officialjakelevy: Wow. It truly has been a dream. Although Anastasia has come to an unexpected end, I am forever changed by this experience. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such beautiful people and to affect so many with this touching story. I’ve learned so much about myself as a performer and I will carry it with me as I go through my career. Thank you to everyone involved in this dream. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Ps: A note to 7 year old Jake and to any younger actors reading this post.... yes, your dreams will come true.
Things Im still not over from tour last night, despite it having been 24 hours ago now:
How bouncey and active Stephen’s Dmitry is like holy crap he cant stand still!
How very touchy Jason’s Gleb is with Anya only heightened by how much taller he is than her
Seriously he was so forceful and its so different from how is is like when he’s off stage??
How funny Ed is as Vlad, and the chuckle he kept doing. Ehehehehe
They just went all out on hurting Dmitry with the chalk board last night and it was really damn funny
The tour blocking of My Petersburg!!!
Stay I pray you hurts more live and knowing count Ipolitov’s fate just makes it hurt more
God Jason just Feels So Much as Gleb, and its such good fic fodder
Joy Franz made me cry too.... Her dowager is amazing
Allison Ewing went on as Lily and she’s so fucking funny
Like seriously her two big scenes were showstoppers
Even if that kiss was just. god it was so horny on main and nasty
Vlad’s voice went up an octave at one point while she was on her knees reaching upwards and oh yeah it was. yeah.
Someone in the audicence made a comment to the effect of “what the hell??” when alexei said “I’m going to die soon! We all are!” and i had to try not to laugh (Delilah nailed it!)
CROWD OF THOUSANDS
Stephen actually said “hey!” when she made the “not too clean” remark, just like i always kinda mentally put in there
QUARTET. God what a showstopper, I wanted to stand and applaud right there. The cast dancers are so so so talented, its incredible
everything to win is underrated as fuck.
the confrontation.... god it puts you on the edge of your seat. Jason just /sells it/, and lordy. Im love
Also im still crying about how fucking cool the costumes are.
Prepare yourselves because I’m about dump so much fucking information on you.
Okay so first let me begin by saying the set design? Fucking incredible. Literally the second the lights went down I was absolutely stunned. I have no words.
Alright, so to start off: Delilah Rose Pellow was so adorable as young Anastasia. Her dialogue was a little clearer as Alexei (she kind of ran her words together at the beginning) but her acting was amazing for both of them.
The change in lighting, the explosions, and the choreography were amazing at the end of the ballroom scene. The choreography when Anastasia went back for the music box was especially cool!!
Jake Levy plays Dima a lot differently than Derek did. His Dima is a little less scoundrel-y if you know what I mean. He seems younger, more like the kid he is. He’s jaded, but he’s still young. (He’s less asshole-with-a-heart-of-gold and more just sweet boy. I love him.)
When he pops up behind the podium in A Rumor in St. Petersburg? I literally cried. Precious.
Lila Coogan is so fucking incredible as Anya!! Literally from the first note she sang, I was damn enthralled. She sings higher than Christy, and it was so unexpected and so gorgeous. Her voice is so clear and strong and steady and GOD.
She does this kind of growling thing in her dialogue parts. I heard it especially on “r”s and in that scene when she and Dima fight those guys before My Petersburg. (It was highkey hot ngl, my gay ass was so shook. But I digress.)
Vlad (Edward Staudenmayer) was so fucking funny. It’s usually not very easy to make me laugh but pretty much every line of his got me. Just,,, his delivery? HYSTERICAL.
Now Gleb. Gleb. My boy. The love of my life. I was a little thrown off at the beginning because Jason Michael Evans sings really differently than Ramin Karimloo, but he’s so talented.
All the like really strong Gleb notes were a little higher, and the vibrato? Through the roof. It was insane how much vibrato he used. And damn they were stunning.
He also did an incredible job portraying how conflicted Gleb is through all of it. And in the little dialogue before The Neva Flows he was so awkward. It was hilarious.
Stay I Pray You was so lovely. Brad Greer was so amazing as Count Ipolitov, and all of their voices fit so well together. I was shook.
The same goes for We’ll Go From There. At they end, when they’re all overlapping each other? Stunning.
Still really got me. I love Gleb. That’s all I can say.
Journey to the Past beat me up and stole my wallet with how good it was. That’s all I can say. Lila Coogan is so fucking incredible.
Lily (Tari Kelly) was so amazing. Her voice is really different from Caroline’s, but GOD is it amazing. The woman can BELT.
The Countess and the Common Man. Was so fucking funny. I wheezed. I literally wheezed. Just all of it. God. The delivery? On point. The body language? Hysterical.
Anya’s nightmare gave me chills. Alexei’s dialogue especially was just so bone-chilling. It was astounding.
In a Crowd of Thousands was so fucking sweet. Anya and Dmitry are so fucking soft for each other. I cried. They love each other so much. Fuck.
Quartet at the Ballet was so fucking stunning too. Like again the way their voices blend was just EVERYTHING. If I could I would listen to that on repeat for the rest of my life. I want it played at my funeral. Oh my God.
Everything to win was so sweet as usual but GOD when Dima says “woah! better knock on wood!” he knocked on his head! I wheezed. It was so fucking funny. Is this a thing that happened in the obcr? Did this happen in other shows? I need to know.
And now, the moment we’ve I’ve been waiting for: Still/The Neva Flows Reprise.
Just like, watching him slowly lock the doors during the Everything to Win Reprise was so chilling, especially since I already knew what was going to happen.
When he said “stop playing this game, Anya” HIS VOICE BROKE. I cried. I love him so much. He’s so conflicted. GOD.
And then on “hear their screams, imagine their terror, see their blood” Anya was actually screaming at him. And she did the growly thing! I was so stunned.
I feel like Christy’s Anya is more like,,, almost trying to convince him? But Lila’s Anya was just so angry. I loved it.
At one point, she kind of collapsed to the floor for a few moments and he was standing on the other side of the stage, looking down at her. It was a really cool parallel to the Romanov ghosts in the background, looking their killers steadily in the eyes.
After his last line, when Gleb is just standing there, holding the gun to her chest, he was shaking so hard that I could see it from the literal back row. He made this kind of gasping/choking/sobbing noise before he collapsed on his knees.
He really seemed like he was having a panic attack. It was so well done and impactful. I adore Gleb and Jason Michael Evans does such a wonderful job portraying him.
When Anya found Dima at the end, when he said “I’m not your prince, Anya”, he sounded so young and like,,, wounded. Jesus Christ, it hurt me so bad. I love Dmitry with every ounce of my being.
When they’re singing the finale and Anya and Dima, Lily and Vlad, the Dowager Empress, Gleb, Anya’s family, and young Anastasia are all standing together? It was so gorgeous. I was absolutely blown away. Not just by how wonderful it sounded, but by how powerful that image was. It was amazing.
officialtorib This picture nearly perfectly sums up my feelings about these last almost 7 months. I couldn't have asked for a more amazing professional and tour debut. The cast of people I have been privileged to stand next to, and journey with, is so talented it blows my mind. But their talent is matched by their kindness. I will be eternally grateful for those people who believed in me, and nurtured me during this process. The list of people would be too numerous to count, and I hope I have personally thanked each one of you. I could never have done this without all of you. Next Sunday, April 7th I will say goodbye to Little Anastasia, and to my Anastasia family. But I will always consider this experience a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will never be able to say THANK YOU enough for. I LOVE this family, this little girl, and this journey with all my heart. Exciting times are on the horizon, and I look forward to what comes next. Home, love, family. #littleanastasia #littleanya #gratefulheart #thefutureisbright
I saw Anastasia tonight at the Majestic Theater with Lila Coogna and Stephen Brower. I was in tears! It was sooo amazing. The entire cast was so great! Wish I could see it again! To all those going to see it, you won’t be disappointed!
Anastasia National Tour- December 1, 2018 -2 PM matinee
So I luckily got to see the national tour of Anastasia earlier this month. The opening of this show is just really brilliant with how they show the Romanov family. I love how Young Anastasia runs to get the music box and holds it up and then it goes pitch black. It’s really dramatic and I guess that’s why I like it.
In My Dreams was the highlight of the whole show for me. Lila just sounds amazing in this song. Her voice is so powerful and feels like it could be heard from miles away. It really is a powerful song. I didn't realize the first time I saw the show how much Anya reacts to loud noises. It really just makes you feel for her.
Learn to Do It is a fun, joyous number. I think I had a smile on my face the whole time. Dmitry actually gets hit by the chalkboard, which is also something I don’t remember from the first time I saw it. And then when Anya and Dmitry dance, that’s definitely still my favorite part. Vlad never should have let them dance, it starts right there. At the end of the song, it’s just Anya on stage and she sings, “you were born in a palace by the sea, could it be?” And she was so hopeful and smiling. It was so cute.
Jason Michael Evans was a fantastic Gleb. His voice is extraordinary, and the emotion he put into the character was amazing. I feel like Gleb has such a transformation in the show and it’s something I didn't appreciate before. He had tears in his eyes during Still and I was like oh, WOW. The scenes between Anya and Gleb are also great and very intense.
Is there anyway I can get the backdrop for My Petersburg for my room? because that scene is stunning and so pleasing to look at. Also, the opening notes of this song could lift me from the dead. This song is ICONIC. It’s really a great song to show Dmitry’s backstory and see why and how he became the man he is today. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty are brilliant with that. I could also hear a river during this scene which was an interesting touch I don’t remember from Broadway.
Wow, Once Upon a December is still so haunting. Anya can’t even hear Dmitry talking and just falls into this beautiful dream-like trance. And then at the end Little Anastasia runs around Anya giggling and then she leaves and it’s back to normal. It’s just Anya and Dmitry again and it’s so sad. Yet, just so beautifully done. It’s exquisite to watch.
Stay, I Pray You is so underrated. I mean, the beginning is done in A CAPPELA. A CAPPELA! It’s such a sad song, when you think about it. Anya, Dmitry and Vlad have such personal connections to Russia, and as we learn in life, leaving something you've known your entire life can be scary! I think this is one of the many reasons people love this show! I think it’s so powerful that towards the end of the song, Dmitry and Anya just sing, and then as everyone gets on the train, Anya sings by herself, “I’ll bless my homeland til I die.” Like, wow, chills.
Okay, We’ll Go From There is such a fun song and makes me so happy! I love it. The overlapping of their voices is just amazing. And the train will never get old to me! Especially when its Dmitry’s part and it turns around and he’s standing up all confident and Dmitry-like and you're like, wow I love you. Just me? Okay. And when Anya gets scared on the train and Dmitry puts his arm around her. Oh, my heart!
And yeah, like I said, Still was a-mazing.
Journey to the Past, will this song ever not be magical? Will those opening notes never not bring tears to my eyes? Anyway... Lila was amazing and her voice is so strong. And then the Eiffel tower appears in the back as she hits the last note, I’m a mess. Perfection.
ACT 2
I love Paris Holds the Key. Just another song that makes me so happy. And how Dmitry and Anya look at each other during the song. Yeah, love.
So yeah, they took Crossing A Bridge out which I was so sad about because I love that song, but they replace it with a reprise of Paris Holds the Key. I prefer Crossing, but it’s not that big of a change.
Joy Franz was amazing as the Dowager Empress. The scenes between her and Anya were so intense and emotional.
I honestly don’t care for the Vlad and Lily parts, but Land of Yesterday is a fun number and the dancing is crazy. At the end, dancers spin really fast. Tari Kelly was perfection as Lily and really embodied her feisty attitude.
The Romanov family in Anya’s nightmare. Wow. The way Dmirty runs in when Anya’s having the nightmare. He’s grown to care for her and just eases her doubts by saying he’d want her to be Anastasia. In A Crowd of Thousands is a great storytelling song. You can clearly see what they’re singing about in your mind. When Anya realizes she remembers this day, it’s just such a moment and then their voices join together, like wow.
Quartet at the Ballet is such a great scene. I mean the singing and how they're all in their separate worlds, yet all kinda thinking about the same thing. The scene has such a build up and that’s what I really love about it. And look at the lyrics for each person because damn Dmitry’s lines GOT me.
Everything to Win is such a sweet song for Dmitry. It just shows how much he cares about Anya and how he really wants this to work out for her. And he’s in a tux. :)
During the Press Conference, you could hear sounds of the press coming from backstage.
Still/ The Neva Flows is so powerful, so intense, and like I said shows the transformation in Gleb. But, damn, what a scene. And how the Romanov family is in the back. Wow, haunting.
Yes, Anya stands on a suitcase to kiss Dmitry.
The finale just makes me so happy. I was bubbling with happiness. And the curtain call, like THANK YOU curtain calls who play the character’s song as they bow because I love that!
You can look back at my Anastasia on Broadway review under the tag #theater review. Thanks for reading!
I got to see the tour and let me tell yall... holy shit.
Be ready! Bring tissues lol
I think I cried like 5 times?? It was so good and beautiful.
The costumes! The cast! The set! All of it! Honestly one of the best tours I’ve ever seen!
I mean, Anastasia is played by the same girl who was Mary Poppins on Broadway (Lila Coogin)! The Dowager Empress (Joy Franz) was a part of the original cast for Into the Woods!! Everyone talented!
I got to stage door for the first time and the cast was so kind! They were so excited to hear my fiancée is a theatre major and even gave her words of support! It was nice to see such kind people!
Truly amazing and I couldn’t ask for a better show! Would go again and again!
