The story of the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia and her disappearance amidst the Russian Revolution is a mysterious one, perceived differently with every telling. Below is a brief synopsis of the Broadway narrative, but to truly experience the fantasy retelling, consult Appleton North Theatre’s production of Anastasia running Mar. 7-17, or the film version available on Disney+ or Amazon Prime, which has a slightly different tone.
Broadway’s Anastasia debuted in April of 2017. Anastasia is shown at seven years old with her grandmother, the Dowager Empress, who in real life is known as Maria Feodorovna. The two are conversing about the famous music box, which plays the tune “Once Upon a December.” This is the showstopper, or trademark, song of the musical. The two separate—Anastasia to her parents and the Dowager Empress to Paris, France. The audience then meets the Grand Duchess’ family. During this scene, the dance ensemble surrounds them throughout the ball, dancing along to “The Last Dance of the Romanovs.” This title predicts what happens next, as Russian soldiers then lay siege to the palace and Anastasia is separated from her family. The Dowager Empress, or Nana, comes forward to learn that all Romanovs had died while she had been away in Paris. Except…
Years pass and rumors begin to spread. They say one of the Tsar’s children may have survived, and she is in hiding. This musical number, “A Rumor in St. Petersburg,” is interrupted by a violent sound, introducing the young street sweeper with amnesia named Anya, as well as Gleb, the villain of the story. Gleb is a complicated man, a leader in the Russian rebellion, and the son of a man who killed the Romanovs. These rumors about the lost child are automatically shot down by him, but not fast enough before they reach the Dowager Empress, who puts out an offer for reward money for finding Anastasia. The audience also meets two key characters during this scene, Dmitry and Vlad. The iconic duo begins scheming up a way to obtain Anastasia and present her to the Empress, along with many others, in hopes of the reward money in return. They hold auditions underground, away from the reach of Gleb, growing desperate as a suitable Anastasia fails to show up.
Anya needs a way out of Russia and has a strange suspicion that she should be in Paris. She approaches Dmitry in search of the papers necessary to flee, and he and Vlad are delighted to help, as Anya sparks their attention by showing uncanny alikeness to the princess they have been searching for. As they make their way to Paris, Vlad and Dmitry teach Anya everything about her family. She begins experiencing a strange sense of Deja Vu during the song “Learn to Do It,” but they must proceed. Their first step when they reach Paris is to meet up with Lily Malevsky Malevich, an old flame of Vlad’s. She is the key to reaching the Empress, and Vlad must work his rusty charm.
Unfortunately for the trio, the Empress is through with seeing fake Anastasias looking for money and wants nothing to do with Anya. It takes a lot of convincing, a ticket to the ballet, and a long-lost music box to bring her around. Anya is about to resume her position as Grand Duchess Anastasia, when the thought of losing the love of her life, Dmitry, brings a change in plans. Before being able to meet with the press, Anya flees with him. The musical wraps up with the disappearance of Anya, a dialogue concluding the story by Gleb and the Dowager Empress, along with another round of “Once Upon a December.”
The film version of Anastasia that can be found on Disney+ differs from the Broadway version in many ways, but most notably, the villain is Rasputin, a sorcerer who sold his soul in return for the downfall of the Romanovs. However, both of these tales are fiction.
