, which may not be the best choice for him.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 8:58am

Karimloo has a lovely voice and is a very handsome man, but I thought he underplayed the part a bit. As a Russia to Russia comparison, I thought Paul Alexander Nolan had a lot more fire and charisma as the bad guy in Dr. Z than Karimloo did in Anastasia. 

The problem is his role of Gleb is not a strong one. He barely interacts with any of the characters, save Anya, and his actions have essentially no effect on the plot. You could completely remove his character and the events would unfold exactly the same way. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 9:24am

The show tried out at Hartford Stage bcause Darko Tresnjak is the AD there. Not really anything to scratch your head about.

Whizzer, sorry you didn't enjoy it.

[broadwaybaby11]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 9:27am

Has anyone won the lottery yet? Where are the seats? Thank you! 

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 2:30pm

Whizzer, I'm sorry you didn't like it. After Eight and Chi, I'm glad you two did. And Whizzer, if you thought Gleb was a bore before, you should had seen him in Hartford. That's why it was at Hartford. I can tell it has made process

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 2:50pm

After Eight said: "The score is rather bland, but at least it's easy on the ears, which is a hell of a lot more than one can say for such musical clunkers as Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Amélie, Groundhog Day, and that pretentious tuneless bore to end all pretentious tuneless bores, Sunday in the Park With George."

While I can understand if you weren't a fan of Come From Away nor Dear Evan Hansen, many people will still disagree with you on that.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 3:33pm

disneybroadwayfan22 said: "Whizzer, I'm sorry you didn't like it. After Eight and Chi, I'm glad you two did. And Whizzer, if you thought Gleb was a bore before, you should had seen him in Hartford. That's why it was at Hartford. I can tell it has made process

 

Although I was bored with Gleb's subplot, I think a large chunk of what made him boring for me was how extraneous all of his scenes were. He was a terribly ineffectual villain- always ten steps behind Anya/Dmitry/Vlad- and worse he never even interacted with the other two members of the trio. 

I would have liked him to be an actual threat. I think they should have explored him capturing Dmitry, but agreeing to let him go (with a cash reward) if he gives up Anya's location. This folds him into the story better and also gives Dmitry a lot more character to work with. Let him be a total scoundrel only in it for the money at the beginning, and then as he gets to know Anya have him regret his decision and that is what could spur them into an urgent escape from Russia to Paris. Now Gleb would not only be after Anya for her potential claims to the throne, but also after Dmitry for double-crossing him. 

The creators added this character to the story without making him important to it. How do any of his actions affect anything the other characters do? The trio isn't even aware that he's in Paris with in! How can they feel the danger (or we the audience regard Gleb as a real threat) if he's not that threatening? His book scene with the security guard at the cafe in Paris makes him seem like a pouting child rather than a genuine menace. 

If Gleb came off worse in Hartford, then yikes, ha. Maybe they improved the part, but having not seen the out of town I don't think they utilized the character well in this incarnation either.