''Anna Karenina'' is a 1992
musical with a book and lyrics by
Peter Kellogg and music by
Daniel Levine. Based on the classic 1877
Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
novel of the same name, it focuses on the tragic title character, a fashionable but unhappily married woman, and her ill-fated
liaison
Liaison means communication between two or more groups, or co-operation or working together.
Liaison or liaisons may refer to:
General usage
* Affair, an unfaithful sexual relationship
* Collaboration
* Co-operation
Arts and entertainment
* Li ...
with Count Vronsky, which ultimately leads to her downfall. Directed by
Theodore Mann
Theodore Mann, birth name Goldman, (May 13, 1924 – February 24, 2012) was an American theatre producer and director and the Artistic Director of the Circle in the Square Theatre School.
Mann co-founded Circle in the Square Theatre, widel ...
, 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 Stree ...
production opened on August 26, 1992, at the
Circle in the Square Theatre
The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, in the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is one of two Broadway theaters that use a thrust stage that extends ...
and ran for 46 performances. The cast included
Ann Crumb in the title role and John Cunningham as Nicolai Karenin.
Synopsis
In 1870s Russia, Anna Karenina is a virtuous woman married to a government official 15 years older than she. Anna falls in love with the handsome and charming Count Alexei Vronsky, but she is torn by her loyalty to her husband and small son.
Meanwhile, Vronsky had first courted Ekaterina "Kitty" Alexandrovna Shcherbatsky, who chose him over gentleman farmer Konstantin Dmitrievich Levin. When Vronsky falls in love with Anna instead, Kitty becomes ill, and Levin, heartsick, withdraws to his country estate. Kitty and Levin finally declare their love for each other.
Anna's choice of love over duty leads to tragedy: Her affair with Vronsky is revealed, and she is shunned; eventually, she throws herself in front of an oncoming train.
Broadway production
After 18 previews, the Broadway production, directed by Theodore Mann and
choreographed by
Patricia Birch
Patricia Birch (born October 16, 1934) is an American dancer, choreographer, film director, and theatre director.
Early life
Born in Englewood, New Jersey, Birch began her career as a dancer in Broadway musicals, including ''Brigadoon'', ''Goldi ...
, and associate choreographer,
Jonathan Stuart Cerullo, opened on August 26, 1992, at the
Circle in the Square Theatre
The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, in the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is one of two Broadway theaters that use a thrust stage that extends ...
. In keeping with the theater's small size (by Broadway standards), the staging included a sparse set, an almost bare stage, and only seven members in the orchestra, with orchestrations by
Peter Matz
Peter Matz (November 6, 1928 – August 9, 2002) was an American musician, composer, arranger and conductor. His musical career in film, theater, television and studio recording spanned fifty years, and he worked with a number of prominent ...
.
[Henry, William A]
"A Big Epic Writ Small"
''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'', September 7, 1992. Retrieved September 5, 2007 In addition to Crumb and Cunningham, the cast included
Scott Wentworth as Vronsky,
Gregg Edelman
Gregg Edelman (born September 12, 1958) is an American movie, television and theatre actor.
Biography
Edelman was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Niles North High School, where he starred as Li'l Abner opposite future soap star Nancy Lee G ...
as Constantin Levin,
as Princess Kitty Scherbatssky, and Jerry Lanning as Prince Oblonsky.
''Anna Karenina'' was received poorly by the critics. ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' deemed it "earnest, intermittently moving but never quite thrilling",
and ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' was harsher, calling the show a "series of misperceptions and errors in judgment." Other critics believed the musical's approach to be trivial, including ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', which called the musical "comic-strip Tolstoy".
The musical ran for 46 performances. It received
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the 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 ...
nominations for Best Actress in a Musical (
Ann Crumb), Best Book of a Musical, Best Score of a Musical, and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (
Gregg Edelman
Gregg Edelman (born September 12, 1958) is an American movie, television and theatre actor.
Biography
Edelman was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Niles North High School, where he starred as Li'l Abner opposite future soap star Nancy Lee G ...
),
[Evans, Greg]
Tony bids: 'Tommy,' 'Kiss' 11; 'Angels' 9
''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', May 11, 1993. Retrieved September 5, 2007 as well as a
Drama Desk Award nomination for Lanning.
A recording of the musical released on August 7, 2007, stars
as Anna,
Gregg Edelman
Gregg Edelman (born September 12, 1958) is an American movie, television and theatre actor.
Biography
Edelman was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Niles North High School, where he starred as Li'l Abner opposite future soap star Nancy Lee G ...
as Levin,
Brian d'Arcy James as Vronsky,
Jeff McCarthy
Jeffrey Charles McCarthy (born October 16, 1954) is an American actor and director.
Early life
McCarthy was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Santa Maria, California - growing up blocks away from the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, ...
as Karenin,
Marc Kudisch
Marc Kudisch (born September 22, 1966) is an American stage actor, who is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway.
Early life and education
Kudisch was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, the son of Florence and Raymond Kudisch. His fami ...
as Oblonsky and
Kerry Butler
Kerry Butler is an American actress and singer known primarily for her work in theatre. She is best known for originating the roles of Barbara Maitland in ''Beetlejuice'', Penny Pingleton in ''Hairspray'', and Clio/Kira in '' Xanadu'', the latt ...
as Kitty.
In 2006, a version of the Dan Levine, Peter Kellogg musical was produced and performed in Japan. The original Japan cast included Maki Ichiro, Yoshio Inoue, Hitomi Harukaze. A two-DVD set with a length of more than three hours of the Japanese language production is available. There is also a CD of the songs sung in Japanese.
Musical numbers
;Act I
Prologue: St. Petersburg Train Station
*On a Train – Anna, Vronsky, Levin, Chorus
Scene 1: Moscow train station, next morning
*There's More to Life Than Love – Stiva and Anna
Scene 2: – Kitty Scherbatsky's house, later the same day
*How Awful – Kitty
*Would You? – Levin
*In a Room – Levin, Kitty, Anna, Vronsky
Scene 3: A ball, a few days later
*Waltza and Mazurka – Anna, Kitty, Vronsky, Stiva, Chorus
Scene 4: A small station between Moscow and St. Petersburg, the next night
Scene 5: Anna's house in St. Petersburg
*Nothing Has Changed – Anna
Scene 6: Prince Tversky's home, that night
*Lowlands – Basso
Scene 7: Croquet Lawn, several weeks later
*Rumors – Chorus
Scene 8: Kitty's house
*How Many Men? – Kitty
Scene 9: A small dance in St. Petersburg
*We Were Dancing – Vronsky
Scene 10: On the way home
*I'm Lost – Anna
Scene 11: Anna's house
*Karenin's List – Karenin
Scene 12: Vronsky's apartment
*Waiting for You – Anna and Vronsky
;Act II
Scene 1: Anna's house, three months later
*This Can't Go On – Anna, Vronsky, Karenin
Scene 2: Levin's estate and Italy
*Peasant's Idyll – Chorus
*That Will Serve Her Right – Levin
Scene 3: A villa in Rome
*Everything's Fine – Anna and Vronsky
Scene 4: Kitty's house
*Would You (Reprise) – Levin and Kitty
Scene 5: A hotel in Moscow
*Everything's Fine (Reprise) – Anna
Scene 6: Karenin's house
*Only at Night – Karenin
Scene 7: St. Petersburg Train Station
*Finale – Anna and Chorus
References
External links
Internet Broadway Database listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anna Karenina
1992 musicals
Broadway musicals
Musicals based on novels