Once Upon a Petersburg

Guys my first batch of RedBubble stickers came in and I am SO EXCITED to put them on things it’s not even funny. I already have a fair amount more in my cart including one of the “am I floating?” line from Anastasia and a bunch from Waitress!

So, I recently found a boot of Anastasia from it’s Hartford run, and noticed tons of differences from before it was translated to Broadway. Having seen the show twice, and being absolutely infatuated with it, I thought I would find all the changes they made to be the right choice. And while the show as it’s preformed on Broadway is nearly flawless, there are a few things done in the Hartford show I thought were awesome. Figured I’d outline some of the changes that were made and how I felt about them. 

A Rumor in St. Petersburg

The slight changes to the lyrics and choreography of this scene are definitely needed. Had I seen the Hartford production before I saw the Broadway show I wouldn’t have picked up on the little bits and pieces that needed work, but since I knew where they were supposed to be, I felt the number lacked something. Dmitry has a little bit more attitude in the Broadway show, and the number itself has slightly less energy. A few lyrics here and there that were certainly changed for the better (”It’s really very friendly if you don’t mind spies,” for example was a great addition). 

Gleb

I felt that Gleb was the character that changed the most when he was adapted for Broadway. While the essence of his character stays the same, I didn’t realize just how much “Still” pulled him together. The way they changed around his songs and solos really rounded out everything that made him a great “villain.” Singing “The Neva Flows” to Dmitry’s actress rather than Anya didn’t read as well in Hartford as it did on the Broadway stage. The way he gives her the same information in the song titled “Anya” seems repetitive and necessary. Also, the scene where Anya finally faces Gleb in the end and he tries to kill her is much better executed with “The Neva Flows/Still” being reprised together. 

My Petersburg and Dima

Dmitry’s big solo is still good in the Hartford production, but much finer tuned for Broadway. Having seen the Broadway production before the Hartford boot, I found myself waiting for that final belt of “MY PETERSBUUUUUUUUUUURG” that just never came. Derek Klena still gives an absolutely moving performance as Dmitry, but I feel like the Dima in Hartford is so much softer. Perhaps this is because it was in the beginning of Derek’s run and he’s still getting to know the character, and by the time I saw the show he’d figured out how he wanted to portray Dima. Both are incredible and I will never get over the perfection that was Derek Klena’s Dmitry. 

Crossing a Bridge

This actually really had me torn. I wasn’t sure if I liked “Crossing a Bridge” from Hartford being more of a companion to “In My Dreams” better than I liked it in the Broadway show being more of a standalone. Christy Altomare does both to perfection, as she does everything as Anya, so I honestly loved both versions. I feel like it works in the Hartford production as a call back to “In My Dreams” once Anya has finally reached Paris, but I also feel like it doesn’t necessarily need to come back. The inclusion of the lyric “In between wondering why and finally knowing” might make me prefer the Broadway version. 

In a Crowd of Thousands and the Reprise

All I have to say about In a Crowd of Thousands is that it’s just as lovely here as it is on Broadway. But thankfully on Broadway, Dima is wearing a tank top instead of the long sleeves because Derek Klena is perfection.

Here me out, but I think the reprise should have been in the Broadway production. The second I heard it, I felt it absolutely should have been kept. It might be because Dimya might be my life at the moment, or my genuine adoration for their duet, but I loved this in the end. It rounds out Anya and Dima’s relationship and how Dmitry saw her and was taken with her even when they were kids, so much so that he carried the memory of her with him for his whole life. I think it connects back to Everything to Win (“The way they did when you were eight and I was ten”), because having the song reprised at the ends reminds us all just how much these two are meant to be, coming beautifully full circle in the end of the show.

┃┃╱╲ In this

┃╱╱╲╲ house

╱╱╭╮╲╲ we are

▔▏┗┛▕▔

╱▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔╲

SO FUCKING HAPPY

ZACH IS THE NEW DIMA

╱╱┏┳┓╭╮┏┳┓ ╲╲

christyaltomare: Honing our craft #kabuki #anastafrica #hydrate#anaspasia @itsjohnbolton @derek_klena

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davymacknyc Backstage with the awesome Lauren Blackman!