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| Christy Altomare and company of Anastasia. Photo: Joan Marcus |
Breathtaking Sets Bring
Fantasy to Life in Broadway-Bound Anastasia
By Lauren Yarger
Revolutionary Russia and Gay Paris are among the
locales brought to life in sumptuous, mind-blowing detail in a musical
adaptation of the animated film Anastasia
getting its world premiere at Hartford Stage before heading to Broadway next season.
Darko Tresnjak reunites with Choreographer Peggy
Hickey from the Tony-Award-winning A Gentleman’s
Guide to Love and Murder to bring the Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime)
musical (with a book by Terrance McNally) to the stage. Much of the
basic plot from the 1997 animated movie featuring the voices of Meg Ryan, John
Cusack, Angela Lansbury and others remains intact, but some characters, like villain
Rasputin and his magic spell, have been eliminated while others have been added
or expanded for the stage adaptation. The score contains the film’s Oscar-nominated
tunes including the stirring “Journey to the Past,” and the beautifully
haunting “Once Upon a December” as well as a slew of new songs to fill out the
two-and-a-half hour production.
The story follows orphan Anya (Christy Altomare), who
has no memory of her past, as she joins with conmen Dimitry (Derek Klena) and Vlad (John Bolton) to try to convince Dowager
Empress Maria Feodorovna (Mary Beth Peil of TV’s “Dawson’s Creek" and “The Good Wife”) that she is none other
than her granddaughter, Anastasia. The old woman, living in Paris after the
Russian Revolution, has posted a reward for her granddaughter’s safe return in
the hope that rumors about her escaping death when the rest of the royal family
was executed are indeed true.
Military leader Gleb (Manoel Felciano) wonders whether Anya could be the
real Anastasia too and follows the trio to Paris to finish the job of his
father who executed Tsar Nicholas II (Constantine Germanacos), Tsarina Alexandra (Lauren Backman) Alexandra and
their children, Olga (Samantha Sturm), Tatiana (Shina
Ann Morris), Maria (Alida Michal) and
Alexei (Nicole Scimeca) – and maybe Anastasia who would have been 17 at the
time (Molly Rushing ) -- to usher in an era of Communism in Russia.
Along the way, Anya and Dimitry find
unexpected romance as she struggles to remember who she is and while memories
of a long-ago family and life haunt her dreams (in amazing Video and Projection
Design by Aaron Rhyne).
Vlad and his old flame, Countess Lily
Malevsky-Malevitch (Caroline O'Connor), who serves as a
lady-in--waiting of sorts to the Dowager Empress, reignite a romantic spark and
give the production most of its comedy, including one especially amusing number,
“The Countess and the Common Man,” where love eternal needs a bit of oil to
continue springing as aging bodies creak. Bravo for developing older characters
and letting them have some romance on stage. Tresnjak lets them have fun and
the solid stage actors (Bolton was in Spamalot and Curtains on Broadway
and O’Connor was in A Christmas Story and Chicago) make the most of it.
Helping to bring the action to life is
Hickey’s choreography (which includes a snippet from Swan Lake) and Linda Cho’s period costumes which include some
breathtakingly beautiful gowns.
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| Derek Klena and Christy Altomare. Photo: Joan Marcus |
The most tantalizing stars in this
production, though, are the resplendent sets designed by Alexander Dodge (who
designed the stunning sets for Rear
Window, Private Lives and A Gentleman’s Guide at Hartford Stage).
The royal palace, St. Petersburg, a train ride and 1920 Paris among other
locations all come to life in vivid detail. Imposing interiors combine with the
video projections to give added depth to the stage. (The complexity of the technical elements of
the production prompted a delay in the run’s previews and a performance was cancelled. The show
officially opened May 27 and because of demand for tickets, has extended
through June 19). Check out the costume and set design here.
While it’s exciting to see another
Broadway-bound musical launch here at Hartford Stage it could use some tweaks
before is hits Broadway (the production is expected to go into a Shubert
theater during the 2016-2017 season) – and us New York critics. Most
problematic is the opening and way into the story inspired by true incidents in
turn of the 20th Century Russia. We first see Anastasia at 6 (played
by Scimeca) when her grandmother presents her with a music box before heading
to Paris. Time passes and then a more mature Anastasia is living a royal life
at the palace, entertaining suitors, attending balls and enjoying the devotion
of her father and enduring her mother’s critical tones. It’s all rather tedious
and leaves practically no suspense about Anastasia’s fate. An added
disappointment is that the music box loses some of its magic (there is a
special key needed in the movie).
There’s very little suspense or tension
in the plot at all, despite the addition of Gleb as a villain of sorts. A glimpse
of the Romanovs’ execution is a bit much to include in a show that otherwise
would be excellent for families with children and its inclusion doesn’t add
anything to the plot. There are several scenes that easily could be cut as well
as they do little to propel the story, so the whole thing seems very promising,
but in need of some focus by book writer McNally and polishing by Tresnjak.
I wouldn’t cut the Gleb character totally.
He gives historic perspective, interesting for adults in the audience, and Feliciano
(who was nominated for a Featured Actor Tony for the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd) lends a lovely singing
voice to the mix. Increasing the love-triangle angle with him, Dmitri and Anya,
however, might help heighten some tension and be more interesting than playing
up Gleb’s communist manifesto and unbelievable showdown with Anya at gunpoint.
Altomare and Klena have good chemistry
on stage, particularly as sparring partners whose frustration with each other
masks a growing affection, finally realized in a pleasing ballad called “In a
Crowd of Thousands.” I found myself wishing Anya were a little more confident and
effervescent, however, to stand out– after all, role models on stage for young
girls are hard to come by.
Peil lights up the stage and gives
excellent emotional depth to the relatively minor role. We sense her dignity as
an empress, her frustrations as a mother, her love for her family and her
depression when she wearies of being presented with women making false claims
to be Anastasia.
With some tweaking, this
beautiful-to-look-at story will provide another hot ticket for young girls who are
looking for new characters in which to see themselves besides Wicked’s Elphaba and Glinda and will have people on
Broadway saying a “tsar” is born.
Anastasia animates at Hartford Stage, 50 Church St., Hartford, through June 19. Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday at 7:30 pm; Friday and Saturday, 8 pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2 om; Wednesday matinee 2 pm June 1. Weekly schedules vary. Tickets are limited with some shows sold out. Prices: $20-$115: www.hartfordstage.org; 860- 527-5151.
Tickets also are available through TodayTix. Beginning 12 am every Monday morning, a mobile lottery will be available on the free mobile app for entries throughout the week until Saturday at noon. Winners will be notified at that time if they have won two $25 tickets to the Sunday matinee performance of Anastasia the following day. This exclusive TodayTix lottery price is discounted more than 75 percent.
Additional Credits:
Hair and Wig Design by Charles G. LaPointe, Lighting Design by Donald Holder; Sound Design by Peter Hylenski, Music Direction by Thomas Murray, Associate Music Direction by Steven Malone, Orchestrations by Doug Besterman, Vocal and Text Coaching by Claudia Hill-Sparks; Fight Choreography by Jeff Barry, Vocal Arrangements by Stephen Flaherty; Dance Music Arrangements by David Chase.
Additional casting:
Lauren Blackman…. Isadora Duncan
James Brown III…. Hotel Manager
Max Clayton…. Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake
Janet Dickinson…. Coco Chanel
Constantine Germanacos…. Count Ipolitov
Rayanne Gonzales…. Gertrude Stein
Ken Krugman…. Pablo Picasso, Gorlinksy
Kevin Ligon…. Ernest Hemingway, Count Leopold
Alida Michal…. Marfa, Odette in Swan Lake
Shina Ann Morris…. Tatyana
Kevin Munhall…. Russian Doorman
Molly Rushing…. Anna
Johnny Stellard…. Django Reinhardt, Von Rothbart in Swan Lake
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