Ramin Karimloo cast in Broadway's Anastasia

Tony and Olivier Award nominee Ramin Karimloo will officially return to Broadway and take on the role of Gleb in the stage adaptation of the 1997 animated musical Anastasia. Previews begin at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre on 23 March 2017, before an official opening on 24 April.

Ramin Karimloo earned a Tony nomination in 2014 for his breakthrough performance as Jean Valjean in 'Les Misérables.' He also earned an Olivier nomination in 2011 for his role as The Phantom in the West End production of 'Love Never Dies.' Other West End credits include 'Les Misérables,' 'The Phantom of the Opera,' and the upcoming London premiere of 'Murder Ballad.' He also appeared in the UK tours of 'Sunset Boulevard' and 'Miss Saigon.'

Mr. Karimloo joins previously announced cast members Christy Altomare (Anya), Derek Klena (Dmitry), John Bolton (Vlad Popov) and Caroline O'Connor (Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch), who are all reprising their respective roles from the world premiere Hartford production.

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 & 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. The new musical is inspired by the Twentieth Century Fox Motion Pictures."

The creative team behind Anastasia features choreography by Peggy Hickey, 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, and hair & wig design by Charles LaPointe.

Anastasia is produced on Broadway by Stage Entertainment USA, Bill Taylor and Tom Kirdahy Productions.

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.

- by Tom Millward