THE ANASTASIA FILE to Return to Theatre Royal Windsor Before UK Tour
Jenny Seagrove and Simon Shepherd reprise their roles in Royce Ryton's acclaimed thriller.
Jenny Seagrove returns to Theatre Royal Windsor this September in The Anastasia File, written by Royce Ryton and directed by Roy Marsden.
[Tuesday 14 July 2026, Windsor] Theatre Royal Windsor, one of the only unsubsidised producing theatres to operate all year round in Britain, today announces casting for the return of Jenny Seagrove and Simon Shepherd in Royce Ryton's acclaimed thriller, The Anastasia File. Following critical acclaim at the Theatre Royal Windsor last year, the production will return to the theatre from Wednesday 30 September – Saturday 3 October 2026 with a national press night on Wednesday 30 September, as part of its UK tour.
Jenny Seagrove (A Woman of Substance with Portman-Artemis Productions, Local Hero with Goldcrest Films, Judge John Deed with One-Eyed Dog Limited) reprises her role as Mrs Manahan, alongside Simon Shepherd (Peak Practice with Central Independent Television, Midsomer Murders with Bentley Productions) as The Inspector. They are joined by returning cast members Ashley D. Gayle and Rosie Thomson.
A new twist on one of history's greatest mysteries…
July 1918. Tsar Nicholas II and his family are brutally executed by the Bolsheviks in Ekaterinburg. Two years later in Berlin, a woman is pulled from a canal after a failed attempt to take her own life and is placed in an institutional facility.
As Doctors and police puzzle over her identity, she slowly begins to reveal details about her past that bring about the suspicion that she may in fact be the Grand Duchess Anastasia, the heir to the Romanov fortune.
Inspired by the true story of Anne Manahan, whose thirty-year battle for recognition as the last surviving Romanov was one of the most popular historical mysteries of the twentieth century.
Memory, fact and fiction intertwine in this thrilling and moving play that will keep you guessing until the curtain falls.
The production is directed by Roy Marsden, with lighting design from Nick Richings and Dan Samson on sound design.
'A great performance, an intriguing story filled with much power, emotion, sorrow, depth and torment.' - Fairy Powered Productions
The production opens at Theatre Royal Newcastle (Tuesday 15 – Saturday 19 September) and then returns to Theatre Royal Windsor (Wednesday 30 September – Saturday 3 October). It then continues to tour to Salisbury Playhouse (Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 October), Malvern Theatres (Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 October), Yvonne Arnaud Theatre (Tuesday 20 – 24 October).
The Anastasia File forms part of the Theatre Royal Windsor Season on Tour, comprising three productions originating at the theatre and touring the UK in 2026. It joins Noël Coward's romantic comedy The Marquise and Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana.
Jenny Seagrove said, 'I am thrilled to be playing Anastasia Romanov again and to be sharing her fascinating story with audiences around the country. It is a story that gripped me from the first time I read about her and she continues to intrigue me. With a wonderful cast alongside me, I hope audiences will feel equally fascinated!'
Director Roy Marsden said, 'When Royce Ryton wrote The Anastasia File in 1978 the weight of opinion was inclined to believe that the central character Anna Anderson, or as she was later known, Mrs Manahan, was indeed the missing Romanov daughter Anastasia. Then, as time went on more and more research took place, strongly suggesting the opposite. DNA testing, including samples from the hair of the Duke of Edinburgh, a distant relation of the Romanovs, was used to provide apparently conclusive evidence dismissing Anna Anderson's claim. Nowadays we live in a more distrustful age, unwilling to accept on face value what we are fed by the media and by so called experts. I, along with others, have come to believe that the scientific evidence proving that Anna Anderson is not Anastasia is not as exact and as trustworthy as certain quarters would like us to believe. Therefore, in the absence of direct and conclusive proof, the question of whether Anna Anderson is Anastasia or not remains a mystery, a matter of personal belief.'
Theatre Royal Windsor sits at the heart of the town, carrying over 200 years of history behind its doors. It is one of the UK's only year-round producing theatres operating without public funding. As part of The Bill Kenwright Group, Theatre Royal Windsor has built a reputation for standout productions and an ability to attract top-tier talent to its stage — solidifying its position as one of Britain's leading regional theatres.
THEATRE ROYAL WINDSOR
- Title: The Anastasia File
- Dates: Wednesday 30 September – Saturday 3 October
- Performance Schedule: Wednesday & Friday @ 7.30pm, Thursday & Saturday @ 2.30pm & 7.30pm
- Venue: Theatre Royal Windsor
- Box Office (Phone): 01753 853 888
- Website: https://theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk/
TOURING DATES
- Theatre Royal Newcastle Upon Tyne — Tuesday 15 – Saturday 19 September — https://www.theatreroyal.co.uk/
- Salisbury Playhouse — Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 October — https://www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk/
- Malvern Theatres — Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 October — https://malvern-theatres.co.uk/
- Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Guildford — Tuesday 20 October – Saturday 24 October — https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/
