Something I have always found interesting about the musical adaptation of Anastasia was the change they made from the film to have Dmitry present her with the music box, and to have him present when it “unlocks” her memories in Once Upon A December. But after some thought, I think this is one of their more profound changes, which I don’t really see garner much recognition.
When Dmitry hands Anya the music box, he knows it’s broken and dictates that to her. He still gives it to her as a gift after her lessons on the guise of “you’ve worked hard, you’ve earned it.” Dmitry perceives the music box to be beautiful and to have been meaningful, perhaps in a past life, but it no longer has its function in present day, save for its beauty (much like the imperial family, perhaps 🧐).
Anya takes the music box and immediately notices its beauty, but when Dmitry says it’s broken, she finds the key to wind it, and unlocks the music box. Dmitry was taken by it’s external beauty and what it could gain him, while Anya uncovers its internal functionality. This is not to say Dmitry isn’t deep or introspective, but if we go back to his entrance in A Rumor in St. Petersburg, it checks out that he’s rather shallow and values vanity.
In a way it feels like an introspective look at both of them. Where Dmitry only sees the shallow and immediate payoff, Anya sees the deeper longevity and functionality. It’s also one of, if not the first, times we really get insight into Anya as a character. Many of the scenes leading up to this one she is acting in defense or is masking herself in order to survive. Here we see her soften enough to be open with Dmitry, after he has been open with her. The OUAD scene of course is integral to the plot and is iconic, but I like how they gave the music box symbolism in the present as much as it had in the past.
The music box ultimately goes on to represent a key to Anya’s past, bringing her memories of a past life back, but it’s also the one thing she leaves behind for the Dowager Empress when she ultimately leaves with Dmitry—like leaving her past behind her. It kind of holds the same duality as Anya’s determination to find the person waiting for her. The music box was a gift from the Dowager Empress to Little Anastasia (presumably Anya), but it serves a second function of connecting her and Dmitry in her adult life. I don’t know if this was intentional on the side of the creative team, but I’d like to think that it was.
