#76
Posted: 5/26/16 at 11:51am
is this worth seeing in CT or should I just wait till it comes to Broadway?
ANASTASIA in CT — Page 4
#77
Posted: 5/26/16 at 11:56am
JBroadway said: "You can order student tickets ahead of time over the phone. "
Oh that's great to hear. I will call later and check that out. Thanks for the information!
#78
Posted: 5/27/16 at 10:49am
Wishing everyone involved a very happy official opening night! Any idea if we can expect much for reviews, or if most major publications will wait until the transfer?
#79
Posted: 5/27/16 at 11:23am
I just hope we're finally getting actual pictures of the show today! I hope nothing, but positive reviews!
#80
Posted: 5/27/16 at 12:14pm
My father (AIDS)
My sister (AIDS)
My uncle and my cousin and her best friend (AIDS, AIDS, AIDS)
The gays and the straights
And the white and the spades
#81
Posted: 5/27/16 at 12:18pm
^About time! I wish we saw Christy in her princess dress, but it's better than nothing! It looks great!
#82
Posted: 5/27/16 at 5:59pm
There is a pic on the page before this.
Check out the app Todaytix if you haven't already for theatre tickets around the world. My referral code is DGHVR
#83
Posted: 5/27/16 at 7:41pm
Hi all,
I have an extra ticket for Anastasia on June 11, 2pm. Floor seat. If anyone's interested, please PM me.
Thanks.
#84
Posted: 5/27/16 at 8:18pm
Broadway_Boy said: "There is a pic on the page before this.
"
I'm intrigued.
My father (AIDS)
My sister (AIDS)
My uncle and my cousin and her best friend (AIDS, AIDS, AIDS)
The gays and the straights
And the white and the spades
#87
Posted: 5/28/16 at 5:04pm
Regional reviews don't always come out immediately. Give it a few days
#88
Posted: 5/29/16 at 2:01am
Saw tonight and LOVED. A pristine and thoughtful production. Very strong material. Cast is perfection top to bottom. My one wish is that the overall acting was more grounded, rooted in reality and not so 'Disney- esque'. The production can use a little more grit and dirt to offset the 'trying too hard' sheen. A must see! Can't wait for this to arrive on the Broadway.
#89
Posted: 5/29/16 at 9:17pm
No, "In the Beginning" was not in the show. Honestly, as a huge fan of the 1997 version music, I did not even miss it. The other songs were so perfect, the old and the new additions, that I did not leave feeling let down.
#90
Posted: 5/29/16 at 9:23pm
We stayed at the Residence Inn Mariot just a block from the theater and ate (and drank) at the Brewery right beside the hotel. Food and service were amazing... Homemade pizza and nacho platter were great. Ambience was fun, and they offered two Anastasia drinks, Sweet December and Romanov on the Rocks.
#91
Posted: 5/29/16 at 9:50pm
Saw this this afternoon and LOVED it. I grew up on the film, so my expectations were high.
Altomare and Klena still have great chemistry. (see: 2012's Carrie)
The new Dmitri song in Act I is GREAT.
The sets are wonderful but the stage is so small that they won't really be able to take many of the physical pieces with them.
My only real issue was the Gleb character, especially at the end. Won't say why for spoiler reasons, but I think the character's issues have already been addressed in this thread and I echo them.
OVerall, they are in pretty good shape for about halfway through their out of town run; they are in a better place than Finding Neverland was when it was in Boston two summers ago. I look forward to seeing it in New York, and I have two questions about the proposed Broadway run: when are they aiming? Fall, winter, spring? Also, do they plan on keeping this cast intact? Anyone know?
#93
Posted: 5/29/16 at 9:53pm
I saw it this afternoon as well. I took a day-trip to Hartford from the city just for the show. I don't regret my decision to see it in the slightest, as I love the movie and was very eager to see it onstage. Also I will be studying abroad when it opens on Broadway, and this was possibly my only chance. I'm very glad I saw it, but I have to confess the show itself ended up being somewhat disappointing.
The book has many differences from the movie, some of which were very good decisions. But the result is that some things got muddled in the process. There are several plot elements that I found confusing, inconsistent, and/or unfulfilling in this musical, some of which didn't need to be changed from the movie. Much of the dialogue also felt forced to me, clumsily designed to move us from one song to the next. I definitely think the book is what needs the most work, which is almost always the case for new musicals.
The score, on the other hand, was quite beautiful. I find Ahrens and Flaherty to be a bit of a mixed bag, and this musical was no exception, but for the most part and I think the songs were well-written and well-placed. Though there are some clunky lyrics, the songs develop the characters and plot well, and many of the new songs have some lovely melodies. I liked the decision to move "Journey to The Past" to the end of act one, especially given the changes they've made to the book. Anya's new "I Want" song is called "In My Dream" and it's very beautiful.
The performances were fine. Nobody did a bad job, but to be honest I feel like most of the casting decisions were -- for lack of a better word -- boring. They just didn't do anything for me, and I feel like there are many other actors out there who could have just done more with the roles. Again, none of them did a BAD job, they just didn't really impress me at all. With the major exceptions of John Bolton and Caroline O'Conner, who gave my favorite performances.
The costumes are gorgeous, and the lighting and set are both quite good, but those damn LED screens drove me freaking crazy. They were so bizarre, out of place, distracting, over-wrought and unnecessary. I'm not opposed to the use of those technologies in shows when they are well-utilized and fit the style of the show, but these LED screens were just garish, with ugly and nauseating video that struck me as an attempt to make the visuals more cinematic. I had the same problems with the LEDs in Gentleman's Guide. Why does Tresnjak feel like he has to try to trick us into thinking we're watching a movie? Audiences can suspend our disbelief enough to know that the train is moving without being shown a weird nauseating animation of the Russian countryside flying by. It felt horribly misguided, and it pains me to know that this ones giant misstep is unlikely to be fixed for Broadway.
As you can tell, I had very mixed feelings, but there was a lot about the show that I liked. And even if the book was messy, I still think it's a beautiful story. I'm glad they will have time to work on this before they go to Broadway, and I pray to the theatre gods that Tresnjak cuts the LEDs, though I know it will not happen.
Updated On: 5/29/16 at 09:53 PM
#94
Posted: 5/30/16 at 4:24pm
First published review I've found, aside from reports on this board and social media: http://www.onstageblog.com/reviews/2016/5/28/review-anastasia-at-hartford-stage
Definitely positive, with praise for most of the cast and for the physical production itself. As has already been noted by audience reports, the character of Gleb is singled out as the part that isn't really clicking, so no surprises there.
I'm curious too, based on what I've read here and elsewhere about the plot changes, and then mentioned in the linked review: how are they making Dmitry still a hero "worthy" of Anya? If you take away "the boy who opened a wall" and his help in battling Rasputin, what's left aside from deciding not to con the Empress? I fear that the revised story may lose layers and make him less of an equal to Anya, relying instead on charisma to earn sympathy. Can anyone who's seen it give their thoughts?
EDIT: Just found a second review, though not from any major publications yet: http://ctarts.blogspot.com/2016/05/theater-review-anastasia-hartford-stage.html
More praise for the physical beauty of the production and for Altomare and Klena's chemistry, but a less-than-enthusiastic response to the changed prologue and some thoughts on sharpening the book in general. Again calls out Gleb as the weakest link in the plot, although I disagree heartily with the suggestion to play up a love triangle with him, Anya, and Dmitry: there is literally nothing more tiresome than a love triangle with no real question as to the outcome (although maybe Frollo-ing him a bit might help?)
Updated On: 5/30/16 at 04:24 PM
#95
Posted: 5/30/16 at 11:45pm
Really thinking about planning a day trip! What is the best/ cheapest way to get to Hartford from NYC without a car?
#96
Posted: 5/30/16 at 11:54pm
supersam1026 said: "Really thinking about planning a day trip! What is the best/ cheapest way to get to Hartford from NYC without a car?"
I took a bus. Did the same thing when I went to Boston for one night to see Great Comet. It's a good deal. It took about 3 hours each way to Hartford. Prices vary depending on time of day and bus service, but I paid $45 for a ROUND TRIP ticket for an 8:00am bus on Peter Pan. I got to Hartford at about 11am, and had 3 hours to walk around and get food before the 2pm curtain. The theatre is less than a 10 minute walk from the bus station - VERY convenient.
#98
Posted: 5/31/16 at 9:12am
You can take a bus to Hartford.
I saw the show over the weekend and it's in really excellent shape- a pleasant surprise. There's some small work that needs to be done, mainly with clarifying Gleb and his motivation, but overall really solid.
That's a complicated question and will be answered when you see the show, bwayrose7. It can't really be answered in a few sentences, but the work they have done and the material Derek has been given is fantastic for him and for Dimitry. You'll be pleased. Cast is perfect.
Updated On: 5/31/16 at 09:12 AM
#99
Posted: 5/31/16 at 2:27pm
Very positive from Variety
http://variety.com/2016/legit/reviews/anastasia-review-musical-hartford-stage-1201785324/
Tickets From $59
Tickets From $71
Tickets From $71
Tickets From $95