Paris, 1927

Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)

Crossing a Bridge

Close the Door

THE DOWAGER EMPRESS:
These strangers come calling
Soon enough they're gone
The twilight is falling
Lamps will soon go on
And where does summer go?
I will never know
Summer used to last endlessly
Children all in white
Running down the sand to me...
To me...
These strangers sent packing
What do they expect?
So grasping, so lacking
Why not be direct?
The beating of my heart
After they depart
Lying wide awake through the night
Will you ever come
Running home to me? You might...
You might...
I've believed so long, I have dared to hope
That the door might open and that you might enter
Playing hide and seek
Kisses on my cheek
The lamps begin to glow
In my heart, I know
You're a lie that I've waited for
Tell them all to go!
Tell them all - no more!
Tell them I close the door

Land of Yesterday

LILY:
Once, I had a palace
Here, merely a flat
I fled with some diamonds
And that was that
ARISTOCRATS:
It's very tragic
LILY:
Once, ladies-in waiting
All bending a knee
Now, only one lady-in-waiting— me
MEN:
No fanfares
WOMEN:
Or sedan chairs
MEN:
And no coaches
WOMEN:
And we sold our broaches
LEOPOLD:
No afternoon card games with the Tsar
LILY:
No caviar
But I say we're not dead now
ALL (BUT LILY):
We're not dead now
We're in France instead, now
LILY:
Let us not be sad
The night's young
And Russians are mad
So...
Let's live in the land of yesterday
Live in the grand Imperial heyday
Let's live in the land of yesterday Russia
ALL:
Husha!
LILY:
Let's put on the fancy clothes
And let's while our woes away
ALL:
In Russia
Land of yesterday
LILY:
In dire circumstances
Why wallow in regret?
We're out of second chances
Why are we here, except to forget?
We know the world is fickle
Life is a leaky sieve
Pass me a glass
And give me a bow—
And drink to the "Countess Nobody" now
Why should I care
As long as I dare to live
ARISTOCRATS:
In the land of yesterday
LILY:
Let's run up the bill
As if we're still
Royalty at play
ALL:
In Russia, land of yesterday
LILY:
The night's young
And Russians are mad, so...
ALL:
Let's live in the land of yesterday
Live in the grand Imperial heyday
Let's live in the land of yesterday Russia
Husha!
LILY:
Let's brush off the days of old
And let's hold the world at bay...
ALL:
Yes, here's to
LILY:
Russia!
ALL:
Here's to
WOMEN:
Russia!
ALL:
Here's to Russia!
Land of yesterday
Land of yesterday
Hey! 

The Countess and The Common Man

VLAD (spoken):
Ever since that first day I saw you at court
I knew I was beneath you
LILY (spoken):
You were right, darling. You were
VLAD:
I noticed you across a room—
The most exquisite rose
The tiniest tiara and
That haughty little nose
I flirted with you shamelessly
LILY:
Or so the scandal goes...
The Countess
VLAD:
And the common man
We tiptoed off to Peterhof
To have a royal fling
LILY:
My husband was oblivious
Counts never know a thing!
VLAD:
And all of it was perfect...
LILY:
'Til you stole my diamond ring!
VLAD & LILY:
The Countess
And the common man
VLAD:
Cologne in the bedclothes
The pastry and wine
LILY:
And under the table
Your foot touching mine
VLAD & LILY:
And how my heart beat
When you sent me "our sign"
LILY:
I loved you...
VLAD:
You loved me
And oh, it was simply
VLAD & LILY:
Divine...
VLAD:
Who would have known
My little rose
We're back where we began
LILY:
And I suppose
That you'll propose
Another sneaky plan!
Which I'll resist...
VLAD:
Until you're kissed
VLAD & LILY:
For nothing's better than...
LILY:
The countess
VLAD:
And the common man...
VLAD & LILY:
The countess
And the common man 

In a Crowd of Thousands

DMITRY:
It was June
I was ten
I still think of that day now and then
A parade and a girl
And a crowd of thousands
She sat straight as a queen
Only eight but so proud and serene
How they cheered
How I stared
In that crowd of thousands
Then I started to run
And to call out her name
As the crowd on the road went wild
I reached out with my hand and looked up
And then she smiled
The parade travelled on
With the sun in my eyes she was gone
But if I were still ten
In that crowd of thousands
I'd find her again
ANYA (spoken):
You're making me feel I was there too
DMITRY (spoken):
Maybe you were
Make it part of your story
ANYA:
A parade
DMITRY:
A parade
ANYA:
Passing by
DMITRY:
Passing by
ANYA:
It was hot
Not a cloud in the sky
Then a boy
Caught my eye
DMITRY & ANYA:
In a crowd of thousands
ANYA:
He was thin
Not too clean
There were guards
But he dodged in between
Yes, he made himself seen
In that crowd of thousands
Then he called out my name
And he started to run
Through the sun and heat and the crowd
And I tried not to smile but I smiled
And then
He bowed
DMITRY (spoken):
I didn't tell you that
ANYA (spoken):
You didn't have to
I remember!
DMITRY & ANYA:
The parade travelled on
With the sun in my eyes you were gone
But I knew even then
In a crowd of thousands
I'd find you again
DMITRY (spoken):
Your Highness 

Meant to Be

VLAD:
What's meant to be is meant to be
I see it at a glance
She's radiant and confident
And born to take this chance
I tried to think of everything
I just forgot romance
I never should have
Let them dance 

Quartet at the Ballet

ANYA:
Can this be the evening?
Can this be the place?
Am I only dreaming looking at her face?
Everything I've wanted
Suddenly so clear!
My past and my future so near...
DMITRY:
Next to me this frightened girl
Holding tight as the dancers whirl
Keep your nerve and see this through
It's what you've come to do...
THE DOWAGER EMPRESS:
See that girl
Could it be...
(spoken)
Don't be ridiculous!
(sung)
I refuse to dream
I refuse to hope
I must stop believing
I will ever find her...
GLEB:
She's near at hand yet here I stand
My heart and mind at war...
The times must change, the world must change
And love is not what revolution's for...
DMITRY & GLEB:
Someone holds her safe and warm
Someone rescues her from the storm
Simple things but one thing's clear:
It's fate that brought us here!

ANYA & THE DOWAGER EMPRESS:
Painted wings
silver snow
whirling like a ballet
Things my heart
yearns to know
DMITRY:
Home, love, fam'ly
She will have all of it!
I will help her
GLEB:
Simple things
Simple things!
And whatever I have to do 

I will

Simple how 

Simple men
ALL:

Find a way, Anastasia!

Everything to Win

DMITRY:
What are they saying?
Wonder how long they'll be
Why should I worry? Worrying's not like me
Nothing to do but pace and stew
And wait till the girl walks in
Why panic now with everything to win?
Nothing but silence, this could be bad
But no, let's assume it's good
Thought it was foolproof. Nothing is foolproof!
Woah! Better knock on wood!
Girl gets a family, boy gets rich
And fairytale gets a spin
How can we fail with everything to win?
I wonder if our paths will ever cross again
The way they did when you were eight and I was ten
We said this was goodbye, but even so
You never know
You never know...
I should be glad
That we're breaking free
But nothing is what it was
I didn't know she mattered to me
But now I can see she does
Conman and princess get their wish
And fairytale comes true
Funny, one small part I never knew
With everything to win
The only thing I lose is... you 

Once Upon a December (Reprise)

ANYA (spoken):
Do you remember the last time you saw Anastasia? You were leaving for Paris. You never came back. You gave her a music box. I believe this was it
(sung)
Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
THE DOWAGER EMPRESS:
Things my heart used to know
BOTH:
Once upon a December
THE DOWAGER EMPRESS (spoken):
Anastasia! 

The Press Conference

REPORTERS - GROUP 1:
Has she been living far or near?
REPORTERS - GROUP 2:
What kind of letter did she send?
SOLO REPORTER (spoken):
Excuse me, over here!
REPORTERS:
The rumors never end!
REPORTERS - GROUP 1:
You've had imposters, is it true?
REPORTERS - GROUP 2:
What sort of proof do you intend?
SOLO REPORTER (spoken):
Excuse me, over here!
REPORTERS:
The rumors never end!
LILY (spoken):
Good afternoon. I am the Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch. And this is Count Vladimir Popov.
VLAD (spoken):
P-o-p-o-v!
LILY:
The Dowager is coming
But she's running very late.
I'm certain that her majesty
Will set the record straight.
But royalty is royalty.
One always has to wait—
(spoken)

Wait, wait!

(sung)
I'm really not at liberty
To gossip with the press!
Her majesty is coming
And till then you'll have to guess!
VLAD:
Suffice to say you'll meet today
The little lost princess!
MALE REPORTERS 1 AND 5:
Did she arrive by train?
MALE REPORTER 2:
I heard she may have gone insane!
LILY (spoken):
A lie!
MALE REPORTER 3:
I'm from the Paris news—
We do exclusive interviews.
VLAD (spoken):
Oh my!
MALE REPORTER 4:
Is she a fake or is she real?
FEMALE REPORTER 1:
How does she look?
FEMALE REPORTER 2:
How does she feel?
FEMALE REPORTERS 3 AND 4:
What has she done?
Where has she been?
FEMALE REPORTERS:
How did she live?
Who took her in?
LILY:
We're nearly ready to begin

GROUP 1:
Where has she been?
What has she done?

GROUP 2:

Who took her in?
Is she the one? 

GROUP 1:

We're waiting
Eagerly to see

GROUP 2:

Is she
ALL:
The Princess Anastasia... 

SOPRANOS:
The rumor

The legend
The mystery

LILY:
Anastasia!
VLAD (spoken):
Lily!

LILY (spoken):
Enough! Now...

(sung)
Her majesty is elderly
And doesn't suffer fools
She's ready to receive you
But you must obey the rules.
No smoking and no joking. 

VLAD:
And no handling of jewels.
LILY (spoken): 

Members of the press
This way!
This way!

REPORTERS:
Where has she been?
What has she done?
Who took her in?
Is she the one?
We're waiting
Eagerly to see 

SOPRANOS:
The rumor

The legend
The mystery

ALL REPORTERS:
The Princess Anastasia!

Everything to Win (Reprise)

ANYA:
I should be glad I'm where I should be
But nothing is what it was
I didn't know he mattered to me
But now I can see he does
Conman and princess get their wish
And fairytale comes true
The only thing I lose is-

Still/The Neva Flows (Reprise)

ANYA (spoken):
Gleb!
GLEB:
An underhanded girl
An act of desperation
And to my consternation
I let you go
(spoken)
Well not this time. Paris is no place for a good and loyal Russian
ANYA:
We are both good and loyal Russians
GLEB:
I've come to take you home
ANYA:

My home is here now
GLEB:
Stop playing this game, Anya! I beg you
ANYA:
We both know it's not a game, Gleb
GLEB:
If you really are Anastasia, do you think history wants you to have lived?
ANYA:
Yes! Why don't you?
GLEB:
The Romanovs were given everything and they gave back nothing.
Until the Russian people rose up and destroyed them
ANYA:
All but one. Finish it. I am my father's daughter.
GLEB:
And I am my father's son!
Finish it I must!
(sung)
My father shook his head and told me not to ask
My mother said he died of shame
ANYA (spoken):
In me you see them
Look at their faces in mine
Hear their screams
Imagine their terrors
See their blood
GLEB:
But I believe he did a proud and vital task
And in my father's name
ANYA (spoken):
Do it and I will be with my parents and my brother and sisters in that cellar in Yekaterinburg all over again!
GLEB:
The children
Their voices
A man makes painful choices
He does what's necessary, Anya
For Russia, my beauty
What choice but simple duty
We have a past to bury, Anya
ENSEMBLE:
And the Neva flows, a new wind blows
GLEB & ENSEMBLE:
And soon it will be spring
The leaves unfold, the Tsar lies cold
GLEB:
Be careful what a dream may bring!
A revolution is a simple thing! 

Finale

(spoken)

DOWAGER EMPRESS:
As of today, there will be no more Anastasias.
The reward for her safe return will be given to charity.
GLEB:
There never was an Anastasia.
She was a dream.
DOWAGER EMPRESS:
A beautiful dream.
GLEB:
A dream only time will fade.
DOWAGER EMPRESS:
So no more talk of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov.
GLEB:
The new order has no need for fairytales.
The case is closed.
DOWAGER EMPRESS (spoken):
Still...
COMPANY:
Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart used to know
Once upon... a December!