Anastasia

February 25, 2020

Now the movie this is based on is very beloved & has a great story line, but obviously the stage show is different. The stage show has a different villain, Gleb, but despite that, the show still tries to roughly follow the movie. The original music from the movie is exquisite, but the new music written in was lacking. It just wasn't memorable. Onto the characters:

Anastasia could belt to her heart's content, but that's about it. She was very lacking in acting & reacting to others. Dmitry did a little better, until the stage fighting. (Then it was like watching a middle school production of Oklahoma! where the cowboys & farmers start fighting.) We had a sub in for Vlad & he acted circles around the other two, but just didn't look the part. It was like he was attempting to be a caricature without allowing himself to be fully immersed in the role. Gleb, our new villain, clearly didn't have a single villainous bone in his body from the start. It was obvious he posed no real threat to the characters in the show. Personally, it would've been a hell of a lot more fun if they'd just kept Rasputin & all of his songs from the movie. The two top actors in this production were the Dowager Empress & her right hand, Countess Lily. They had fun with their roles & weren't afraid to act as if it was an adult production--I wish all the other actors had followed their example.

The costumes were exquisite. I loved the choice of all white for the Czar's family. There were strong and vibrant colors when needed, & the costumes traveled & matched the times & locations the characters' traveled to.

The lighting was decent, but could've been more striking. I enjoyed the flashbacks Anastasia had, & how the characters' came to life in the background.

The set design had so much potential, but I felt it was wasted on a projected display. There could've been gloriously painted backdrops representing Russia & Paris, but instead it was watching a moving desktop screensaver. I wasn't impressed.

Sound had a bit of trouble at times with mic feedback, but it was also this company's first day performing at the theatre, so it's not surprising.

The one idea in this adaption that I really liked & thought could've been taken farther is seeing Young Anastasia watching different scenes. She appears only a few times, & the older Anastasia always acknowledges her. But instead, I wished they had kept the girl as an onlooker & silent narrator we follow as she starts to remember her past. The ghost of the girl would've been tremendous & haunting & beautiful. In my mind it makes sense to have her guiding us along on her journey. However, that wasn't what this show intended. To be honest, I'm not sure what they did intend by adding her in to watch a few scenes.

The other choice I appreciated was that Anya did develop PTSD. It made complete sense & gave us sympathy for her & how she handled certain situations. That being said, the other choice made that I hated was to make her a one-dimensional princess. She was not at all snarky or sarcastic, like in the film, but constantly begging others to help her or protect her. She was not a strong independent leader at all, but a shill minor character that had so much potential to be a memorable lead.

I appreciated the new ending, but thought it could've been a bit more haunting for us, instead of returning to more lighthearted fluff. All in all, I'm glad I did see it, but in the future I'll be sticking to the movie (where Anastasia is a redhead), thank you very much.

Das Vedanya!