The musical, Anastasia, originally an animated film, is now a live action musical that is based on a true story about the Russian revolution. The animation and musical were created to answer one of history’s greatest mysteries: what happened to Anastasia Romanov? Due to unclear eyewitnesses, many suspicious rumors, and overall great confusion, no one is sure what happened to the grand princess Anastasia. The bodies of Anastasia’s royal family members were all found, but her body was never seen again. As such, rumor spread that Anastasia lived.
In the musical, a young orphan girl named Anya tries to discover her identity, desperately seeking her family and her lost past. On her journey, she meets two men, Dmitry and Vlad, who are seeking money in order to regain their lost wealth. Because of Anya’s lost memory, they take advantage of her and convince her to play the role of Anastasia in order to win the grand prize that Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna, Anastasia’s grandmother, is offering to the person who finds Anastasia. But Dmitry and Vlad soon realize that Anya could actually be the true Anastasia. Later on in the musical, Dmitry, Vlad, and Anya escape to Paris with a loyal communist, Gleb, on their heels. Regardless, Anya only wants to find herself and her family, which she especially values having lacked one her entire life.
Anastasia was written by Terrence McNally and the soundtrack by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. The brilliant dancers and colorful costumes light up the stage and intrigue the audience. The dancers and characters recreate the changing times in Russia and make the audience feel as if they have taken a time machine back to the 1920s. Towards the end of the musical, Dmitry changes from a greedy person to someone who cares and loves Anya and would rather keep her than win the grand prize. The music has a great message that everyone can learn from: it teaches that family is more important than anything in the world. Even though Anya is surviving in a challenging time when finding her family could result in death, she braves through and finds her way through her foggy past.
Works Cited
“Anastasia on Broadway: A Musical Journey to the Past Worth Taking.” The Knickerbocker Hotel, 21 Sept. 2018, https://theknickerbocker.com/nyc-travel-guide/anastasia-on-broadway-musical/.
“Anastasia.” Broadway.com, https://www.broadway.com/shows/anastasia/story/.
Brantley, Ben. “Review: ‘Anastasia,’ a Russian Princess with an Identity Crisis.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 25 Apr. 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/theater/anastasia-review-broadway.html.