Anastasia Ending?

[BroadwayPrincess3]

Posted: 7/13/18 at 11:26pm

Hey all!

I saw Anastasia on broadway last October (when Ramin Karimloo was Gleb). When I saw it, the finale of The Neva Flows/Still, Ramin points the gun to Anya, takes it away, and puts it to his own head instead to contemplate killing himself. However, when I speak to other people about it, some don't recall seeing that at all - just Gleb taking the gun away and kneeling down.

I guess I'm just curious about if you've seen it and recall what happens in the end? I loved the scene, but now I'm wondering if I just imagined it, haha! (Though I know it happened. I remember audibly gasping).

[msmp]

Posted: 7/14/18 at 12:22am

You're not imagining it! That was something that Ramin incorporated into his portrayal of Gleb. When Max von Essen took over the role, he chose not to incorporate the suicidal ideation; he just lets the gun drop and falls to his knees.

[BroadwayPrincess3]

Posted: 7/14/18 at 1:16am

msmp said: "You're not imagining it!That was something that Ramin incorporated into his portrayal of Gleb. When Max von Essen took over the role, he chose not to incorporate the suicidal ideation; he just lets the gun dropand falls to his knees."

Thank you!! I totally thought I was going crazy for a moment. It's too bad Max didn't continue with it. I thought that scene had built up so much tension that the suicide contemplation made a lot of sense.

[ImAProphet]

Posted: 7/14/18 at 9:11am

I wondered the same thing, and asked about it on Reddit after seeing it the second time. I got a lot of responses so I'll just post the link here so you can read them if you want.

Anyway, to echo your other reply, apparently it was something only Ramin did - and only sometimes. One person said they saw Max do it, but I sort of wonder if it was just the power of suggestion from reading the rest of the thread.

[BroadwayPrincess3]

Posted: 7/14/18 at 6:50pm

ImAProphet said: "I wondered the same thing, and asked about it on Reddit after seeing it the second time. I got a lot of responses so I'll just post the linkhereso you can read them if you want.

Anyway, to echo your other reply, apparently it was something only Ramin did - andonly sometimes.One personsaid they saw Max do it, but I sort of wonder if it was just the power of suggestion from reading the rest of the thread."

Thank you! That link cleared a lot of it up. I agree with you on the Max bit - his Gleb seems much softer than Ramin's, so I can't see him personally adding that bit in. 

[Br0adway]

Posted: 7/15/18 at 4:17pm

I knew there was a difference between the two but I couldn’t figure out why! I’ve seen both Ramin and Max and both had amazing performances. I remember Ramin’s being much more intense and couldn’t figure out why. Thank you!

I’m seeing the show again in October so if I remember, I’ll post back and see if Max (or if there’s an understudy on that day) does this.

[blm2323]

Posted: 7/15/18 at 9:42pm

Saw it this afternoon for the second time - thank you TDF! I originally saw it with the OBC.

Anyway, Max did not put the gun to his own head.

I really enjoyed his portrayal of the character.

Christy is still knocking it out of the park.

Vicki Lewis was hilarious and in great voice!

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 7/15/18 at 10:12pm

Ramin is the one who thought of the gun-to-head bit and just did it one night, one of those "better to ask forgiveness than permission" things. The creative team met with him and gave approval for it to be added to the official staging. I'm not 100% sure, but I believe it currently is an approved "option" the same way that an optional high note is - not required but permitted.

[BroadwayPrincess3]

Posted: 7/16/18 at 12:20pm

Also, more of an opinion question: do you think Anya actually was Anastasia in the Broadway musical? It seems pretty ambiguous. I was just curious if you guys had any solid opinions.
I know she recalls Dmitri bowing when they were children, but he actually mentions bowing previously in Learn to Do It, so I always thought Anya was just subconsciously remembering that. Though the music box is pretty hard to refute.

[JennH]

Posted: 7/16/18 at 1:54pm

BroadwayPrincess3 said: "Also, more of an opinion question: do you think Anya actually was Anastasia in the Broadway musical? It seems pretty ambiguous. I was just curious if you guys had any solid opinions.
I know she recalls Dmitri bowing when they were children, but he actually mentions bowing previously in Learn to Do It, so I always thought Anya was just subconsciously remembering that. Though the music box is pretty hard to refute."

I'm glad I'm not the only one finds it difficult to understand what they were trying to do with this. Certain lyrics in In my Dreams and Learn to Do It refute the "It's ambiguous if she WAS Anastasia" idea. Along with those song lyrics, like the film, she remembers certain things things only she would or COULD remember. Also making it ambiguous also seems to defeat the purpose of the story and maybe the theme...I know the idea is that "Home isn't always specifically what you were looking for at first, so she gives up her title so therefore it's ambiguous", but here's also a thought I had...I feel like doing the animated film as a stage musical after it's been discovered a good few years ago, that yes, she died with the rest of her family, is a rock and hard place to be, no matter if you go film and fairy tale direction or the attempted more "historically accurate" end product we actually got. The movie worked of it's own accord since that wasn't yet discovered at the time of it's release.

Updated On: 7/16/18 at 01:54 PM

[BroadwayPrincess3]

Posted: 7/17/18 at 12:38am

JennH said: "BroadwayPrincess3 said: "Also, more of an opinion question: do you think Anya actually was Anastasia in the Broadway musical? It seems pretty ambiguous. I was just curious if you guys had any solid opinions.
I know she recalls Dmitri bowing when they were children, but he actually mentions bowing previously in Learn to Do It, so I always thought Anya was just subconsciously remembering that. Though the music box is pretty hard to refute."

I'm glad I'm not the only one finds it difficult to understand what they were trying to do with this. Certain lyrics in In my Dreams and Learn to Do It refute the "It's ambiguous if sheWAS Anastasia" idea. Along with those song lyrics, like the film, she remembers certain things things only she would or COULD remember. Also making it ambiguousalso seems todefeat the purpose of the story and maybe the theme...I know the idea is that "Home isn't always specifically what you were looking for at first, so she gives up her title so therefore it's ambiguous", but here's also a thought I had...I feel like doing the animated film as a stage musical after it's been discovered a good few years ago, that yes, she died with therest of her family, is a rock and hard place to be, no matter if you go film and fairy tale direction or the attempted more "historically accurate" end product we actually got.The movie worked of it's own accord since that wasn't yet discovered at the time of it's release."

Exactly. I find it kind of depends on the day and how I'm feeling for my opinion about whether Anya truly was Anastasia. It's a great show no doubt, but as you said, the 'historically accurate' approach didn't give them much wiggle room. At least with the original movie (even if it had premiered after they discovered she died), there was a sense of whimsy there. You could detach yourself and view it not as history, but as a good story adapted from history (Dancing bugs, anyone?). Here, when everything is so up in the air, it's more difficult. There's no real evidence for Dmitri and Vlad to know that Count Sergei had a yellow cat, so Anya could be spouting a random fact and no one would ever be the wiser. But then she can sing the Once Upon a December lullaby word for word. I don't know. It's all very confusing. (I'd actually be interested in what some of the cast has to say on it. I wonder if it's a common debate.)

[JennH]

Posted: 7/17/18 at 1:24pm

OH THOSE DANCING BUG MINIONS!! I remember when I first heard that Rasputin was cut so therefore no Dark of the Night would be there, but seeing the show, I was like, "ok, I see why, D of the N would be totally out of place here" but I'll just be honest, that song is such a jam even in the movie ::) I love rocking out to it. But I'm glad they reinvented it to be Stay I Pray You, because THAT was the part in the musical where I lost all composure and actually ended up crying, because it took me halfway through the song to realize it was a reinvented Dark of the Night. I'll never forget the girl sitting next to me that day also noted it, and saw ME note it and we gushed like kids in a candy store at intermission about it.