No surprise that everyone loved it.
THE BASICS: ANASTASIA, the 2017 musical with book by Terrence McNally and music and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty runs through this Sunday, April 24, weeknights at 7:30, Saturday at 2 and 8, Sunday at 1 and 6:30 at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre, 646 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14202. (716-847-1410) sheas.org. Neither proof of vaccination nor masks are required, but many people did wear masks. Runtime: 2 hours 40 minutes including intermission.
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: Shortly after the Russian Revolution deposed the ruling family, the Romanovs were murdered gangland-style by the Bolsheviks. Only one child, Anastasia, is rumored to have survived the assassinations. Anastasia, or Anya as she is now called, is found by two Russian con men, Dimitri and Vladimir, who seek the reward that her grandmother, the Dowager Empress, now living in Paris, has promised for her return. They come to believe that the girl they’ve involved in their scheme is indeed the real deal.
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: From the team that brought us RAGTIME (Ahrens, Flaherty, and McNally) we get ANASTASIA, another musical about the early 20th century. While RAGTIME took off from the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, ANASTASIA was “inspired” by the 20thCentury Fox 1997 animated feature which in turn was inspired by the 1956 movie starring Ingrid Bergman.
In a tale not quite as old as time, but with timeless themes of belonging, identity, friendship, loyalty, and love we are introduced to the opulent lifestyle of the Romanovs, the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. Born in 1901 as Anastasia Romanov, to the Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, her mother was Alexandra, granddaughter of Queen Victoria of Great Britain, and her grandmother appears as the character the “Dowager Empress.”
The legend, and the entire underpinning of all the treatments of her story over the years, is that, in the fog of war, Anastasia survived. In fact, over the years, many pretenders did come forward. In this musical, we are convinced that the “real” Anastasia is indeed the young woman known as Anya who is suffering from amnesia, as she slowly begins to recall details that could only be known to her. In addition, there are two bits of physical evidence: a music box once given to her by her grandmother and a diamond sewn into the hem of her dress.
The shattering glass during the revolution was pure theater magic.
Unlike RAGTIME, this was not an award-winning musical except for several well-deserved awards for Outstanding Projection Design by Aaron Rhyne. The one thing everyone at Shea’s on opening night agreed on is that they were spectacular. Before I caught on to what was happening I kept asking myself “how are they doing that?” The shattering glass during the revolution was pure theater magic. Not to mention vehicles driving by or an elevator ride on the Eiffel Tower. If you want to see how good projections can be, this is the musical to take in.
Surprisingly, for all the technical wizardry, this is NOT a Disney musical. Although in the years since the 1997 movie came out Disney has acquired 20th Century Fox, Anastasia wasn’t and still isn’t an “official” Disney princess. But as far as special effects, staging, and costumes go, it’s as good as, say, Disney’s FROZEN was, to pick a recent offering at Shea’s.
You’d expect that the starring actress Kyla Stone would have a star quality voice and she certainly does. Man can she hold those notes. But the way she dances, and mugs, and fights, and scampers around the big Shea’s stage was a marvel to behold. And there’s a counterpoint number “We’ll Go From There” which she sings with Dmitry (Sam McLellan) and Vlad (Bryan Seastrom). I gotta have my counterpoint number.
She includes in her bio “Previous credits include dancing around her living room at age five to ‘Once Upon a December’” and “This is dedicated to all you future princesses: may you always follow your heart and celebrate your brilliance.” So, even though many characters from the animated movie are left out of the musical, and a few added in, if you have a Millennial or GenZee in your life, take that person. They’ll relate. They might even prefer the more historically correct version.
It was an evening of surprises for me, starting with how much I enjoyed this performance which did not get a lot of great press at its Broadway opening. Another surprise was how sympatico I felt with the entire audience. What they liked, I liked and what I loved, they loved. Live theater is supposed to be a shared experience, and here we all shared the same reactions. Who or what else was a surprise?
Brandon Delgado who plays a rather Inspector Javert-like character as the doggedly determined Bolshevik “Gleb,” is not inherently evil but more driven by a sense of duty and loyalty to his own father. His clear tenor voice immediately made me think “He should sing Javert in LES MIS!” Well, guess what? He did and he was. Turns out that he’s also an opera singer. Thanks to the late, great Terrence McNally for creating that role. Rasputin’s out, Gleb is in.
Another surprise? Madeline Raub, like Delgado also a classically trained singer, whose character “Countess Lily” is, despite the “Countess” title actually the secretary for the Dowager Empress. It’s a fabulous role with hints of many, many Broadway feisty, can-do, secondary role female characters. In fact, the best musical number of the evening was the jazzy, syncopated “Land of Yesterday” (Lily and Ensemble) with strong hints of George Gershwin and Cole Porter sung at the Russian ex-pat “Neva” club, followed up by a duet with Vlad “The Countess and the Common Man.”
Photo of The Company of The North American Tour of ANASTASIA – Photo by Jeremy Daniel
Another surprise? The sequence where the principals all go to the Paris ballet to see SWAN LAKE had obviously classically trained ballet dancers, on pointe, recreating a bit of that ballet, not just imitating ballet dancers but really on pointe. And with a little of the music by Tchaikovsky. Ah, but there’s the rub. To my ear, this is not a particularly tuneful musical. Unlike the aforementioned RAGTIME, or LES MIS, I can’t remember one single tune. And, quoting a theme from SWAN LAKE only drew attention to the fact that this musical wasn’t at the level of Tchaikovsky. And it’s a little on the long side.
But, apart from that, this musical has what I usually want. A star you’ll fall in love with, a fabulous female comic “sidekick” role, stunning projections, gorgeous costumes, and a good story by the five-time Tony Award-winning Terrence McNally. What more could you want?
*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)
ONE BUFFALO: This means trouble. A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.
TWO BUFFALOS: Passable, but no great shakes. Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic. Unless you are the sort of person who’s happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.
THREE BUFFALOS: I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater. If you don’t go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.
FOUR BUFFALOS: Both the production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.
FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare rating. Comedies that leave you weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!
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