A Well Sung "Anya" And A "Pretty" But Sad Misfire

   Who knew that Broadway would end up to be the new Hollywood of the East Coast. Everywhere you look nowadays in the Theatre District, there's a hit movie that is turned into a musical so that fans and tourists alike can lick it up. I'm speaking of adaptations such as Mean Girls, Waitress, the just opened King Kong, the soon-to-be-closed School Of Rock and the regular Disney trifecta (Lion King, Aladdin, Frozen). And then there's Anastasia for the family friendly camp, over at the Broadhurst and Pretty Woman for the chick flick crowd, playing at the Nederlander. But which one of these two latter mentioned shows is sure to entertain many? Let's look at Anastasia first.
 
     Adapted from the 1997 animated musical, Anastasia is your above-average family musical-adventure with a bit dark overtone from the original film. Here's the plot if you can remember it in your head. Taking place in Russia's St. Peterburg in 1927, two con men by the names of Dmitry (Colby Dezelick, at the performance I attended) and Vlad (John Bolton) try to pass off a stranger as the missing princess, Anastasia, so that they can present her to her 'nana', the Dowager Empress in Paris, and grab the reward money for their own use. An amnesic street sweeper by the name of Anya (Christy Altomare) becomes the pawn for the men, but thanks to a music box, she suddenly remember who she really is, the long-lost relative of the shattered Romanov empire. But a Bolshevik general by the name of Gleb (Max Von Essen) soon finds out of this plan involving the princess and tries to end Anya's family legacy once and for all.

    Director Darko Tresnjak and bookwriter Terence McNally have crafted a well intentioned, fine enough fairy tale for families and adults alike. The score by Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens (of Once on This Island fame) maintains the songs from the film such as "Once Upon a December" and the Oscar-nominated "Journey to the Past", and added new tunes especially for the show including "My Petersburg" and "We'll Go From There". The production is elegantly designed thanks to Alex Dodge's crafty sets and Linda Cho's sparkling costumes. Plus, Peggy Hickey's choreography is flamboyant at times, especially in the second act when Anya and Dmitry attend a ballet in Paris.

   As the title character, Altomare gives a lovely performance. Dezelick makes a first rate impression as Anya's intended love interest and Essen and understudy Janet Dickinson (playing the Empress) are both effective as their characters. Giving the show some comic relief is the very funny Mr. Bolton and Vicki Lewis (from the 1990's hit sitcom, Newsradio), playing Vlad's girlfriend in Paris, the Countess Lily.

   Now, we transition from Russia in the 20's to Los Angeles in 1989 as we enter the world of Pretty Woman: The Musical. Many know the Richard Gere/Julia Roberts 1990 film by heart, even remembering the iconic quotes ("Big mistake. Big. Huge."). But the storyline that serves this replica copy of a film classic feels dated in this Time's Up/Me Too era.

  Here's the story in a nutshell: Suave New York businessman Edward (Andy Karl) is in LA for a week to do business, but he needs a woman escort to accompany him to some events. Soon, he finds street hooker Vivian (Samantha Barks in her Broadway debut) and after spending one night of pleasure and fun (but no mouth kissing), she makes a deal with him to be his mistress for a week, paid with cash ($3000 to be exact). But, as you guessed, the partnership soon turns into a relationship, and in turn, Vivian is transformed from a woman with street cred to a proper and sophisticated lady, with lots of classy clothes and cash to boot.

   I did mention that this is an exact replica of a film classic because the movie's screenwriter and director, J.F. Lawton and the late Garry Marshall decided to have a "don't mess with success" strategy while writing the book for this musical. Despite the efforts of the show's director/chorographer Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots), this production is mostly for the film's fans. Famed songwriter Bryan Adams and longtime partner Jim Vallance even try to match the story's setting with a lite rock/Broadway contemporary score, but alas, the work turns out to be forgettable. But the show's bright aspect is the lavishing 80's era costumes by Gregg Barnes.

   Karl and Barks sing great and look good together, but the material that they have to work with doesn't help that much. But the single named actress Orfeh (as Vivian's buddy, Kit) and Eric Anderson (playing a variety of roles here) both steal the show with perfect comic timing.

   So, if you want to relieve memories of a 1990's movie classic without being disappointed, Anastasia is a fine choice. But it's best to leave Pretty Woman alone on Broadway and to watch the original instead on the small screen or portable device.

The Buzz:

Anastasia: ***

Pretty Woman: The Musical: **

Parental Advisory: Anastasia is suitable for ages 7 and up. Pretty Woman is suitable for ages 14 and up. The latter show contains language and sexual situations.

Anastasia is playing at the Broadhurst Theatre on 235 West 44th Street (between Broadway and 8th Avenue). For tickets, go to telecharge.com, todaytix.com/x/nyc or call 212-239-6200.

Pretty Woman: The Musical is playing at the Nederlander Theatre on 208 West 41st Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues). For tickets, go to ticketmaster.com, todaytix.com/x/nyc or call 877-250-2929.