Kitty and Levin: The Redeemable Love Story in Yuri Possokhov’s ‘Anna Karenina’

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Joffrey Artists Anais Bueno and Yoshihisa Arai in Yuri Possokhov’s ‘Anna Karenina.’ Photo by Cheryl Mann.

Perfect endings don’t come easily in works by the Russian novelist and luminary Leo Tolstoy. Especially so in his iconic but tragic tale of Anna Karenina, the aristocratic beauty destined for demise.

But lost in the tragedy of Anna and her lover Vronsky is the understated sweetness of Kitty and Levin, a pair with inextricable ties to the lead characters who find comfort in each other. Where Anna and Vronsky end up trapped in a state of perpetual scandal, Kitty and Levin find love so pure it practically pours from their souls.

"They don’t need much. And they’re so in love." —Joffrey Artist Anais Bueno

It's especially evident in Act II of Possokhov's stage adaptation of Anna Karenina. Kitty and Levin tye up loose ends with a glorious pas de deux that ultimately points to hope in the face of devastation.

In this episode of Stage Notes, Joffrey Artists Anais Bueno and Yoshihisa Arai describe a relationship forged in mutual misery, only to come out the other end with each other.

Happy Valentine’s.