Many of the songs live onin a new stage adaptation of the film, whichopened on Broadwayin spring 2017.
Both had vague knowledge of the Anastasia legend and Russian culture when they began working on the film.
It gave us all these ideas for the movie," says Ahrens.
Credit: Everett Collection; Inset: Walter McBride/Getty Images
Flaherty says he was already a fan of Russian classical music when he began composing the songs.
We wanted it to have certain elements of pop music because these are young lovers.
The scene of Anya embarking on her journey has a storied past of its own.
Everett Collection
“Princess Leia wrote that scene,” jokes Flaherty.
“It was interesting because they really wanted to get into the psyche of Anya.”
“Journey to the Past” was only the second song Ahrens and Flaherty wrote for the scene.
20th Century Fox
The first version involved Anya singing a song while riding a bicycle.
“It’s an interesting thing about songs.
For them, the song’s legacy is more important than any award.
20th Century Fox
The song was one of the first two the pair wrote for the film as part of their audition.
“We needed a very evocative theme that sounded haunted, that sounded beautiful, that sounded like Russia.
And it started with the music box.
So the song sort of wrote itself,” says Flaherty.
The imagery of the onscreen waltzing ghosts was actually devised as a result of Ahrens and Flaherty’s songwriting.
Beyond that scene, the lyrics themselves are highly evocative of the opulence of Imperial Russia.
It was very fun to be the motor for the animation.
From our imagination they began to draw stuff and that was really exciting.”
“We’re thinking winter imagery and sweating like crazy,” jokes Flaherty.
“Lyrically, it was really fun.
There was a real sense of play.”
“It just gives us a little in to Vlad’s heart,” says Ahrens.
“It’s very moving to us to know that we created something .
we hold that close.”
