Review: ANASTASIA: THE HIT BROADWAY MUSICAL at Adelaide Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Wednesday 5th August 2026.

I never had children and, consequently, never had grandchildren wanting me to watch films with them. I, therefore, make no comparisons or point out any differences between the stage production of Anastasia and the film from which it was adapted.

I am though, well aware of the real history of the February 1917 revolution, and the brutal July 1918 assassination of the family of the Tsar, Emperor Nicholas II, along with their servants. The history of Russia, from the reign of the Tsars, through Communism, and until today is fascinating, highly relevant to current world affairs, and well worth the time taken to research and read.

Later, a young woman appeared insisting that she was Anastasia, and that is the basis for this musical. That imposter was Anna Anderson (16th December 1896 to 12th February 1984), whose real name was revealed to be Franziska Schanzkowska, and who insisted that she was Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna. She was found to be a Polish factory worker who had a history of mental illness and who had already used other aliases. Various imposters, in fact, claimed to be surviving members of the family, but the Anna/Anastasia case is the best known, having received extensive publicity.

The production has a book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, is directed by Darko Tresnjak, and has choreography by Peggy Hickey, which all comes together in a captivating evening at the theatre.

There is much to please the eye, with an exceptional scenic design from Alexander Dodge combining movable sections of archways, various physical backdrops, and back projections, including video from Aaron Rhyne. Every scene change is smooth and fast, accompanied by lighting changes by Donald Holder that add to the dramatic transformations. Peter Hylenski provides the extensive sound design and Linda Cho tops it off with a dazzling array of costumes. Musical Director, David Piper, commands a very fine small orchestra, with three keyboards carrying the bulk of the sound, along with a handful of other instruments.

It begins in 1907 with a charming, gentle scene as the Dowager Empress gives a small musical box to the child Anastasia, and they sing a lullaby to the tune that it plays, Once Upon a December. Four girls take turns to play the role of Little Anastasia, with Audrey Burnett appearing on opening night in a delightful performance. Isla Bahrami, Daisy Goodall, and Aria Piteo share the role at other performances. The Dowager Empress leaves for Paris, promising to return at some time in the future, and the scene segues into a family party a decade later, with Anastasia now a young woman. The Bolsheviks attack, and everything changes. In another decade, we find that Anya, a name she has adopted, is a street sweeper with amnesia.

The first act is necessarily sombre, with citizens of St. Petersburg, which became Petrograd in 1914, then became Leningrad in 1924, suffering under the violence of the oppressive new regime. The brightness of the brief opening scenes is replaced by dull costuming, both military and civilian, and degraded architecture. Poverty is everywhere and people struggle to survive. With rumours that Anastasia has survived, Robert Tripolino as the con-man, Dmitry, and Rodney Dobson as his older henchman, deposed aristocrat, Vlad Popov, devise a scheme to find an actress to pretend to be Anastasia in order to claim a reward. Auditions are a humorous failure and they are on the verge of giving up, when Anya comes to clean the theatre they had used for those auditions, and they convince her to join their scheme.

Tripolino and Dobson are a great double act as the conspirators, Dmitry providing inspiration and enthusiasm, and Vlad acting as the voice of reason, behaving fatherly toward the young Anya. They coach her in the path to becoming the Anastasia impostor, oblivious to the fact that she is, in reality, exactly who they are training her to be. At the end of the first act, the three board a train and narrowly escape to France.

Anya, is played by Georgina Hopson, giving a superb performance as the downtrodden Anya, wishing that she knew who she was, then growing on that long emotional journey from the streets of Leningrad to the high society of Paris, regaining her identity, and being recognised by her grandmother. She and Tripolino create some wonderfully comical moments as their characters try to pretend that they are not falling in love, made possible by the great rapport that these two generate.

Joshua Robson, plays the Bolshevik General, Gleb Vaganov, the Javert of the piece, who is torn between his growing affection and respect for Anya and his mission to follow in his father’s footsteps and complete the assassination of the entire Romanov family by eliminating her. Robson conveys that complexity with subtlety and skill.

Two of the best-known names in Australian musical theatre are in this cast, with Rhonda Burchmore as Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch, and Nancye Hayes AM as the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. They bring vast experience and gravitas to the roles. Burchmore excels as the flamboyant Lily, living it up at the Neva night club and reconnecting with her past lover, Vlad, generating many laughs as they reunite in The Countess and the Common Man. Hayes brings gravitas to the role of Maria, dispirited after many obvious impostors have been presented to her as the lost Anastasia, and accepting that she is dead, refusing to accept that Anya, when presented, is the real heir, then gradually realising the truth. The dawning realisation and acceptance of Anya is a very moving scene, as they reprise Once Upon a December, and I noticed a few damp eyes being dabbed around me in the audience.

There are great moments supplied by cast members in minor roles, too, with Todd Goddard adding many laughs as the high-camp Count Leopold, and Sophia Bae leading the Swan Lake excerpt as Odette in Quartet at the Ballet. The ensemble negotiates everything from a waltz, through tango, Cossack dancing, and to the Charleston, with impressive vocals throughout.

Whether or not you have seen and loved the Twentieth Century Fox animated film, this is a production that enthrals and stands very firmly on its own feet. The audience gave a thoroughly well-deserved standing ovation.

Photography, Jeff Busby.