A Crowd of Thousands
Welcome back Dear Readers and boy do I have a special treat for you Broadway music fans today.
I am a huge Broadway geek (although I am a little picky) but I am pretty open to musicals as long as the music is boppin’ and the plot is worth it. I am a fan of multiple different genres from Wicked to Phantom of the Opera or Les Miserables to Mamma Mia.
This past year has been crazy and in these crazy times I turn to movies or music to remind me that I can still have a good time while being stuck in my home for quarantine. These past couple of days I have been discovering musicals left and right and today I want to share with you one of my favorites and compare it to its movie counterpart.
This musical takes place in the height of Russia where the people were tired of being repressed and rose up against the royals, but in the chaos one of the royal members escaped. Unfortunately, the little girl forgets who she is but knows one thing, Paris. With the help of two clever con artists, little Anya makes her way to Paris as she tries to remember who she is and whether or not she truly is The Grand Duchess.
Yes, Dear Readers, the musical that has become one of my new favorites is indeed Anastasia.
My sister and I grew up on the movie and literally watched it all the time, and this is why I started researching the musical and I am happy I did. I felt so many different emotions when watching the musical and listening to the music. I knew immediately I wanted to write a post about the love between Dimitri and Anastasia, because it makes my heart soar higher than the clouds.
I am not going into detail when it comes to how the movie and musical are different because that is obvious. I only want to highlight the main parts that make me feel gooey inside.
Their first meeting was a little rough but that is the beauty of the story because it goes from being a business arrangement to deep undeniable love. She comes in asking for help to get to Paris, and as Dimitri looks into her eyes he can see the resemblance of The Grand Duchess herself. If this part doesn’t make your heart stop, Dear Reader, then I don’t know what will. This part is similar in both the movie and the musical but equally as heart wrenching because you can just see the awe in his face as he looks upon the beautiful blue-eyed girl in front of him.
As time goes on and Anya learns to be Anastasia, her memories slowly come back and sometimes this can trigger certain episodes of PTSD and when she starts to freak out Dimitri is always there to hold her and say encouraging words to make her feel better. In the musical, she has a nightmare and cries out and Dimitri runs in to comfort her. When she asks Dimitri who he thinks she is he opens up and tells her the story of when he met Anastasia herself. As most of you know in the movie Dimitri was a kitchen boy and helped Anastasia and her grandmother escape, but in the musical it is a little different. The song “In a Crowd of Thousands” explains that Dimitri actually met her for the first time in a parade as he made himself known to her. She smiled at him and he bowed. This is the moment they truly know that she really is Anastasia. Both moments are hard to watch because you can see the love in Dimitri’s eyes but also the hurt because he knows that she cannot be with a commoner like him.
“I don’t want to be in love with someone I can’t have for the rest of my life.”
The final moment that I love in both materials is the final scene. In the musical, Anastasia is spared by Gleb, the Russian soldier sent to kill her because she is a Romanov. After she is spared she runs to find Dimitri so they can run away together, but when he sees her he is heartbroken and tells her that he is not her prince. Anya walks up to him, throws his suitcase down, steps on top of it, and kisses him. Dimitri is caught off guard but gives in and realizes that he has finally caught the girl of his dreams. In the movie, Dimitri comes back to save her from the villain Rasputin and ends up saving her life. It is then Anastasia decides to leave her crown and run away with Dimitri causing a happy ending in the movie.
“It’s a perfect ending.
No it’s a perfect begining.”
Ahhhh don’t you just love happy endings? I know I do. Stories that make my heart skip a beat are ones that I love to watch over and over because they are what I like to imagine my true romance will be like one day.
Now, Dear Readers as you move forward with life whether you are single, in a relationship, or married I would like to encourage you to write down certain qualities you want to see or already see in your significant other. This list will help you appreciate what you have and also help you strive for that dream relationship. For example, on my list I have already added, “A man who will comfort me when I am fearful and also encourage me to be myself.” Make sure it is someone that will catch your eye and stand out in a crowd of thousands.
Now if you will excuse me I am going to go rewatch both the musical and the movie and maybe die of overwhelming love.
Until then,
Peace out lovers!
