Hi there, just a short little vent from your friendly local theatre kid.
NO! GOD NO! NOOOOOOOOO! (Insert Michael Scott Gif)
I won't go on for too long, I just need to officially get over the fact that the majesty that is the Anastasia musical has closed. This isn't an angry vent, more of a heartbroken one. I know that, even on opening night of a musical on Broadway, the closing is always looming, but I'm still bummed.
The show was off-Broadway in 2016, but it made its Broadway debut in April 2017. I discovered the soundtrack right at the height of graduating from high school, so I will forever tie the music to this poignant time in my life, but that's neither here nor there. Despite my emotional attachment, the music is amazing in and of itself, and it is that music (and so much more) that allowed Anastasia to kick butt on the Broadway stage for almost 2 years.
Amazing performers like Ramin Karimloo, Derek Klena, and Christy Altomare (just to name a few) help bring the story of the lost Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia to life for a captivated audience. A story of heartbreak and loss but also love and self-discovery, Anastasia offered a little something different to anyone and everyone who sat down in the theatre to watch it. It balanced so many emotions that the audience was left laughing then crying in one fell swoop, often occurring within moments of each other.
Funny numbers like The Countess and The Common Man and Learn To Do It make the audience want to clap and sing along while songs like In My Dreams and Close The Door make you want to openly weep from the audience. They portray the emotions the way someone who has lost seemingly everything would go through. My personal favorite of the musical, In A Crowd Of Thousands, marks a turning point for more than one main character, and it's one of my favorite songs in all of musical theatre.
At the end of the day, I'm simply sad to see such an amazing thing go before I ever got to see it on Broadway (although I was lucky enough to see the traveling show), but I live in hope that this amazing story and musical will soon see the revival it so greatly deserves.
If you are a theatre kid, and even if you're not, take an hour and a half out of your day to listen to the music. It's beautiful from start to finish and definitely deserves listen.
