Review: ANASTASIA, The Fairytale Imagining Of The Last Romanov Arrives In Sydney

ANASTASIA is Stephen Flaherty (Music), Lynn Ahrens (Lyrics) and Terrence McNally’s (Book) musical theatre fairytale imagining of the last Romanov, inspired by 20th Century Fox Animation’s 1997 movie of the same name. Presented  by Crossroads Live, Opera Australia and Willow Wealth, the Darko Tresnjak’s (Director) production that premiered on Broadway in 2017 brings a more ‘classic’ Broadway musical to the Sydney stage.

ANASTASIA is inspired by the myths and legends that the youngest daughter of the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, survived the mass execution of the Russian Imperial family on the 17th of July 1918.  The myth was further fuelled by the belief the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, who eventually settled in Copenhagen, held that her son, daughter in law and grandchildren survived, but that their death was just a Bolshevik cover story.    ANASTASIA supposes that, while living in exile in Paris, a popular destination for refugees after the Russian Revolution, the Dowager Empress (Nancye Hayes) posted a tempting reward for news of her granddaughter.  Two of the residents of the post revolution Russia, Dmitry (Robert Tripolino) and Vlad (Rodney Dobson), living in a society that had not delivered on the promised prosperity, have come up with the idea to trick the Dowager Empress to claim the reward money.  After ‘auditioning’ a series of young women, they finally meet Anya (Georgina Hopson), a young woman who can’t remember her past, but her eyes bear a striking resemblance to the missing Grand Duchess.  They work on making her convincing enough to fool the Dowager Empress and escape Leningrad, bound for Paris.  Layered as challenge to this fanciful plan are the links to the Russian revolutionaries and the regime that took over as Gleb (Joshua Robson), the son of the Bolshevik responsible for the mass execution, is tasked with completing his father’s task. 

The musical theatre representation is described as being ‘inspired’ by the movie so strips away the sorcery and magic of vindictive royal advisors and talking bats that featured in the animated movie, instead the focusing on the challenges of hiding from the authorities as Anya, Dmitry and Vlad make their way to Paris.  As a storyline it can feel quite thin, particularly in Act 1, and it really is the quality of the performers and the costume and scenic design that lift the work.  ANASTASIA is written in a more ‘classical’ Broadway musical style and the casting of musical theatre performers that cross over easily to classical voice and opera is a perfect fit though the persistent use of American accents seeking to replicate the Broadway sound does feel overdone and incongruous at times.

Georgina Hopson has a captivating ‘brightness’ and is always a treat to watch in everything she does.  She expresses an underlying connection to the character and the music so that the performance is nuanced and holds a sincerity while also having the understanding of the physical expression of the work so even in the most choreographed moments, there is a feeling of intuition driving the story forward rather than Tresnjak’s direction.  Her vocals are warm and rich and she strikes the right balance of the American sound that runs through the work without feeling too over the top.  She ensures that she makes the famous songs of Journey To The Past and Once Upon A December her own. 

Robert Tripolino gives Dmitry a cheekiness while Rodney Dobson ensures serial conman Vlad has endearing qualities and serves as an element of the ‘comic relief’ that the cartoon bat Bartok provided in the movie.  While Gleb is seen as the villain of the piece skirting the periphery of the story, Joshua Robson ensures that his moments are captivating with rich classical vocals. 

As Countess Lily, Rhonda Burchmore provides another comic element as the often-inebriated aristocrat that escapes her responsibilities as the Dowager Empress’ Lady In Waiting by living it up at the Neva Club where Russian immigrants gather and reminisce with traditional dancing and copious amounts of vodka.  Land of Yesterday is a big dance number, leggy dancer Burchmore is a perfect fit for the role that Caroline O’Connor originated.  As with O’Connor, Burchmore also has a unique husky tone to her vocals and she leans even more into the accent, paying homage to O’Connor and heightening the comedy of the role.  As the Dowager Empress, Nancye Hayes settles into the performance in Act 2, carrying the gravitas of a Royal while conveying a mother and grandmother carrying great grief and increasing disappointment at the parade of people that have tried to con her for the Romanov fortune.  Of the ensemble, Sophi Bae’s Swan Lake feature is also particularly wonderful as she performs the ballet within the musical.

Linda Cho’s costuming leans into the fairytale of the work with elaborate Russian royal garments for The Last Dance Of The Romanovs so as to provide a contrast to the poverty that plagued Russia after the revolution.  The shift to Paris brings colour, fashion and flair which is also presented against the traditional Russian costumes that the staff at the Neva Club wear to evoke memories for their patrons.  Alexander Dodge’s set design works with Aaron Rhyne’s video design to transport the audience from Russia to Paris with high-definition backdrops being presented behind the set pieces.  While it is clear that video screens are used, the design often seeks to simulate more traditional theatre elements with the impression of backdrop panels being lifted to reveal new scenes. 

ANASTASIA is a sweet fairytale that recreates the memorable songs from the movie on stage while holding the overarching premise myths and legends surrounding the mystery of the last Romanov.  As a classic Broadway Musical it has beautiful music and fabulous choreography for a sweet family friendly night at the theatre. 

Anastasia the Musical | Official Australian Website