Rasputin Won't Be Part of The 'Anastasia' Musical on Broadway

When you were younger and watched the movie version of Anastasia, villain Rasputin probably scared you to bits. In fact, that animated character still does scare us!

But have no fear if you’re going to see the Broadway musical, because he won’t be part of it.

For the musical, Rasputin and Bartok, the sidekick bat, have been completely removed from the plot, instead replaced with a Bolshevik general who tries to stop Anya from claiming her birthright.

“Well, Rasputin is not in our version, nor is Bartok (and everyone loves him, including me.),” lyricist Lynn Ahrens told to HelloGiggles. “But we really didn’t want to repeat the animated movie onstage – and those two ‘cartoon’ characters simply didn’t fit this version.”

So, who is the new villain? That general, of course.

“You’ll be happy to know that we’ve replaced Rasputin with a much more complicated and charismatic antagonist, a Russian officer played by Broadway’s sensational Ramin Karimloo. He brings something both menacing and sympathetic to the role.”

Learn more about the characters in Anastasia, The Musical below!