Theatre / The Last Trial

Andrei Birin as Raistlin and Vera Zudina as Takhisis

"Long ago, in a time of tremendous, irreparable loss, I swore to myself:
Nothing will ever have power over me.
Neither gods, nor magic, nor love.
And I stayed loyal to this oath, and I went to the very end."

— Raistlin Majere

The Last Trial is a Russian-language musical adapted from the Dragonlance Legends trilogy. Composed by Anton Kruglov, with a libretto by Elena Khanpira, the project had been in development since 1998.

In the April of 2009, CDs for the first two acts are released; Act III and an alternate finale were also released for download later that year. In 2014, the stage play premiered in Moscow. A touring production was made in 2015, and a stationary production premiered in 2018. As of 2021, the performance follows the staging of the 2018 version.

The show can be watched on YouTube with English subtitles courtesy of Krynn Sub:

• The 2014 premiere concert, featuring Anton Kruglov / Ruslan Gerasimenko / Evgeny Egorov as Raistlin, Victoria Grigorieva / Elena Khanpira / Elena Minina as Crysania, and Vera Zudina as Takhisis
• 2016 filmed stationary production, starring Evgeny Egorov as Raistlin, Elena Minina as Crysania, and Vera Zudina as Takhisis.
• 2017 filmed touring production, starring Ruslan Gerasimenko as Raistlin, Elena Khanpira as Crysania, and Daria Burlyukalo as Takhisis.

Tracklist

Part One - Darkness and Light

1. "Aria of the Mage"
2. "Wizard's Dream"
3. "Chasm Between Brothers"
4. "Pray"
5. "Appointment in the Chronicler's Study"
6. "Playing with Fire"
7. "Solace"
8. "Tika's Warning"
9. "The Returned Letter"
10. "The Wayreth Forest"
11. "Allow Me to Name You"
12. "Conclave of Mages"
13. "Dalamar's Aria"

Part Two - Everything in the Name of Faith

1. "Aria of the Kingpriest"
2. "Rapture"
3. "Prosecutor"
4. "Faith is All or Nothing"
5. "Crysania's Argument with the Kingpriest"
6. "Temptation by Compassion"
7. "Concerning Brotherhood"
8. "Gladiator"
9. "Arena"
10. "Mass"
11. "Lament for Istar"
12. "Legend of the Abyss"

Part Three - Legend of the Gates

1. "Wizard's Childhood"
2. "Reconciliation between Brothers"
3. "Wizard's Army"
4. "Victory"
5. "Seduction"
6. "Concerning Love"
7. "Lullaby"
8. "Oath of Loyalty"
9. "Trial by Fire"

Part Four - The Last Trial ^note (sometimes known as Lord of Nothing)

1. "Meeting Takhisis"
2. "Beneath the Veil of Isis"
3. "Nightmares"
4. "Tango with Death"
5. "Sacrifice"
6. "Denial"
7. "Meaningless Cruelty"
8. "Lord of Nothing"

Alternate Ending

1. "Caramon in Solace"
2. "The Blade"
3. "Battle of the Twins"
4. "Flee, my Brother"
5. "Fate"

This musical contains examples of:

• Ability over Appearance: Especially for Raistlin, whose signature long silver hair is achieved usually through wigs and hair extensions, and in Evgeny Egorov's case, spray-dyeing his hair. See Adaptational Attractiveness for more.
• Adaptational Attractiveness: Raistlin frequently makes reference of himself as a "freak", being sickly and physically frail. He's portrayed by very conventionally attractive actors, invoking the trope of Long-Haired Pretty Boy.
• Adaptational Modesty: When Raistlin kisses Crysania and freaks out afterwards in the books, he tore off her shirt, while in the musical, both characters remain fully-clothed. In fact, not all stagings even show the two kissing.
• Adaptation Distillation: Substantial portions of the plots and character arcs are cut out in the musical adaptation. According to Elena Khanpira, the librettist, "Neither Anton nor I set out to express the spirit of this world. We were interested in eternal, large-scale questions, not the specifics of the book."
  • The second and third books are condensed into Parts Three and Four of The Last Trial while the longer Parts One and Two are both dedicated to the events of Book 1.
  • Characters such as Tasslehoff Burrfoot, Gnimsh, Kitiara Uth Matar, the Mountain-Dwarves, and Tanis Half-Elven are completely cut from the adaptations. Other characters such as Dalamar, Lord Soth ^note in the 2014-2016 stationary productions, and Tika are given reduced roles.
  • The Time Travel aspect of the novels is completely Adapted Out. Likewise, only two songs focus on the war Raistlin sparks that is meant as the overarching plot of the entire second novel, opting to focus more on the interpersonal relationships between the characters.
• Adaptation Expansion: Some productions add scenes, subplots, and expand on existing songs.
• Arc Words: Love can unite the incompatible. Love can open all gates.
  • Takhisis: Come to me... be with me!
  • Raistlin: Farewell!^note Bookending his relationship with Crysania, as he dismisses his brother with this word just prior to his first meeting with Crysania, says it once after their first song together, and then once more when spurning her at the end of ''Denial''
  • Faith is all or nothing.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Appointment in the Chronicler's Study is full of these directed at Crysania by Raistlin.
• Back from the Dead: Raistlin has ceased to breathe before Crysania revives him with her love. In the alternate ending, 20 years later, Raistlin finally escapes from the Abyss and reunites with Crysania.
• Badass Boast: The musical is full of these.
  • Raistlin: Even the most learned sorcerers trembled at my name. My power was almost limitless.
  • Takhisis: But you wish to reach my divine aura, so you can feel the might of my power? Look at me, only to be lost! You can't even meet my gaze...
  • Raistlin: Everything will be different when I become a god!
  • Crysania: I'll bring You this monster! I have faith in this: Your proud enemy will kneel before You!
• Betty and Veronica: Crysania (Betty) and Takhisis (Veronica).
• Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Crysania walks through the literal Abyss, but remains untouched by the elements.
• Big "NO!":
  • Caramon in the 2018- productions after the conquest of Zhaman.
  • Crysania gets a series of these in Denial.
• Brainy Brunette: Dark-haired Crysania is noted to be intelligent and learned, if somewhat naive. Inverted with Caramon, who is brown-haired and also the Dumb Muscle.
• Breaks the Fourth Wall:
  • Rostislav Kolpalov as Caramon in post-2020 productions:
  * Caramon: And so, my dear friends, the whole... I think, a year... I was kinda sitting in this... self isolation...
  * Caramon: From Paladine? Temple? You don't have a quarantine?
  • When the Kingpriest informs Crysania that they haven't yet managed to find Raistlin Majere... with Raistlin, in disguise as his advisor, standing right behind him, Crysania usually peers over his shoulder to give Raistlin a pointed look.
• Break the Haughty: Crysania has her faith in God shaken by events in Istar, falls in love with a man who cannot reciprocate her feelings, follows him into the Abyss, sacrifices her eyesight and her life for his, and is spurned by him as she lays dying. By Meaningless Cruelty she's gone from the devout priestess who believes in the strength of her faith, to a jaded, blinded dying woman who accuses God of inaction.
  Crysania: You allowed this to happen, Heavenly Father!
• Broken Pedestal: Crysania sees Istar as a paradise, only to have the city's hidden cruelties revealed to her by Raistlin.
• Cape Swish: Raistlin in some productions.
• Circling Monologue: "Appointment in the Chronicler's Office" often has Raistlin and Crysania circling each other.
• Counterpoint Duet: Rosamun, Raistlin, and Takhisis in the reprise of "Mother's Lullaby".
• Dark Is Not Evil: Raistlin's entire argument in his discussion with Crysania in "Appointment in the Chronicler's Study" is full of this.
  Raistlin: Common is the fallacy that evil makes the dark magician dark.
• Dark Reprise:
  • "Mother's Lullaby" is reprised in-part as "Legend of the Abyss" and "Denial", as well as in "Mother's Lullaby (reprise)". "Lullaby" sung by Caramon also counts.
  • The melody of "Trial By Fire" is reprised in "Sacrifice".
• Despair Event Horizon: For Crysania, it's her plea for Raistlin to stay with her as she dies being rejected.
• Downer Ending: Crysania is abandoned and loses her sight in the Abyss, Raistlin gives up love to ascend to godhood, and Takhisis wins in the end.
• Enemies with Death: Raistlin's fear of his own mortality is part of his motivator to become a god.
• Ethereal White Dress: Crysania wears one.
• Evil Laugh: Takhisis. Raistlin, to an extent.
• Get Out!: Said by Raistlin after "Concerning Love".
• Gone Horribly Right: Raistlin's ascension to godhood. And the world starts to die.
• Grief Song: "Meaningless Cruelty"
• Happily Ever Before: Inverted with the usually played ending: the play ends on Raistlin's ascension and the universe ending, which in the original books is followed by Caramon time-traveling to retroactively prevent it. However, the alternate ending follows the book plot more closely.
• I Have You Now, My Pretty: Takhisis to Raistlin in "Tango with Death."
• I Want My Mommy!: Raistlin cries out to his mother at the end of "Nightmares".
• Kick the Dog: In the filmed touring version, Raistlin literally kicks Caramon.
• Kneel Before Zod: Takhisis tries to get Raistlin to submit to her in the Abyss.
• Leitmotif:
  • The melody of "Faith is All or Nothing" is first heard at the end of "Aria of the Mage".
  • Caramon's melody in "Chasm Between Brothers" and the instrumental of "Returned Letter" combine together for his song, "Concerning Brotherhood".
  • Crysania sings several lines of the same melody in "Pray" and "Meeting in the Chronicler's Office"
  • Caramon's "Lullaby" is a Dark Reprise of "Mother's Lullaby". "Mother's Lullaby" reappears as a reprise in the Abyss.
  • "Trial By Fire"'s melody is sung by Crysania in "Sacrifice".
  • The melody of "Aria of the Mage" is played in the introduction, and is a leitmotif for Raistlin himself.
  • Dalamar maintains the same melody in both "Conclave of Mages" and "Dalamar's Aria".
• Manipulative Bastard: Raistlin, depending on the performance.
• Melancholy Musical Number:
• Momma's Boy: Raistlin.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Raistlin in the Alternate Ending. Caramon after the victory at Zhaman.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero
• Parental Abandonment: Takhisis accuses Rosamun of this. Raistlin alludes to his father doing this as well ^note Though in the books, it was made clear his father died, it's left more ambiguous here.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Raistlin as the Kingpriest's advisor.
• Pietà Plagiarism: Caramon holds Raistlin like this.
• The Power of Love: Invoked by Rosamun.
• Rewatch Bonus: The musical reuses melodies in a completely different context.
• Sanity Slippage Song: "Concerning Love" for Raistlin.
• Troubled Fetal Position: Raistlin.
• Villain Song: Almost every song could be seen as this, depending on your point of view.
• What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?
• "What Now?" Ending: "Lord of Nothing".
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: "Denial".