Most will remember the 1997 film Anastasia in which Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia escapes from the clutches of an evil zombified Rasputin as the only one in her family. The story is based upon the legend that Anastasia somehow escaped the murder of her family (which we now know she didn’t) and the many people who tried to get to her grandmother Maria Feodorovna pretending to be her.
The Anastasia Musical premiered on Broadway in 2017 and has since been translated into Dutch to be performed in the Circustheater in Scheveningen. There are some differences with the film – including the fact that the zombified Rasputin has been replaced as the bad guy by a Bolshevik General called Gleb who is ordered to kill Anya (Anastasia) and several of the songs have been omitted and replaced with other songs.
The show was absolutely wonderful, filled with beautiful memories of the former glory of Imperial Russia and the story of a girl who slowly pieces together her own memory. The sets are great and innovative, allowing for quick changes between palaces, ballet, streets and even a railway track. The leading lady had a great voice and certainly wowed us all. If only Anastasia could have had a happy ending like this musical.
Anastasia The Musical premiered at the Circus Theatre in Scheveningen on 22 September 2019.
I love the film Anastasia and when in NYC in 2017 got to go and see this…it was amazing! One of the best shows I have seen!