Anastasia begins previews on Broadway tonight
The Broadway premiere of the stage adaptation of the 1997 animated musical Anastasia begins previews at the Broadhurst Theatre tonight. An official opening is scheduled for April 24 and the production is currently booking through to October 1, 2017.
We previously caught up with one of the show's stars - Tony & Olivier Award nominee Ramin Karimloo - whilst performing in London's 'Murder Ballad' and he had this to say about the stage adaptation of Anastasia:
"I did the workshop, and I sat there thinking there's not one boring song. It's Flaherty and Ahrens doing what they do best, I love them. When something is in a workshop your imagination paints a beautiful picture. Like 'Love Never Dies,' the first time we ever did that in the room your mind just thought 'wow'. So I'm praying that for Anastasia it's as good as I remember. We're very excited to keep that story going, I found it more personal than I anticipated."
Anastasia is helmed by Hartford Stage Artistic Director and Tony winner Darko Tresnjak and features a book by Terrence McNally, with music by Tony winner Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Tony winner Lynn Ahrens.
Synopsis: "From the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, the new musical, Anastasia, is the romantic, adventure-filled story of a brave young woman attempting to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing con man and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love and family."
The principal cast includes Christy Altomare (Anya), Derek Klena (Dmitry), Tony & Olivier nominee Ramin Karimloo (Gleb), John Bolton (Vlad Popov), Caroline O'Connor (Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch), and Tony nominee Mary Beth Peil (Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna).
Ensemble members include Zach Adkins, Sissy Bell, Lauren Blackman, Kathryn Boswell, Kyle Brown, Kristen Smith Davis, Janet Dickinson, Constantine Germanacos, Wes Hart, Ian Knauer, Ken Krugman, Dustin Layton, Shina Ann Morris, James A. Pierce III, Molly Rushing, Nicole Scimeca, Jennifer Smith, Johnny StellardAllison Walsh.
The creative team behind Anastasia features choreography by Peggy Hickey, dance arrangements by David Chase, music supervision & direction by Thomas Murray, orchestrations by Doug Besterman, scenic design by Alexander Dodge, costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by Donald Holder, sound design by Peter Hylenski, projection design by Aaron Rhyne, hair & wig design by Charles LaPointe, and make-up design by Joe Dulude II.
Anastasia is produced on Broadway by Stage Entertainment USA, Bill Taylor, Hunter Arnold and Tom Kirdahy Productions.
Read our review from the Hartford Stage world premiere HERE.
Twentieth Century Fox's 1997 animated feature Anastasia was nominated for two Oscars: Best Score (Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and David Newman) and Best Original Song (Ahrens and Flaherty) for "Journey To The Past." It featured the voice talents of Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria, Bernadette Peters, Kirsten Dunst, Andrea Martin, and Dame Angela Lansbury.
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