Day 303-Anastasia-PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh-A Visual and Musical Traveling Extravaganza

The new musical Anastasia, tells the legend of the Russian princess who was rumored to have survived the revolution. We follow a strong and resilient Anya who finds love during her search for her true identity and family. This  show with ornate costumes and video mapping traveled through pre and post revolutionary Russia to Paris in the 1920’s. Anastasia is a visual and musical extravaganza taking us on a twenty year scenic journey.

 

"Once Upon December" **

Reflection

The show opens in  1907 where the  Dowager Empress (Joy Franz) sings "Once Upon December" to her granddaughter, a young Anastasia (Victoria Bingham) before  leaving for Paris.  Then it forwards 10 years in "The Last Dance of the Romanov's" as Anastasia dances  in the white palace ballroom just before it is consumed  with  fire and the  Romanov's are executed as the revolution begins. It was a  powerful opening.

 

Anya believes she might be Anastasia *

Fast forwarding again to post war Russia in 1927, we meet Anya who has amnesia and takes odd jobs  to survive the poor post war living conditions. The Russians find comfort in the rumor that Anastasia survived execution in “A Rumor in St. Petersburg”.   A handsome young Dmitry (Stephan Brower) and Vlad (Edward Staudenmayer),  an ex member of the royal court,  search for someone to pose as the royal princess to collect  the  fortune and Anya fits the bill. She eventually believes that this might be the past that she could not remember.    

"In My Dreams" **

We never really know if Anya is really Anastasia but we enjoy her journey with over twenty scene changes that take us on a magical excursion  through time. During “In My Dreams” we get our first  taste of the explosive strong vocals needed for Anya, played by the  understudy Beth Stafford Laid on the night of my viewing. Laid's beautifully sung song took place in a spectacular  palace with what resembled dancing spirits of the Romanov’s.  This is how this play continued- powerful female lead ballads, akin to an opera, and breathtaking visuals. (See the video of  the set design by Aaron Rhyne Designs  here ).

We go on a sightseeing tour  in “My Perterburg” as Dmitry takes Anya  though the city's landmarks  in 1927!  There was an amazing train ride in “Traveling Sequence” through the country as Anya, Dimity and Val travel to Paris to meet Anastasia's grandmother, the Dowager Empress.  Act I ends with  Anya bellowing a “Journey to the Past" surrounded by fields of pink blossoms. My mother and I were “wide eyed” with the visual journey of this show.

Act II takes you to Paris in 1927**

We move Act II  to Paris.  In the lively “Paris Holds the Key(to Your Heart), the cast in the 1927 style, dance through the city ending up at the top of the Eiffel tower! "Quartet at the Ballet" was a breathtaking scene as the Dowager Empress contemplatives whether  Anya is Anastasia during the  ballet Swan Lake and the  dancer performs the famous ballet whipping turns (watch).

 

Anya gives up her fortune for love **

 In the "happily ever after ending", Anya gives up the Romanov fortune finding a place to belong-in commoner Dmitry’s arms. There was so much to absorb visually as we listened to the beautiful  ballad filled score of Anastasia. It was nothing less than a musical and visual extravaganza!

(Anastasia runs through October 21, 2018. For tickets to Anastasia  or for more on the upcoming shows in PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series  go to trustarts.org. For the touring Anastasia  schedule go to  https://anastasiathemusical.com/)

*Photo by Matthew Murphy

**Photo by Evan Zimmerman
All Music linked in blog to  the Broadway Soundtrack

 Spiritual Source

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future (Proverbs 31:25)

 Other sources

https://trustarts.org/ 
Broadway tour https://anastasiathemusical.com/
Aaron Rhyne Designs http://www.aaronrhyne.com/reel