Anna Karenina (musical)
Encyclopedia
Anna Karenina is a musical
with a book and lyrics by Peter Kellogg
and music by Daniel Levine
. Based on the classic Leo Tolstoy
novel of the same name
, it focuses on the tragic title character, a fashionable but unhappily married woman, and her ill-fated liaison
with Count Vronsky, which ultimately leads to her downfall. Directed by Theodore Mann
, the Broadway
production opened on August 26, 1992 at the Circle in the Square Theatre
and ran for 46 performances. The cast included Ann Crumb
in the title role and John Cunningham
as Nicolai Karenin.
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 Vronsky, 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.
, opened on August 26, 1992 at the Circle in the Square Theatre
. In keeping with the theatre's small size (by Broadway standards), the staging included a sparse set, an almost bare stage, and only seven members in the orchestra. In addition to Crumb and Cunningham, the cast included Scott Wentworth as Vronsky, Gregg Edelman
as Constantin Levin, Melissa Errico
as Princess Kitty Scherbatssky, and Jerry Lanning as Prince Oblonsky.
Anna Karenina was received poorly by the critics. Time
deemed it "earnest, intermittently moving but never quite thrilling," while the New York Times 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
, which declared the musical "comic-strip Tolstoy".
The musical ran for only 46 performances. It received Tony Award
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), as well as a Drama Desk Award
nomination for Lanning.
A recording of the musical released on August 7, 2007 stars Melissa Errico as Anna, Gregg Edelman as Levin, Brian D'Arcy James
as Vronsky, Jeff McCarthy
as Karenin, Marc Kudisch
as Oblonsky and Kerry Butler
as Kitty.
In 2006, a Japanese 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 2-DVD-Set with a length of more than 3 hours of the Japanese language production is available. There is also a cd of the songs sung in Japanese available.
Act II
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with a book and lyrics by Peter Kellogg
Peter Kellogg (writer)
Peter Kellogg is a Tony-nominated musical theater book writer and lyricist. He wrote the lyrics and the book for the 1992 production of the Broadway musical Anna Karenina, for which he received two 1993 Tony Award nominations. One for Best Book of a musical and one for the Best Original Score...
and music by Daniel Levine
Daniel Levine (composer)
Daniel Levine is a musical theater composer. He wrote the music for the Broadway musical Anna Karenina , and received a 1993 Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score. Levine had also conducted a rendition of "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin for Valentino Production Music.-References:...
. Based on the classic Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
novel of the same name
Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina is a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger...
, it focuses on the tragic title character, a fashionable but unhappily married woman, and her ill-fated liaison
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
with Count Vronsky, which ultimately leads to her downfall. Directed by Theodore Mann
Theodore Mann
Theodore Mann, birth name Goldman, is an American theatre producer and director and the Artistic Director of the Circle in the Square Theatre School....
, the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production opened on August 26, 1992 at the Circle in the Square Theatre
Circle in the Square Theatre
The Circle in the Square Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre in midtown Manhattan on 50th Street in the Paramount Plaza building.The original Circle in the Square was founded by Paul Libin, Theodore Mann and Jose Quintero in 1951 and was located at 5 Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village...
and ran for 46 performances. The cast included Ann Crumb
Ann Crumb
Ann Crumb is an American actress and singer.The daughter of composer George Crumb and sister of composer David Crumb, she made her Broadway debut in 1987 as a member of the original cast of Les Misérables...
in the title role and John Cunningham
John Cunningham
-Military:* John Cunningham , Group Captain, RAF Night fighter Ace* John Cunningham , East Yorkshire Regiment* John Cunningham , Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment...
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 Alexis 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 Vronsky, 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 eighteen previews, the Broadway production, directed by Theodore Mann and choreographed by Patricia BirchPatricia Birch
Patricia Birch is an American choreographer and director for musical theatre and film.Born in Englewood, New Jersey, Birch began her career as a dancer in Broadway musicals, including Brigadoon, Goldilocks, and West Side Story . She has directed and choreographed music videos for Cyndi Lauper, the...
, opened on August 26, 1992 at the Circle in the Square Theatre
Circle in the Square Theatre
The Circle in the Square Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre in midtown Manhattan on 50th Street in the Paramount Plaza building.The original Circle in the Square was founded by Paul Libin, Theodore Mann and Jose Quintero in 1951 and was located at 5 Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village...
. In keeping with the theatre's small size (by Broadway standards), the staging included a sparse set, an almost bare stage, and only seven members in the orchestra. In addition to Crumb and Cunningham, the cast included Scott Wentworth as Vronsky, Gregg Edelman
Gregg Edelman
Gregg Edelman is an American movie, television and theatre actor.Edelman was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Niles North High School, where he starred as Lil' Abner opposite future soap star Nancy Lee Grahn, and was trained at Northwestern University...
as Constantin Levin, Melissa Errico
Melissa Errico
-Biography:Born in Manhattan, Errico moved to Manhasset on Long Island at an early age. Her parents, a sculptor and a physician/concert pianist, supported her early interest in ballet, and gymnastics, and Melissa competed nationally as a gymnast...
as Princess Kitty Scherbatssky, and Jerry Lanning as Prince Oblonsky.
Anna Karenina was received poorly by the critics. Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
deemed it "earnest, intermittently moving but never quite thrilling," while the New York Times 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 (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, which declared the musical "comic-strip Tolstoy".
The musical ran for only 46 performances. It received Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
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), as well as a Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
nomination for Lanning.
A recording of the musical released on August 7, 2007 stars Melissa Errico as Anna, Gregg Edelman as Levin, Brian D'Arcy James
Brian d'Arcy James
Brian d'Arcy James is an American actor and musician.-Personal life:James was born in Saginaw, Michigan, the son of Mary , a seller of children's books, and a lawyer father, Thomas F. James. Brian's maternal grandfather was Harry F. Kelly, former Governor of the state of Michigan...
as Vronsky, Jeff McCarthy
Jeff McCarthy
-Television:He made guest star appearances on television shows such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Ed, Designing Women, Cheers, Freddy's Nightmares, Matlock, and In the Heat of the Night. McCarthy was the voice of the Chuck Jones' creation, Michigan J. Frog, for the WB television network...
as Karenin, Marc Kudisch
Marc Kudisch
Marc Kudisch is an American stage actor, who is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway.-Early life and education:...
as Oblonsky and Kerry Butler
Kerry Butler
Kerry Marie Butler is an American actress known primarily for her work in theatre.-Early life and career:...
as Kitty.
In 2006, a Japanese 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 2-DVD-Set with a length of more than 3 hours of the Japanese language production is available. There is also a cd of the songs sung in Japanese available.
Song list
Act I- Journey To Moscow
- There's More to Life Than Love
- How Awful
- Would You?
- In a Room
- Mazurka
- Nothing Has Changed
- Rumors
- How Many Men?
- We Were Dancing (Waltz)
- I'm Lost
- Karenin's List
- Waiting for You
Act II
- This Can't Go On
- Rumors
- That Will Serve Her Right
- Everything's Fine
- Would You? (Reprise)
- Everything's Fine (Reprise)
- Only at Night
- Finale