Shooting an apple off one's child's head of the story is in the legend of William Tell, supposedly happening to start off the Swiss revolution, written first in the 15th-century "White Book of Sarnen", then in Aegidius Tschudi's 16th-century "Chronicon Helveticum", and later the basis for Friedrich Schiller's 1804 play. Tell is arrested for failing to bow in respect to the hat that the newly appointed Austrian "Vogt", Albrecht Gessler, has placed on a pole, and Gessler commands him to shoot an apple off his son's head with a single bolt from his crossbow. After splitting the apple with the single shot (supposedly on November 18, 1307),
Journey to the Past "more appropriate" for that particular moment, inspired by the more psychological journey the heroine undergoes in the 1956 film about the Anastasia tale. another reason for the adjustment is that librettist Terrence McNally wanted Act One and Act Two to take place exclusively in Russia and Paris, respectively, using "Journey to the Past" to reflect that Paris is "free, expressive, creative, no barriers" unlike Russia. "American Theatre"s Linda Buchwald praised Altomare for "mak[ing] it her own, hitting the notes to make it a powerful first-act closer." Matt Windman of "AM New York" identified "Journey to the Past" as one of