Image from https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/anastasia-2022/

Who hasn’t been fascinated with the conspiracies of the Romanov family’s murders at some point? The story of the Grand Duchess Anastasia has been so greatly debated within popular culture that an animated movie and later musical were made. They tell the story of the Grand Duchess escaping the murders, but then suffering amnesia, where she takes on the life of a poor orphan named Anja in St. Petersburg. The movie centers around Anja seeking to find her grandmother in Paris with her love interest being the smuggler Dmitri and a mystical Rasputin as the villain. The broadway musical keeps many aspects from the movie, with the general theme being the same, but realizes it by having a Russian communist named Gleb serve as the villain instead of Rasputin. The conflict becomes much more realistic and with such a wide, beautiful soundtrack, easily hits on the emotion of the listeners. Throughout the musical, she travels from St. Petersburg to Paris, in hopes of finding her grandmother.

Image from https://americantheatreguild.com/thousandoaks/shows/anastasia/

With 25 singing songs and over 40 compositions, it’s hard to talk about each song’s connection to the story and its own elements in just one post. Two years ago, I played in the pit orchestra when my high school performed this musical, and I’m now quite familiar with the score behind the songs. So what are my favorite songs from the show?

The classic A Rumor in St. Petersburg was one song originally in the movie and adapted to also serve in the musical. It’s in the beginning of the show, a scene where Russians, led by lead characters Dmitri and Vlad, complain about the poor conditions of St. Petersburg and talk about the possibility of the Grand Duchess Anastasia still being alive. It starts with a message from Gleb, speaking of the new Communist regime, then shifts to Dmitri’s displease towards the new St. Petersburg. It’s an upbeat ensemble piece, with smooth harmonies between soprano and bass vocals, combined with short dialogue from Dmitri and Vlad. The reason behind why I love the piece is more so related to the subtle orchestra in the background. With emphasis on the off-beats and staccato notes, it was so fun to play with the vocals on stage.

Image from https://playbill.com/article/max-von-essen-to-play-final-performance-in-broadways-anastasia

Now, why did they choose to change the villain? The addition of Gleb adds another aspect to the story and allows for better understanding of the time context. Gleb is the son of the man that had killed the Romanovs, and he expresses his duty to his father (killing Anastasia) through the new song The Neva Flows. A very minor and reflective song, it establishes Gleb’s importance to the revised story and his reasoning for finding Anastasia. His other solo is the beautifully written Still, where he sings of Anastasia and how hard it is for him to kill her. Powerful tenor vocals with connections to muted brass and minor strings set the somber emotion of Gleb’s character. In the reprise of the two, Gleb meets with Anastasia at the climax of the story, where he must make the choice to kill her. It becomes a dialogue between the two, with some vocal support from the ensemble, where Gleb sings with anger and passion.

Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastasia_(musical)

Perhaps the most beautiful piece though is A Crowd of Thousands, another added piece, which is supported by soft winds, piano, and strings that play both alongside and in background to the vocals. It’s a duet between Dmitri and Anja, where they realize she is in fact the Grand Duchess and serves as one of the most romantic moments in the musical. Both vocalists perform with incredible passion and emotion, adding to the effect of this tear-jerker.

While classics such as Once Upon a December and Journey to the Past are still wonderful in the musical, it’s the additional songs that make the soundtrack and plot so much more beautiful and emotional. Anastasia’s story always intrigued me, and this musical seriously added another passion. Are you ready to listen to the recordings now?

(all song links from spotify.com, images individually linked)