find a way, anastasia

never to return, finally breaking free / you are all i know, you have raised me / how to turn away? how to close the door? / how to go where i have never gone before?

[jemhi]

the man, the myth, the legend:

-lame

-why it gotta be a man

-too definitive

the rumor, the legend, the mystery:

-something whispered in an alleyway or through a crack

-part of our history

-ambiguous. whimsy. interesting. exciting. could be anyone. could be anya-one.

-alive?

-dead?

-who knows

[mabelman]

Grand Duchess Anastasia

#Romanov

[jemhi]

"i didn't teach her. she's a natural!"

but. but. wouldn't it be so funny if.

babushka visits and brings with her a few ladies in waiting, of course, and one of them happens to have a very strange man in tow.

this very strange man is interesting and you find yourself attempting to engage with him before you can stop yourself. he is notably different from other courtiers, a little too much and a little not enough, which paired with his jolly demeanor is a breath of fresh air.

you try to curtsy, but stumble (<- anastasia had really bad feet, bunions on both her big toes), and the man chuckles and shows you how to do it without falling.

you learn to do it, and you don't see much of him, but at court, you always know.

////

"where did you learn that?" asks dmitry.

vlad popov tells dmitry sudayev, "i didn't teach her. she's a natural!"

there's a faint tug. did you?

[jemhi]

i'm insanely unwell about this holy shit

[jemhi]

"i didn't teach her. she's a natural!"

but. but. wouldn't it be so funny if.

babushka visits and brings with her a few ladies in waiting, of course, and one of them happens to have a very strange man in tow.

this very strange man is interesting and you find yourself attempting to engage with him before you can stop yourself. he is notably different from other courtiers, a little too much and a little not enough, which paired with his jolly demeanor is a breath of fresh air.

you try to curtsy, but stumble (<- anastasia had really bad feet, bunions on both her big toes), and the man chuckles and shows you how to do it without falling.

you learn to do it, and you don't see much of him, but at court, you always know.

////

"where did you learn that?" asks dmitry.

vlad popov tells dmitry sudayev, "i didn't teach her. she's a natural!"

there's a faint tug. did you?

[jemhi]

something something i hate how they sanitized anya for the stage musical to make her fit an ingenue stereotype of how a princess should behave even though anastasia nikolaevna was very much known to be sharp-witted and a bit devious at times

call me crazy but i don't think that amnesia makes ur entire personality change (i mean maybe getting brutally assaulted might have. something something anya's hesitation toward dmitry comes from recognizing his sardonics and sarcasm in a way she can't quite place??)

[jemhi]

omfg wait stop. anya worked at the hospital in perm.

anastasia and maria were too young to serve as nurses during the war, but they really wanted to - only olga and tatania were allowed to receive medical training and practice.

anastasia and maria would visit the soldiers instead to lift their spirits.

//////

from anya's pov:

imagine waking up in a hospital you don't know, surrounded by people you don't know, whispering about you like you're not there. all that you understand is that the sterile environment is vaguely familiar, like you've been in a place like this before.

as you watch the nurses work, you recognize certain techniques without knowing why.

they discharge you, but you have nowhere to go.

you walk.

you end up at a hospital.

somewhere, deep down, you know this is what you wanted, once.

but now there's not much to want anymore.

[theromanovsisters4]

The Scent Profiles of OTMA

The daughters of Tsar Nicholas II (OTMA) each had favorite Coty brand scents in the 1910s: Olga preferred La Rose, Tatiana wore Jasmin de Corse, Maria loved Lilas Pourpre, and Anastasia chose Violette Pourpre. These scents were popular during the era and often customized for them.

The four Grand Duchesses were famously loyal to the French perfume house Coty, and their scent choices perfectly reflected their individual personalities.

Olga favorite was La Rose Jacqueminot

La Rose Jacqueminot Coty perfume - a fragrance for women 1904La Rose Jacqueminot, launched in 1904 by François Coty, is a seminal Oriental Floral fragrance that revolutionized perfumery as one of the first modern, synthetic-enhanced soliflores. Based on the intense scent of the Général Jacqueminot red rose, it propelled Coty to fame. It is characterized by notes of Damask rose, jasmine, violet, clove, and ambergris. Created by François Coty in 1904, it was his first official fragrance and the foundation of his business empire.

Tatiana favorite was jasmin de corse

Launched in 1906, Jasmin de Corse, named for Francois Coty’s birthplace, is old-school jasmine: indolic, full-bodied, thick with nectarous blooms. But it possesses a unique smokiness that sets it apart from the many beautiful jasmine perfumes to come across.

Maria favorite was lilas pourpre

Lilas Pourpre primarily refers to a historic, discontinued fragrance by Coty released in 1913, often associated with luxurious Rene Lalique-designed bottles. It was a rich purple lilac scent. Modern recreations, such as those from Fraterworks or Fragrance Revival, often offer a similar scent profile.

Famous bottles for this fragrance were designed by René Lalique, including a 1917 version with a molded glass label.

Modern, high-quality interpretations describe it as a rich, intense purple lilac with a full body, often including notes of pink pepper, red plum, orris, jasmine, and sandalwood.

Today, "Lilas Pourpre" is available through specialty fragrance houses that replicate the vintage formula, notes the Fraterworks site.

Anastasia favorite was Violette pourpre

Violette pourpre" refers to a shade of purple in French, often specifically indicating a deep, reddish-purple or magenta-purple, similar to crimson or violet-red, as opposed to a bluer violet. Historically associated with luxury and Roman emperors, it is a nuanced, intense color

Violette Pourpre" was a classic, rare perfume by Coty created in 1906, described as a light, sweet scent with hints of vanilla.

​The house of Coty still exists, but these specific original formulas are "vaulted" or discontinued. However, you can find "dupes" or similar vintage-style scents (like Guerlain Apres l'Ondee for the Violet/Anatasia vibe

[worldoftheromanovs]

Tsarina Alexandra greeting women at a train station in the Black Sea, May 1916

Photo from Anastasia’s 1915-1916 Album

[themauveroom]

Grand Duchess Anastasia and an officer taking a break from playing tennis: 1912.

[jemhi]

i love anastasia <333

[jemhi]

it wouldn't be live theatre if things didn't go horrendously wrong: enjoy the anastasia tales (abridged version coming shortly this one is all-encompassing)

the dowager and i were supposed to waltz as baby anya and grandma at the beginning and we totally forgot but it was okay because when i set the music box down there was a delay in the tsarina+tsar getting onstage so i seized the opportunity and started spinning her around in a very little girl like fashion so it all worked out in the end

my quick change from baby anya into teenage anya is fucking bonkers but i found a way anastasia and it actually went really well thank god

unfortunately apparently NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THEIR CUES ARE and they didnt start singing last dance of the romanovs on time (in their defense we cut and uncut and recut and uncut and recut a shit ton of music. so. whatever i ended up coming on after my quick change and rescuing them BAHAHAH)

so opening was actually the first time we ever fully ran the show #oops and i ended up spending all of act i with only one sock on. i missed the first bit of rumor in st petersburg because you know i had to CHANGE MY CLOTHES but i found a place to come onstage in time with the music and it worked. also i guess my belt and two of my scarves are just gone to the void

5 minutes before the show hey what fingerless gloves do you want to wear :) as if my emo ass doesnt already wear my own every day u guys did not have to provide them for me BAHAHAH

"a ruble for this painting. it's romanov, i swear" it's an AI generated corgi painting. awful i know but the worst part is that it didnt even make it onstage LMFAO

istfg only 1 person on tech crew was actually locked in and it was our stage manager because tell me why i was the one telling tech crew "...you guys are supposed to be running a scene change right now." AND WHY WERE THEY TELLING US "go on" "NO DONT GO ON" "why the heck arent u guys onstage "NO WAIT STOP" gang....

i told my friend beforehand that i had to hand the music box off to her during ouad but i think they forgot or they werent able to do it cleanly because of the fact that they were actively waltzing (fair enough) so i had to keep like. awkwardly circling her like a vulture (VERY AWK BC THEY WERE SUPER UPSTAGE FOR A WHILE) but eventually i was able to shove it close enough to them that they could take it LMAOO)

i forgot the diamond oopsie i just ended up cupping my dmitry's hands so that he'd know to fake it and it ended up being fine. when i tell you our diamond is fucking massive it was probably for the best

there were some standard missed lines mishaps but that wasnt a big deal thats just part of live theatre and we handled it well. do u know what WAS a big deal. I WILL TELL YOU. the smoker didnt come onstage and i was waiting before just going ahead anyway so anya is a schizo now i guess (no what i actually did was get up as though i were just saying it to myself for my own benefit and it worked fine)

DO YOU KNOW WHAT WAS WORSE. EVEN WORSE. COUNT IPOLITOV DIDNT DIE. THE POLICE NEVER CAME ONSTAGE. BYE here is a play-by-play of how we handled THAT

-silence

-silence

-silence

-fuck okay we're rawdogging this one i guess "WHAT IF THERE'S POLICE ON THE TRAIN"

-vlad: "...i'll go check-" (RUNS OFF TO GET THE WANTED POSTER)

-dmitry and anya dialogue continues as normal

-I GUESS STAGE CREW WAS HIDING THE DAMN POSTER BECAUSE IT TOOK WAY TOO LONG FOR VLAD TO COME ON but whatever man we still jumped off the train

9. during the traveling sequence my dmitry and vlad came on too early with the "the princess anastasia-" BUT it actually ended up working because they realized it so they just held the note so when i came on saying "the princess anastasia" the fact that i had a harmony made it sound intentional and the fact that it overlapped actually sounded good and we were super in sync with the "is running out of time!" so that was finesaucepants

10. someone tell my why tech crew didnt change the backdrops out after still...cause the lighting never changed either so ya boi did journey to the past in sickly green blue lighting BUT it was okay because the line "....it looks like russia" was SO MUCH FUNNIER

11. im annoyed at myself because my vowels at the end of jtp were weird but everyone else said they were fine sooo

12. everyone came out of land of yesterday saying "FUCK THAT WAS SO BAD" but im not in that number so i cant verify or dispute what i do know is that everyone sounded very out of breath and i was very concerned

13. nobody knew when to come in for their ahhs at the start of nightmare but it was finepants

14. dmitry said "i'd find you again" at the beginning of acot which honestly isnt that bad because if he's trying to con anya it still works

15. LITERALLY NOBODY KNEW WHEN TO COME ON FOR MEANT TO BE EXCEPT ME BECAUSE IM THE ONLY ONE OBSESSED ENOUGH WITH THIS SHOW so dmitry and i ended up having to RUN onstage to time ourselves with "she's radiant and confident and born to take this chance" and just ... kinda awkwardly walk across like yep we're definitely supposed to be here and everything is very normal.

16. tech crew put my bigass luggage in front of the bed in such a way that there was barely any room for both me and my costar (the dowager) to sit on it BAHAHAH

17. okay this is the big one folks. it's so bad you aren't ready. when gleb pointed the gun at me "the tsar lies COLD" there was a BOOM noise. and for a split second i thought "did the soundboard people make a mistake? do i have to die now? fuck" but not half a second passes when. all of the lights are out. no sound is coming. WHEN I TELL YOU THAT THE ENTIRE FLOOR'S ELECTRICITY WENT OUT. we finished the rest of the show a-capella. but. guys. y'all. fanastasias. we did not find out until TODAY if we would be able to have another show because the damage was so bad that the electrician couldnt even come in until this morning and both of our remaining shows had to be cancelled. so yeah closing is now this saturday at 1pm yippee???? but even if we hadn't been able to i'm still so happy i got to do this

we got boba on saturday, when we were supposed to arrive for the second show, as our "mourning anastasia" hangout because we all thought the show was dead permanently. blaming our director for saying "this show isn't cursed :D" before calling places on friday...tsk tsk...

[jemhi]

what's your favorite small detail in anastasia? anything from a motif to some choreo you like :3

OMG I LOVE YOU

the VERY FIRST THING that popped into my mind was dmitry getting hurt (physically but ofc it happens emotionally too). here is a list:

and comrade now we're stuck WHACK (vlad hits dima with his hat during a rumor in st petersburg)

dmitry getting hit by the blackboard 3 times during learn to do it

dmitry getting kicked by anya during learn to do it

dmitry getting hurt when he fights the drunks (although in MYYY production i get to beat everyone up myself as anya and he's like jesus fucking christ)

dmitry getting BITCH SLAPPED by the dowager

i poke my dmitry very aggressively in his chest during "i was cold and hungry and desperate when i met you dmitry but i wasn't dishonest. i hate you for that"

getting to yeet the doll at dmitry in my production it always hits him square in the chest

bonus: when im still mad at dima and vlad i take off my glove and wack vlad with it. thats not dmitry but we still have a show left and i still might hit him :) i think he's gotten caught in the crossfire at least once

okay the other thing i have to mention is the significance of the "home love family" musical motif because WHAT DO YOU MEAN that dmitry's musical motif goes from my petersburg to a crowd of thousands (when he walks on during his ballet intro) to JOURNEY TO THE PAST/HOME LOVE FAMILY (during everything to win) BECAUSE HE LOVES ANYA SO MUCH AND HIS GOAL HAS BECOME ABOUT HER AND HER HAPPINESS INSTEAD OF JUST WHAT HE WAS TAUGHT WHICH WAS TO KEEP SURVIVING BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY STOPPOOOO

OH AND IN THE SAME VEIN WHEN THE DOWAGER SAYS "take me home, lily" THE HOME LOVE FAMILY MOTIF PLAYS AGAIN BECAUSE SHES GOING TO ANYA FUUUUCK IM GOING TO BE SICK .

[jemhi]

when i was with our show's vocal coach we were working on jtp and he asked me "okay and is that "home love family" lyric important?" i think i exploded right then and there

[jemhi]

what's your favorite small detail in anastasia? anything from a motif to some choreo you like :3

OMG I LOVE YOU

the VERY FIRST THING that popped into my mind was dmitry getting hurt (physically but ofc it happens emotionally too). here is a list:

and comrade now we're stuck WHACK (vlad hits dima with his hat during a rumor in st petersburg)

dmitry getting hit by the blackboard 3 times during learn to do it

dmitry getting kicked by anya during learn to do it

dmitry getting hurt when he fights the drunks (although in MYYY production i get to beat everyone up myself as anya and he's like jesus fucking christ)

dmitry getting BITCH SLAPPED by the dowager

i poke my dmitry very aggressively in his chest during "i was cold and hungry and desperate when i met you dmitry but i wasn't dishonest. i hate you for that"

getting to yeet the doll at dmitry in my production it always hits him square in the chest

bonus: when im still mad at dima and vlad i take off my glove and wack vlad with it. thats not dmitry but we still have a show left and i still might hit him :) i think he's gotten caught in the crossfire at least once

okay the other thing i have to mention is the significance of the "home love family" musical motif because WHAT DO YOU MEAN that dmitry's musical motif goes from my petersburg to a crowd of thousands (when he walks on during his ballet intro) to JOURNEY TO THE PAST/HOME LOVE FAMILY (during everything to win) BECAUSE HE LOVES ANYA SO MUCH AND HIS GOAL HAS BECOME ABOUT HER AND HER HAPPINESS INSTEAD OF JUST WHAT HE WAS TAUGHT WHICH WAS TO KEEP SURVIVING BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY STOPPOOOO

OH AND IN THE SAME VEIN WHEN THE DOWAGER SAYS "take me home, lily" THE HOME LOVE FAMILY MOTIF PLAYS AGAIN BECAUSE SHES GOING TO ANYA FUUUUCK IM GOING TO BE SICK .

[jemhi]

BY FUCKING HAND BTW.

try making a imperial russian era royal dress without a mannequin just your own body and safety pins. thank gawd that i could use my sarees etc since the drapery is very similar but good god

anywho this is for my anastasia costume during last dance of the romanovs, i know broadway had her motif be blue but i went through a huge pink phase so i just have more pink to choose from so for my anya her color motif is pink/red <3

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXMI1vXDpsf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[jemhi]

dumb ideas i had that have ended up being put into our production of anastasia

someone taps gleb during a rumor in st petersburg and runs away. gleb chases him offstage

"what's your hurry?" "UH." *steals broom from someone* "i can't lose this job :D !!!"

"am i floating?" trips and falls into dmitry, who scoffs and readies her again. "like a sinking boat."

kick line during learn to do it

not talked about a lot but anya actually has a verse in tnf, it parallels dmitry's, and we're genuinely considering having gleb just STARE ANYA DOWN while she sings it. because in the show its presented as a sort of pseudonationalanthem so gleb is like imploring her to be loyal to the new russia etc meanwhile im just shrinking in on myself while singing ".... thenevaflowsanewwindblows-"

vlad lifts me (anya) during paris holds the key

CHARLESTON KICKLINE!!!!! during paris holds the key

yeeting the doll at dmitry when they fight

ok this one requires some backstory but basically when i was initially taught basic waltzing a few years ago i learned it as a lead so when doing it with the boys i've been having a lot of trouble as the follow especially because they are rhythmically challenged and if you'll recall from the movie vlad tells anya to let dmitry lead because she was leading and in the musical anya is the one who kind of courts dmitry and takes the reigns of their relationship all this to say is that anya doesn't back away from traditionally masculine roles and my director thought it was really funny that the princess would have trouble following because of course and so he asked me "do you want to lead" and i said YES and he said "great. you're going to lead while dancing with [the dowager empress]" SO THAT'S A THING NOW. CRAZY. while we sing the big overlap part at the end of quartet at the ballet

im so FUCKING crazy about this show you guys. not sure if you knew.

[jemhi]

SUPES excited for anastasia performances in a week so to celebrate here are my costumes!!!! they're not actually set in stone yet but i woke up at 3am today and spent 3 hours putting them together. 2 of those hours were spent on constructing the ldotr costume piece by piece

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXMIXz9DlRA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

[jemhi]

top 10 things i'm doing while playing anya

coming on a lot stronger/less princesslike since as we all know irl anastasia was a lot closer to how 1997 anastasia was played. as much as i loooove christy altomare and the musical as a whole the fact that they made anya more 'palatable' does irk me from a historical accuracy perspective. alsosauce since im transmasc and i speak in a lower register i'm also using that to make my lines more assertive and powerful (see: instead of christy's timid little gasp and ~i'm looking for someone called dmitry~, think: swallows and stands ground. I'm looking for someone called dmitry) etc etc in general a lot of the lines that christy rushed i'm taking a lot slower and intentional (mics gotta pick me up anyway)

BANGS BANGS BANGS BANGS NOBODY CAN TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME

i have really short hair like really short (transmasc) and i have a princess wig i bought just for this just in case and my director was like ehhh wigs kind of restrict ur movement SOOOO we're using a wig for last dance of the romanovs (and yes my bangs will be visible HISTORICAL ACCURACY!!!!!! my wig is a perfect shade match to my hair i got real lucky finding it on etsy) because that's the princess time look she has princess hair and all the princess hair care and then for the rest of the show i have more supershort hair which can be justified for a number of reasons including but not limited to 1. short boy hair could be explained as being taken more seriously (although the soviets were pretty decent on gender equality) 2. for someone who very much doesn't have the resources for haircare it's easier to take care of shorter hair 3. it explains why dmitry, vlad (who probably met anastasia in passing) and the dowager don't recognize anya immediately. im considering styling my hair specifically so that my bangs are less prominent in most scenes EXCEPT for acot (where dmitry recognizes her. wow bangs!) and anya and the dowager's big talk (wow bangs!)

extreme drama as baby anastasia. i worked with kids i know what they're like and we dont have a baby so ya boi is doing both. i will be flopping around and changing my energy level (lethargy straight to sitting up and bursting) at the drop of a hat . it's just really funny

anya actually has a verse in the neva flows i am going to look as uncomfortable as possible (tnf is kind of presented as the national anthem in this, given its presence in the beginning of rumor in st petersburg and the scene w the drunks) because gleb is going to be staring me down

not me but im 90% there on convincing our vlad and lily to have their sign be a sick ass handshake

pretty sure my director is going to let me yeet the doll at dmitry HUZZAH!!!

at the very end of ouad. it's not going to be "once upon a decemberrrrrr" it's going to be " oooonce. upon. a december" i might hold december who knows but upon is spaced for 1. emotion and 2. the actual reason is so that i can take a breath LMAO

also pretty sure i convinced my director to let anya and vlad to a heel click together during paris holds the key lets fucking go. i'm really good at shoehorning heel clicks into productions im in

my dmitry is a freshman and i do not want to kiss a freshman and it's weird cus we're babies anyway but sometimes the tight hug TM done instead in productions feels awk. so we're having anya kiss dmitry's hand in the finale which is RELEVANT because of vlad in ltdi and count ipolitov in sipy THERE'S FORESHADOWING AND BUILDUP AND ANYA STILL TAKES CHARGE AND ITS SO CUTE BRO