Edward Staudenmayer News

Forestburgh Playhouse Announces Summer Concert Series Featuring Alice Ripley, Kate Baldwin, and More!

Forestburgh Playhouse has announced its Forestburgh Under the Stars events for summer 2020. The Seventy Five and Thrive Broadway Concert Cabaret Series is a series of benefit concert events benefiting the Forestburgh Playhouse and hosted by the Forestburgh Tavern.

All Remaining ANASTASIA Tour Performances Have Been Cancelled Through Summer 2020

BroadwayWorld has learned that all remaining performances on the Anastasia tour have been cancelled through Summer 2020, due to the health crisis.

BWW TV: Meet ANASTASIA On Tour's New Anya, Beth Stafford Laird!

Meet Anastasia on tour's new Anya, Beth Stafford Laird, who rejoins the national tour of Broadway's Anastasia beginning April 7, 2020.

AT THIS PERFORMANCE... Will Return to The Green Room 42 with Shelby Acosta, John Cardoza, Jordan Dobson and More

AT THIS PERFORMANCE... will return to The Green Room 42 featuring Standbys, Understudies and Alternates from Jagged Little Pill; West Side Story; Ain't Too Proud:The Life and Times of the Temptations; Emojiland and Fiddler on the Roof [Fiddler Afn Dakh] on MONDAY, MARCH 9TH at 7 PM.

BWW Review: ANASTASIA at Connor Palace/Cleveland

'ANASTASIA,' with music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and a book by Terrence McNally, based on the 1997 film of the same name, is now on stage at the Connor Palace, as part of the Key Bank Broadway series.

BWW REVIEWS: ANASTASIA is Not a Botox Version of the Animated Movie

When the movie ANASTASIA was released in 1996, somewhere someone was humming along with the score of the 20th Century Fox film and thought 'This might make a fantastic musical.' It took nearly 20 years but the faith in the concept is paying off.

BWW Review: ANASTASIA at Rochester Broadway Theatre League

Perfectly timed for the blistery cold Rochester weather we're all suffering through, the RBTL is currently presenting 'Anastasia', the stage adaptation of the 1997 animated movie in which audience members are whisked away to snowy St. Petersburg during the height of the Russian Revolution of the 1920's. This era of political upheaval is the backdrop, but the story focuses on a young woman and her journey through the past to find her family and her identity.

BWW Review: ANASTASIA at The Bushnell

A mysterious girl, who may or may not be the long lost Princess Anastasia Romanov of Russia, a grandmother intent on finding her, and the desperate men willing to do whatever it takes to get out of Russia. These are at the center of the musical ANASTASIA which is now playing at The Bushnell in Hartford.

BWW Review: ANASTASIA Journeys From Screen to Stage With Grace

In the last decade or so, musicals based on movies have become a regular occurrence. It seems like several new shows are opening each year, so it's not surprising that a?oeAnastasia,a?? Don Bluth's semi-unconventional take on a princess movie, made the transition a?' and thankfully, the end result maintains much of the magic of its source material.

AT THIS PERFORMANCE… Returns To The Green Room 42 On 12/02

AT THIS PERFORMANCEa??  returns to The Green Room 42 featuring Standbys and Understudies from LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS; HAMILTON; THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL and WICKED on MONDAY, DECEMBER 2ND at 7PM.

BWW Review: Gorgeous but Flawed Stage Adaptation of ANASTASIA Substitutes Whimsy for Stilted Drama

At first glance, the musical stage adaptation of ANASTASIA looks and feels like an appropriately grand, luxe affaira?"from its gorgeous costumes designed to the lush soundscapes created by the orchestra and the vocal talents that have been assembled for this tour. But the undeniable wow factor of the show is, of course, the stunning visual trifecta of its scenic design working in keen harmony with dazzling projections and stage lighting. The overall technical prowess of this stage musical is just jaw-droppinga?"and, I must say, is quite an adequate enough reason to experience the show. The adaptation's execution of the story itself, however, suffers slightly from its well-meaning intentionsa?"revealing a stage show that feels stilted by its own drama, and with an unsure footing of what it truly wants to be.

BWW Review: ANASTASIA National Tour Impresses All Ages at Gammage Auditorium

The first clue that ANASTASIA was going to be different than what I expected was a note on the title page reading, “Inspired by the Twentieth Century Fox Motion Pictures.” Plural? A savvy journalist, I quickly asked Siri to bring up the imdb page for “Anastasia”. Turns out Fox made ANASTASIA twice, the 1997 animated off-brand Disney princess movie and a 1957 film that scored Ingrid Bergman's second Oscar and marked Helen Hayes' transition to the big screen. And it turns out the musical version has more in common with LES MISERABLES and RAGTIME than BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Gone is the hell-wizard Rasputin, his talking fruit bat sidekick, and the singing demon caterpillars. At intermission, I asked my third grade niece, Adalyn, how she was liking it. “It's awesome…it's real people, like no Beast or anything. No animals.” We decide that Disney staged musicals are great but more it's more impressive when you can achieve the magic without a story that departs from reality. ANASTASIA is historical fiction hypothetical. It poses a “what if…?” that a daughter of the last czar of Russia (The Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna) escaped when the czar's family was executed in 1918. Rumors persisted for decades that Anastasia did, in fact, escape. In 2007, DNA testing confirmed the remains of all four Grand Duchesses were in the Imperial grave. In this version, Terrence McNalley's book follows Anastasia's rediscovery of her identity after surviving the attack on her family and sustaining some plot enabling amnesia. Renamed “Anya” she grows up and makes a life in post-Revolution Russia. Anastasia's grandmother, the Dowager Empress (in a staggeringly moving performance by Joy Franz) has fled to France and offered a cash reward for anyone escorting the rumored alive Anastasia to Paris. The wily duo Vlad (Edward Staudenmayer) and Dmitry (Jake Levy) pull a My Fair Lady style makeover on Anya to collect the Dowager's prize. They are pursued by Gleb (Jason Michael Evans). A Soviet officer drawn to Anya romantically but tasked with finding and eliminating the last Romanov. Anya's memory becomes somewhat coaxed back, but the Dowager has stopped seeing Anastasia claimants after too much heart-break from countless frauds. It sounds dark, but with high-tech digital scenery and inspired performances across the cast it is delightful. Stephen Flaherty (Music) and Lynn Ahrens (Lyrics), responsible for bringing us RAGTIME, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, LUCKY STIFF, as well as the Oscar nominated songs carried over from the animated film. ANASTASIA is a perfect context for this pair. “Stay, I Pray You” (my favorite song of the evening) is evocative of RAGTIME's “New Music”. The two songs literally race my heart in a strangely specific way. My real test of a National Tour at Gammage is how fast I get the music playing in my car on the way home. At ANASTASIA I was already finding, “Stay, I Pray You” walking through the parking lot. The rest of the score is similarly haunting. Lila Coogan, as Anya/Anastasia, powers through the score with nuance, clarity, and passion. Tari Kelly, as Countess Lily, and Stadenmayer (Vlad) were Adalyn's favorite performances and I have to agree. This incredibly gifted pair take the “triple threat” designation (singer, dancer, actor) and go quadruple with the addition of flawless comic timing. The choreography by Peggy Hickey is masterful. It somehow combines inventive and traditional throughout and the ten-minute slice of “Swan Lake” infused into “Quartet at the Ballet” is the highlight of the second act. It's a fun-size version that gets an under-represented art form onto the plate. This kind of trope often means the plot putting the plot on hold. But here, it is the connective tissue between Anya, Dmitry, the Dowager, and Gleb as they each bring us up to speed heading into the show's climax. Ultimately, the show's success comes from applying a higher artistic standard to the “previously-animated-film-now-theatrically-staged” genre. It cashes in on the name draw of the 1997 film then gives the viewer something much more enriched than what they think they are coming to see.

Review Roundup: Critics Weigh In On ANASTASIA on Tour

The National Tour of Anastasia had its official opening night in Schenectady, New York last week! The production stars Lila Coogan as Anya, Stephen Brower as Dmitry, Jason Michael Evans as Gleb, Joy Franz as Dowager Empress, Tari Kelly as Countess Lily, Edward Staudenmayer as Vlad and Victoria Amelia Bingham as Little Anastasia. The ensemble includes Brianna Abruzzo, Ronnie S. Bowman Jr., Alison Ewing, Peter Garza, Jeremiah Ginn, Brett-Marco Glauser, Lucy Horton, Mary Illes, Fred Inkley, Kourtney Keitt, Beth Stafford Laird, Mark Mackillop, Kenneth Michael Murray, Taylor Quick, Claire Rathbun, Michael McCorry Rose, Matt Rosell, Sareen Tchekmedyian, and Addison Mackynzie Valentino.

VIDEO: ANASTASIA's Jake Levy Takes Over Instagram!

We headed to St. Petersburg yesterday for an inside look at the Anastasia tour with Jake Levy as he took over BroadwayWorld's Instagram Story! So in case you missed it (or just want to relive all of the fun and excitement), we compiled clips for you to enjoy. Check it all out!

ANASTASIA's Jake Levy Takes Over Instagram Saturday!

It's no rumor: the Anastasia tour's new Dmitry, Jake Levy, is taking over BroadwayWorld's Instagram Story this Saturday, October 19th, at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre! Be sure to tune in throughout the day to get a peek behind the scenes with this kid on the fly on a two-show day! You're not gonna want to miss being welcomed to his Petersburg!

Photo Flash: First Look at Jake Levy as Dmitry in the National Tour of ANASTASIA

Jake Levy has assumed the role of Dmitry on the national tour of Anastasia beginning on October 8th at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles.

Casting Announced For National Tour Of ANASTASIA At Segerstrom Center

Casting has been announced for the national tour of ANASTASIA, coming to Segerstrom Center for the Arts November 5 a?" 17, 2019 in Segerstrom Hall. Rising theater star Jake Levy makes his national tour debut in the principal role of Dmitry.

BWW Review: National Tour of ANASTASIA Pays a Glowing Visit to Los Angeles

Based on the 1997 animated film 'Anastasia', Anastasia the New Broadway Musical, bowing on broadway in 2017, is an entertaining whirlwind of sight and sound. It will make you laugh and cry. You will undoubtedly leave the theatre with a lasting impression of grande theatricality and how it weaves its magic into our humdrum lives. Plus, it is based on fact. Currently onstage at the Hollywood Pantages until October 27 only, this Anastasia has the makings of a great big hit.

BWW Review: ANASTASIA at Broadway San Diego is a Charming Fairytale

ANASTASIA, the musical is a charming mix of fairytale and history lesson, all accented by some truly stunning costumes, playing at the San Diego Civic Theatre through October 6th.

AT THIS PERFORMANCE... Celebrates Its 16th Anniversary and Returns To The Green Room 42

AT THIS PERFORMANCEa?? celebrates its 16th anniversary and returns to The Green Room 42 featuring Standbys and Understudies from Moulin Rouge; Ain't Too Proud; Broadway Bounty Hunter; Frozen; Kiss Me, Kate; Be More Chill; Alice By Heart; School Of Rock; and Bandstand on Monday, October 7th at 7pm.