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 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. The production premiered in 1992 on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre.
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.
Original cast and characters CharacterBroadway (1992)Playbill 1992 Bio Cast Listaccessed 08/06/2023Anna KareninaAnn CrumbKonstantin LevinGregg EdelmanAlexei KareninJohn CunninghamKitty AlexandrovnaMelissa ErricoStiva ArkadyevichJerry LanningAlexis VronskyScott WentworthSeryozha KareninErik Houston SaariKorunskyGabriel BarreAnnushkaDarcy Pulliam
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
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.
Production history 1992 Broadway premiere After 18 previews, the production premiered on Broadway, directed by Theodore Mann and choreographed by Patricia Birch and Jonathan Stuart Cerullo. It opened on August 26, 1992, at the Circle in the Square Theatre. 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.Henry, William A. "A Big Epic Writ Small", Time, September 7, 1992. Retrieved September 5, 2007
Anna Karenina was received poorly by the critics. Time deemed it "earnest, intermittently moving but never quite thrilling", and The New York Times was harsher, calling the show a "series of misperceptions and errors in judgment."Gussow, Mel. Tolstoy, Revised and Musicalized, The New York Times, August 27, 1992. Retrieved September 5, 2007 Other critics believed the musical's approach to be trivial, including Variety, which called the musical "comic-strip Tolstoy".Gerard, Jeremy. Anna Karenina, Variety, August 28, 1992. Retrieved September 5, 2007
The musical ran for 46 performances. Nonetheless, 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),Evans, Greg. Tony bids: 'Tommy,' 'Kiss' 11; 'Angels' 9, Variety, May 11, 1993. Retrieved September 5, 2007 as well as a Drama Desk Award nomination for Lanning.
2006 Japan production 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.
Awards and nominations 1992 Broadway production YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.1993Tony AwardBest Original ScoreDaniel Levine and Peter KelloggBest Book of a MusicalPeter KelloggBest Actress in a MusicalAnn CrumbFeatured Actor in a MusicalGregg EdelmanDrama Desk AwardOutstanding Featured Actor in a MusicalJerry Lanning
References
External links Internet Broadway Database listing New York Times review