''Anya'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

with a book by

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. He received numerous honors including six Tony Awards, the ...

and

Guy Bolton Guy Reginald Bolton (23 November 1884 – 4 September 1979) was an Anglo-American playwright and writer of musical theatre, musical comedies. Born in England and educated in France and the US, he trained as an architect but turned to writing. B ...

and music and lyrics by Robert Wright and

George Forrest George Forrest may refer to: *G. Topham Forrest (George Topham Forrest, 1872–1945), principal architect for the London County Council *George Forrest (author) (1915–1999), American author and musician *George Forrest (botanist) (1873–1932), S ...

. As they had done with '' Song of Norway'' (1944) and '' Kismet'' (1953), Wright and Forrest developed the musical score using themes written by a classical composer, in this case

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and Conducting, conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a compos ...

. Based on Bolton's 1954 English adaptation of Marcelle Maurette's 1952 play ''Anastasia'' and the subsequent 1956 film adaptation of the same name, it focuses on Anya who, when discovered in a

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

psychiatric facility in 1925 by taxi driver Bounine, a former

Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...

general in Czarist Russia, claims to be

Anastasia Anastasia (from ) is a feminine given name of Greek and Slavic origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe. Origin The name Anastasia originated during the Early Christianity, early d ...

, the supposedly murdered youngest daughter of

Emperor Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until Abdication of Nicholas II, hi ...

. A number of fictional elements, including a romantic triangle involving Anya, Bounine, and his mistress Genia and the addition of a comical character, café proprietor Katrina, weakened the plot of the true story. It also continued to perpetuate the notion that the

Dowager Empress Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother; ) is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a monarch, especially in regards to Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese monarchs in the Chinese cul ...

had met Anya in real life, when in fact the two never crossed paths. After sixteen previews, the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

production, directed by Abbott and choreographed by

Hanya Holm Hanya Holm (born Johanna Eckert; 3 March 1893 – 3 November 1992) is known as one of the "Big Four" founders of American modern dance. She was a dancer, choreographer, and above all, a dance educator. Early life, connection with Mary Wigman Bo ...

, opened on November 29, 1965, at the Ziegfeld Theatre. Denounced as an old-fashioned

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

by the critics, it closed after only 16 performances, the last production to be presented in the historic venue, which had housed the original ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the per ...

'' in 1927. The cast included

Constance Towers Constance Mary Towers (born May 20, 1933) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She gained prominence for her appearances in several mainstream 1950s films before transitioning to theater, starring in numerous Broadway productions ...

as Anya, Michael Kermoyan as Bounine, Karen Shepard as Genia, Irra Petina as Katrina, and

Lillian Gish Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893 – February 27, 1993) was an American actress best known for her work in movies of the silent era. Her film-acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912, in silent film shorts, to 1987. Gish was dubbed the "F ...

as the Dowager Empress. Supporting roles were played by George S. Irving and

John Michael King John Michael King (May 13, 1926 – August 17, 2008) was an American actor most often associated with his roles in musical theatre. Biography The son of actor Dennis King, John Michael King was born in New York City. He made his Broadway ...

. The production was nominated for the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Scenic Design. An

original cast recording A cast recording is a recording of a stage musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording or OCR, as the name implies, features the voices of the sho ...

was released by

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1958 ...

. The show was later reworked under several names: ''A Song for Anastasia'' (1967), ''The Anastasia Game'' (1989 and 1990), ''The Anastasia Affaire'' (1992), and ''Anastasia, the Musical'' (1998).Rewritten Wright-Forrest Anastasia Refreshed for OCR CD Release
''Playbill'', Nov 24, 1998 A cast recording was made in 1992 using mostly 1989 cast which was re-released and expanded in 1998.

Song list

;Act I * A Song from Somewhere * Vodka, Vodka! * So Proud * Homeward * Snowflakes and Sweethearts (The Snowbird Song) * On That Day * Anya * Six Palaces * Hand in Hand * This Is My Kind of Love * On That Day (Reprise) ;Act II * That Prelude! * A Quiet Land * Here Tonight, Tomorrow Where? * Leben Sie Wohl * If This Is Goodbye * Little Hands * All Hail The Empress

References

* ''Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops'' by

Ken Mandelbaum Ken Mandelbaum is an American columnist, critic, and author whose primary field of expertise is musical theatre. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Mandelbaum was introduced to Broadway musical theatre by his parents and grandparents at an e ...

, published by

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan in New York City. It is headquartered in the Equitable Building (New York City), Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishe ...

(1991), pages 235-36 ()

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing

Floormic Listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anya (Musical) 1965 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals based on plays Musicals based on films Cultural depictions of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia Musicals set in Europe