English Title: Wandering Requiem
Japanese Title: 彷徨のレクイエム
Romanized Title: Sasurai no Rekuiemu

Troupe: Snow
Year: 1981
Performances: National Tour, 9/13 - 10/4
Shinjin Kouen Performances: n/a

Based On:
Author/Director: Ueda Shinji
Director: Ako Takeshi
Composer:
Choreographer:
Conductor (Takarazuka):
Conductor (Tokyo):

Available on DVD: No
Available on Blu-Ray: No
DVD Scene/Music Cuts: n/a

Role	Cast
Uronsky/Orion/Felix	Asami Rei
Anastasia	Haruka Kurara

Other Cast: Ruri Toyomi (Senka), Azusa Mayumi (Senka), Kishi Kaori (Senka), Soga Keiko, Shou Sumire, Kamijou Akira, Masaki Keiko, Kotobuki Hizuru, Yamashiro Haruka, etc.

WARNING!! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!

After the prologue, the play opens at a theatre performance to celebrate the birthday of Empress Alexandra of Russia. It is suddenly interrupted by the announcement that Emperor Nicholas II has abdicated. The imperial family is sent into internal exile in Yekaterinburg, Siberia. Colonel Kobrinsky escorts them into exile, with secret orders from one of their remaining supporters to protect them from assassination.

Some time later, the imperial family has become accustomed to life in exile and are beginning to enjoy the country life; even Crown Prince Alexei's health is improving. Kobrinsky has begun to fall in love with the eldest princess, Olga. Suddenly, an envoy arrives from the Bolshevik government in Moscow, bearing orders for Kobrinsky to organize the execution of the entire family by the end of the next day.

That night Kobrinsky encounters Olga stargazing. She begs him never to part from her and they declare their feelings for each other. The unit from Moscow keeps a close guard on the house, and some of the imperial family members begin to guess their intentions. Alexei gives his French tutor, Gilliard—who he assumes will be spared as a foreign citizen—a song he has written, with the request that it be performed somewhere after his death. (This is the "Snowy Elegy" Part 1 takes its title from.)

Kobrinsky carries out his orders to execute the imperial family, and afterwards commits suicide himself. However, afterwards it turns out that he deliberately missed Olga and her favorite sister Anastasia, using his own suicide to distract from their survival. Gilliard and the two surviving princesses escape the house where the imperial family had been imprisoned.



(Synopsis from program)
It is May of 1919 in Turkey in the city of Constantinople. Mikhail and his partner, Pepelu, are smugglers who are also helping disgruntled Russians flee from the new regime and danger to safety in Paris and other cities. In return for their aid, Mikhail and Pepelu receive great sums of money.
One day, Sergei, an exile, begs them to get him and his wife, Lyudmilla, onto an escape boat. Lyudmilla was Mikhail's first love and he has never forgotten the heartache of losing her. She pleads with Mikhail 'My husband, Sergei, plans to restore the Romanov Dynasty. I hope with all my heart his plan is successful. Please help him.'
Mikhail is tempted to stop her from going with her husband. He is still in love with her.



The third segment of the show opens in Paris, during a revue performance that is again interrupted as several audience members burst onto the stage. A group accused pickpockets are seized, including Anastasia (now all grown up and with no trace of her royal upbringing), but are released since they aren't in possession of the wallets they allegedly stole. As the pickpockets cheer their escape, they are confronted by Felix, one of the performers: Anastasia had concealed a stolen wallet in his pocket. He intends to escort her to the police but when he hears her name is Anastasia, instead begins questioning her about her past.

Before ending up in Paris, Anastasia had been transferred from hospital to hospital. She remembers nothing about her own history or background. Felix sends for Gilliard, who has a position in the theatre orchestra and had told Felix of his search for Anastasia, who had gone missing after the escape from Russia. However, Anastasia does not recognize him and he also cannot believe she is the Anastasia he is looking for. Felix insists that Gilliard play the song Alexei wrote, and Anastasia suddenly declares that she is Anastasia Romanov.

The discovery of the lost princess becomes the talk of the town. Gilliard still has some suspicions, since Anastasia's personality is so different, but Felix believes she is the real princess and desires to give her a happier life. He even quits the theatre to help Gilliard retrain Anastasia in royal behavior, but Anastasia hates the lessons and quarrels with Felix constantly.

One of the surviving Romanov servants visits. He is convinced that the real Anastasia died with the rest of the imperial family and accuses Anastasia of being an impostor, although he is eventually convinced.

Anastasia's pickpocket friends are beginning to be confused: at the start, this was all a scheme to dupe Gilliard. If Anastasia's identity was established as a Romanov, she would be able to withdraw the funds remaining in the imperial family's foreign accounts. Even though Anastasia is beginning to seem more and more like the real princess, they decide that the truth is irrelevant.

Matters come to a head when the Dowager Empress arrives from Denmark, with the fiance who had been selected for Princess Anastasia before the revolution. Felix struggles between his feelings for Anastasia himself and his desire to ensure her a happy future, even if it means never seeing her again: a revue performer and a princess live in completely different worlds.

Part 4: Limitless Tomorrow

Russian and Parisian themed short revue, leading into the finale.


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