#and right right definitely not aaron just some lookalike

[ameliiorate]

"You didn't have to do anything!" He still insisted, laughing merrily. His birthdays would often come and go without fanfare, as Seonho quite frankly preferred it that way. For as much as he gave to everyone else, asking anything for himself made him uncomfortable, and he didn't want anyone to feel obligated. Having the company of his friends was more than enough. Presents were neither requested or expected. Having Ophelia there was a gift in its own, particularly considering how distanced they had been lately.

He had chalked it up to her spending more time blossoming her relationship with Percy. With that variable out of the equation, he had to acknowledge that both of them were avoiding being alone together. "Of course I will! I'm woefully behind on my scrapbooking, but this will give me another reason to get caught up!" Especially since the photos would be printed on the spot. He sets the camera carefully on his nightstand, all too eager to start using it.

But his attention was caught on the first present for only a beat longer, eyes sweeping up to search Ophelia's face. A second present has been promised, and he still hasn't clued together what it is. There's nothing in her hands other than his own, and he squeezes her fingers happily. Warmth spreads through him like a radiator, electricity still sparking between them. And it's impossible for him to continue to ignore when Ophelia's closes the distance of their mouths. Energy surges through him, as if he's waking up from a long sleep, curling his lips firmly around hers, mouth slack and open and inviting. It's only when their noses graze that he manages to pull himself from his daze, pushing back with his cheeks flushed. "Thank you, Ophelia. I'm really glad you could make it. Let's — let's try not go that long without seeing each other again, hm? I've missed you."

"It's literally your birthday, silly! Of course I had to get you a present!" Nearly lightly smacked him in the arm at the comment, but wasn't sure if she still had that right to breach that physical touch barrier with him anymore. Granted, Ophelia was the one who pulled away, but it was so she wouldn't drag Seonho down. So he could be free to pursue whoever and whatever he wanted. What partner would feel comfortable with a close girl friend always hanging around?

She watched him with bated breath, wondering if Seonho would like the present, let alone use it. But at his reaction, Ophelia felt a weight lift off of her shoulders. With a small laugh, she gave a little jump of excitement before her features softened. A warm smile on her face as she watched him look it over and gave the camera a hug. "You have to promise to actually use it, okay! Document all your memories! And not just for your annual Christmas card."

And suddenly Ophelia wondered if she should have said anything else about another present. Panic starting to set in but... this may be the last time she could do this. Consider it a farewell present? Or a... "thank you for everything" present. Gently, Ophelia took Seonho's hands in hers, her gaze drawn down as she summoned up the courage. To breach the physical touch barrier. Felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she decided to finally do it. "Happy birthday, Seonho." Leaned in and pressed her lips briefly to his.

[2700fstreet]

THEATER / 2018-2019

Anastasia

Book by Terrence McNally Music by Stephen Flaherty Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens Directed by Darko Tresnjak

So, What’s Going On?

What do you do when your family has vanished, your homeland is in turmoil, and it’s not safe to reveal your identity—not that you even remember it? In other words, “How do you become the person you’ve forgotten you ever were?”

Based on an actual historical mystery, the Broadway musical Anastasia tells the story of Russia in the early 1900s, at a time of tension between the endangered monarchy and the rising power of the Bolshevik revolutionaries, who aim to take over the country. With the overthrow and assassination of the royal family comes a big unknown: Could one daughter, the Grand Duchess Anastasia, have survived the turmoil and begun her own quest toward a new beginning? Well, what do you think?

Let’s find out!

Act I

Lights up on the luxury of a royal Russian palace, 1906, the home of the Russian tsar (the emperor of Russia) and his family, the Romanovs. Little Anastasia loves her grandmother, the Dowager Empress, who is about to leave for Paris, France. Before she departs, she gives Anastasia a music box by which to remember her. Anastasia and her grandmother dream of one day reuniting in Paris.

Caption: The Dowager Empress gives young Anastasia a music box that plays the song, “Once Upon a December.”

More than a decade later, in 1917, Anastasia dances at a royal ball—but the glamour of the night is gone in a moment as shots disrupt the festivities. Then, there’s an explosion—a flash of light—and the end of the Romanovs. Anastasia’s grandmother, still in France, learns by telegram that her entire family is dead.

But all is not as it appears, as whispers on the street of post-Revolutionary St. Petersburg (now Leningrad, named for the new leader, Vladimir Lenin) tell that Anastasia may have survived the murders. A con man, Vlad, (no relation to Vladimir Lenin), and his sidekick, the poor young Dmitry, conspire to find and train an Anastasia lookalike to impersonate the princess, earn the trust of the Dowager Empress, and secure a reward. Years have passed since Anastasia and her grandmother have seen each other—if they prime the imposter with just the right information, will her elderly grandmother really know the difference?

Vlad and Dmitry struggle to find a convincing Anastasia. Then, they meet a young woman with no memory of her past, the amnesiac street sweeper Anya, who makes the perfect faux princess. She’s the right age, a quick study, and falls into the part with surprising ease. She also feels drawn to Paris, though she can’t remember why.

Caption: Dmitry watches as Anya easily handles the used Romanov music box that Dmitry had purchased and was unable to open.

Meanwhile, news of the fraud reaches a young Soviet commissioner named Gleb, who has been tasked with looking out for “counter-revolutionary behavior”—the sort of behavior that Vlad, Dmitry, and Anya are engaging in by claiming that a member of the royal family is still alive. To make matters worse, Gleb’s family has a history of anti-tsarist violence; his father had been a Romanov guard and obeyed orders to fire on (and assassinate) the royal family as part of the revolution. Gleb warns Anya to give up her attempt at impersonating the princess, as it puts her life at risk.

Caption: After Anya startles at a loud sound, Gleb offers reassurance and an invitation to a nearby teashop.

As Act I closes, Vlad, Dmitry, and Anya carry out their plan. With the remainder of their money, they buy train tickets to flee Russia before the country’s borders close. Police raid the train, looking for aristocrats trying to escape. Gleb, it turns out, has been tasked by his supervisor with finishing the job his father helped start: Making sure the royals—and Anastasia in particular—are gone for good.

Act II

We join our crafty crew in Paris, where the Jazz Age, an era of jazz music, arts, and culture, is in full swing. It’s a bright, joyous city—a far cry from dreary conditions in Russia—and the trio is relieved to have made it there. Despite the initial relief of being free of Russia, Anya knows the stakes are high for her planned interactions with the Dowager Empress, who refuses to engage with claimants to the royal name after years of insult from imposters.

Caption: Anya arrives in Paris, where the beauty and freedom of the city fill her with hope.

For Anya, this job is not a con. Yes, she’s learned everything that Dmitry and Vlad have taught her—but she’s filling in memories they didn’t give her. How does she know how to open the music box? And that the Dowager Empress will smell like Sicilian orange blossoms? And that she’s met Dmitry once before, many years ago…? And will she ever find “home��?

Who’s Who

Anastasia/Anya, as Anastasia, the youngest daughter of the Russian emperor; as Anya, an amnesiac young woman The Dowager Empress, Anastasia’s grandmother The Tsarina, Anastasia’s mother The Tsar, Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia Gleb, a young Soviet official Gorlinsky, Gleb’s supervisor Dmitry, a poor young man who grew up on the streets of St. Petersburg Vlad Popov, a scammer, formerly traveled in aristocratic circles Count Ipolitov, Russian aristocrat and intellectual Lily, the Countess Malevsky-Malevich, the Dowager Empress’s lady-in-waiting Count Leopold, distant relative of the Dowager Empress

Check this out:

Find out more about the characters here: “Journey to Broadway: The Characters”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGoAZD74BxQ

Let’s Back Up: The Russian Revolution

Anastasia is based on a mystery that emerged after the murders of the last imperial family of Russia, the Romanovs. In 1917, a group of Communist revolutionaries called the Bolsheviks, under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the royal family in a coup. After exiling the royal family, the Bolsheviks shot them, killing Tsar Nicholas Romanov II, the Tsarina, and their five children. This ensured that the Romanovs would never again ascend to the throne.

Caption: In 1913, Tsar Nicholas II with his family (left to right): Olga, Maria, Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna, Anastasia, Alexei, and Tatiana.

Credit: Public domain photo. Accessed from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_of_the_Romanov_family#/media/File:Russian_Imperial_Family_1913.jpg

But hang on. Was the entire family dead? After the murders, a rumor circulated that some members of the royal family—and Anastasia, in particular—might be alive. Indeed, several years later, a woman in Germany claimed to have survived the shooting and to be Anastasia.

Enter Anna Anderson.

The Mystery of the Real Anastasia

In 1920, a woman in Germany jumped into a canal and was committed to a psychiatric facility. When fellow patients conjectured that she might be a Russian royal, the woman allowed them to believe they were right and that, not only was she a royal, she was Anastasia. Soon, she took on the name Anna Anderson and, after she left the hospital, attempted to claim her identity as a royal.

Caption: A 1922 photo of Anna Anderson, who claimed until her death (in 1984) to have escaped the Bolsheviks and to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia.

Credit: Accessed from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AnnaAnderson1922.jpg

Was Anna Anderson, in fact, Anastasia? The investigation proved challenging. What methods could be used to undercover a person’s identity given the lack of physical evidence associated with Anastasia? Without the benefit of fingerprints or dental records, investigators tried other methods to confirm this woman’s identity, including an examination of the shape of her ears compared to Anastasia’s.

Ultimately, after Anderson’s death, DNA testing allowed researchers to determine that Anderson was not Anastasia after all; she was a missing factory worker named Franziska Schanzkowska. In 2007, a burial site in Russia yielded additional bodies, including one that DNA testing confirmed to be the remains of Anastasia, definitively closing the case on the Romanov mystery—and dynasty.

Your Russian Phrase Book

The first act of Anastasia takes place in Russia in the early 1900s. There will most likely be a few titles, terms, and phrases you may not have heard before. Here’s a quick guide to some of them:

Tsar: an emperor of Russia Tsarina: an empress of Russia Grand Duchess: a daughter of the Russian tsar; princess Dowager Empress: the widow of the deceased emperor St. Petersburg/Leningrad: names for the same Russian city; called “St. Petersburg” from 1703-1914, “Petrograd” from 1914-1924, “Leningrad” (for Vladimir Lenin) from 1924-1991, and St. Petersburg again when the former Soviet Union collapsed Ruble: Russian currency Comrade: a fellow Communist Red: the official color of the Communists, which symbolizes the blood of the workers

What to Look and Listen for…

Not sure what to expect? Take two minutes and watch this video on all things “Anastasia” https://youtu.be/vTinr8eXftM

Then look for:

The historical accuracy of costume designer Linda Cho’s work, from the ghostly beauty of the imperial family’s wardrobe to the neutral, desaturated colors used as the Bolsheviks take over. Pay attention to the Tsarina’s dress, which weighs about 50 pounds. Later, in the 1920s Jazz Age period in Paris, watch for bright, springtime colors and light fabrics.

How technology provides highly detailed settings. Using high-resolution LED screens embedded in the back wall and side turntables, projection designer Aaron Rhyne has made Anastasia the first Broadway musical to engage with this technology. Observe, too, how carefully selected stage lighting choices match the colors in the projections.

Then listen for:

The language connections between Russia and Paris. Before the Bolshevik revolution, French was a commonly used language amongst the Russian nobility. In Anastasia, you will hear the Tsar address his daughter as “Mademoiselle” (Miss) when he asks her to dance. The Dowager Empress is on her way to Paris, where there is a bridge, Le Pont Alexandre, named for Anastasia’s grandfather.

The way composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens evoke Russian musical tradition in their Act I compositions. The duo listened to Russian composers, including Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, in order to prepare themselves to write the musical numbers. They used jazz pieces, such as “The Charleston,” as inspiration for the music of Act II, which takes places in Paris in the 1920s.

Musical themes that serve as connections, such as when the music box plays “Once Upon a December” at the start of Act I and again later in Act I and in Act II, serving both as a hint at Anya’s identity and as a sense of nostalgia for both the character and the audience.

Lyrics that reflect the play’s emphasis on “home, love, family.” As Anya says, “It’s never too late to come home.” Listen, too, for the lines that reveal the importance of self-worth and identity. The Dowager Empress captures this sentiment: “You can’t be anyone unless you first recognize yourself.”

Caption: The Pont Alexandre III in Paris, is an opulent bridge that was named for Anastasia’s grandfather.

Credit: Accessed at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_Alexandre_III#/media/File:Pont-Alexandre-III-et-Invalides.jpg

Think About…

In what ways do Dmitry and Vlad feed Anya the information she needs to “be” Anastasia? Are there ways in which she seems to embody Anastasia naturally? Do you believe that she demonstrates enough independent knowledge of Anastasia’s life to truly be the princess?

To what extent does desperation caused by poor and/or dangerous living conditions in Communist Russia justify the characters’ decisions? Are Vlad and Dmitry dishonorable in their behaviors? Is Gleb?

Is it possible to understand your identity without remembering your past? What role does family, or lack thereof, play in Anya’s understanding of where she belongs? Consider, too, the attachment that Anya and others have to their homeland. To what extent do both external (for example, governmental) and internal (personal) factors complicate their departures from Russia?

Take Action: Who’s in Your Tree?

What do you know about your own family history? Cast and crew of Anastasia underwent DNA testing to uncover their family histories. Just as Anya’s adventures led her to her long-lost grandmother and her forgotten childhood, genealogical work led the show’s stars to learn about their ethnic origins.

Try creating your own family tree, tracing your roots back as far as you can. When you exhaust your knowledge, ask family members to help you fill in more names and dates. You can also use online resources, including digital U.S. Census records, Ellis Island ship manifests, and other historical resources to find information about your family history.

Check out this sample to create your family tree:

Additional Images

Caption: Anya, a poor Russian street sweeper, yearns to remember her home and family.

Caption: At the Neva Club in Paris, aristocratic Russians who have escaped their homeland enjoy a night of dancing and celebration.

Caption: Dmitry is awed by the full extent of Anya’s transformation from a raggedy street sweeper to an elegant young woman.

Caption: Anya attends a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and watches a pas de deux, a dance for two people.

EXPLORE MORE

Go even deeper with the Anastasia Extras.

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All production photos by Matthew Murphy

Writer: Marina Ruben

Content Editor: Lisa Resnick

Logistics Coordination: Katherine Huseman

Producer and Program Manager: Tiffany A. Bryant

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Theater at the Kennedy Center is made possible by

Major support for Musical Theater at the Kennedy Center is provided by

The Kennedy Center Theater Season is sponsored by Altria Group.

Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.

© 2018 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

[junker-town]

Vikings vs. Packers 2017 live results: Score updates and highlights from Saturday night football

The Vikings and Packers will be playing on Saturday, and we have all you need to know to follow along.

The Minnesota Vikings have already clinched the NFC North, while the Green Bay Packers are out of the playoff picture. What was originally expected to be a bitter divisional showdown will have a lot less on the line when the Packers host the Vikings at Lambeau Field on Saturday. The two teams will meet on NBC at 8:30 p.m. ET (live streaming via NBC and FuboTV).

Green Bay is out of playoff contention for the first time since 2008. It’s been a rough season, as Green Bay lost four of Brett Hundley’s five starts with Aaron Rodgers sidelined due to injury. That injury — a broken collarbone — occurred on Oct. 15 after a hit from Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr.

Rodgers returned from the injury last week, in a 31-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers. After the game, the Packers shut Rodgers down again, and Hundley will start for the remainder of the season. Rodgers will, of course, be the starter going into 2018, but with the playoffs no longer a possibility, it makes sense to give him more time to recover.

Hundley, in his third year in the NFL, has been so-so this season. He’s completed 161 of 252 passes for 1,534 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. He’s definitely struggled with his accuracy. Against the Vikings, he completed 18 of 33 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown with three interceptions.

That game saw Case Keenum throw for 239 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Keenum has completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 3,219 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He’s played in eight games without an interception this season, and his solid play has been a big part of why the Vikings have been so good this year.

Minnesota is battling for a first-round bye in the playoffs, so there is still a whole lot to fight for.

Pregame reading

Vikings QB Case Keenum and his wife, Kimberly, have not been shy about letting people know that they would like to stay in Minnesota beyond the 2017 season.

The Packers’ pass defense has a way of turning mediocre quarterbacks into Tom Brady lookalikes.

Playing against good quarterbacks is a problem for most teams. That’s why they’re good quarterbacks. But a good defense has to be able to make a mediocre or bad quarterback look like one. Green Bay’s can’t and in fact goes the other way, allowing just OK players to be good, and decent players to be great.

The Vikings’ QB situation is as good as it can be, at just the right time.

He’s started in all but two games this season, where he has a 9-3 record with over 3,100 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Many expected (and if you’re a Vikings fan, wished) that he would be a formidable game manager. With a defense that’s one of the best in the NFL, the Vikings have just needed Keenum to not turn the ball over, and find the end zone a couple of times a game. He’s proven on multiple occasions that he can do more than that.

Injuries could have derailed the Vikings’ season at several turns. They never did.

Without two quarterbacks and their top running back, the Vikings had to turn to an unexpected player to galvanize the franchise and lead it to the postseason: Case Keenum. Keenum's stellar play turned some of his doubters into believers. But his performance, along with Minnesota's physical defense, did something even better: help lead the Vikings to the NFC North title, and the playoffs.