After several pandemic-related delays throughout the last two years, Broadway Across Canada’s production of Anastasia was worth the wait. The performance brought the audience on an extravagant journey of family, love and deception in the rise of the Russian Revolution.
The show begins with the daughter of Tsar Nicholas Romanov II, Anastasia, as she secretly survives the assassination of her family. In the process, she becomes a street sweeper named Anya, with no memories of her former life. As rumours of Anastasia’s survival swirl around St. Petersburg, two con men, Dmitry and Vlad, see Anya as their ticket to flee to Paris and escape communism. Unaware of her true identity, they convince her she is the lost duchess Anastasia to deceive the Dowager Empress and win a large reward. A romance develops between Anya and Dmitry as they discover the truth to their deception.
The musical tugged on all the right emotional queues, despite not being entirely accurate to the 1997 animated film on which it was based. From new scenes to different characters, the show offered a new perspective on the childhood classic.
New songs written by Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) were added to the movie’s score and elevated the storytelling. Among some of the highlights, “In My Dreams,” “Stay, I Pray You” and “Everything to Win” proved Anastasia to be a fairytale fit for people of all ages.
Despite minor differences from the film, the performance still felt complete. The voices of each cast member made belting look effortless, turning iconic songs such as “Learn to Do It,” “My Petersburg” and “Journey to the Past” into a powerful symphony.
Movie antagonists Grigori Rasputin and his bat sidekick, Bartok, were replaced by a Russian police officer named Gleb, played to perfection by Ben Edquist. The actor showed depth and complexity as a not-so-bad-guy, torn between his father’s legacy and his feelings for Anya. His renditions of “The Neva Flows” and “Still” showcased his deep, rich voice as perfect for the role of an officer.
Veronica Stern delivered a performance wrought with emotion and brought astonishing vocals to the role of Anya. In the role of Dmitry, Willem Butler seamlessly captured the character development of a stubborn con man who opens his heart and falls in love with a duchess.
As this was Stern, Butler and Edquist’s first performance as members of the Anastasia company, there was often a lack of onstage chemistry between their characters. However, Stern and Butler hit their stride near the end of the production, singing songs such as “In a Crowd of Thousands” and “Everything to Win” with cohesion.
Bryan Seastrom and Madeline Raube were remarkable in the roles of Vlad and Countess Lily respectively, quickly becoming a comedic duo with voices and personalities of gold. As the two older characters meet again in Paris and rekindle their romance, their dramatic rendition of “The Countess and the Common Man” had the audience bursting with laughter while watching their exaggerated gestures.
“Once Upon a December” was used throughout the musical as a motif to tie the entire show together into a cohesive bundle of nostalgic melodies, culminating into a beautiful duet between Anya and the Dowager Empress. Their reunion was emotional and moving as the two harmonized to the song from Anya’s heirloom music box.
Audiences were certainly brought on a “journey to the past” in this performance, filled with tears, laughter and chills every time the talented cast started to sing.
Anastasia will continue its run at the NAC until Sept. 4. Tickets and showtimes are available on the NAC’s website.
Featured image provided by Jeremy Daniel.
