Courtesy of Croswell Opera Home/Ashlee Sayles
Resilience and identification are on the core of “Anastasia,” the brand new Broadway musical that made its debut in 2017 and is now transporting audiences at The Croswell to the period of the Russian Revolution, circa 1927, a time of upheaval and tragedy. Directed by Stephen Kiersey, with music route by Gabriel Brent Hagedorn and performed by Raymond Novak, The Croswell has poured its full technical prowess into an brisk manufacturing that had audiences on their ft by the ultimate curtain, begging for extra.
In fact, Anastasia was an actual individual, murdered alongside her household by Bolshevik revolutionaries in Yekaterinburg in 1917, however she has lingered within the cultural creativeness for many years. There have been numerous performs, a movie starring Ingrid Bergman, and, maybe most famously, the 1997 animated film that impressed this musical (sorry to all of the Rasputin and Bartok followers, neither made the ultimate minimize). With a e book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, “Anastasia” is a fairy-tale rendering of a deeply tragic story. At its coronary heart, although, it’s a story of redemption, hope, and identification throughout a time in historical past when such issues had been arduous to come back by. The Croswell’s manufacturing, beneath Kiersey’s route, captures that essence superbly, even because the present’s e book sometimes strains beneath the load of its sprawling, multi-generational arc.
On this model, a decade has handed because the fall of the Romanovs, and we meet younger Anya (Aubrie Lauren, an absolute knockout) who, affected by amnesia, falls in with two con males. Their purpose is to persuade the Dowager Empress (a heat, commanding Mary Rumman), now dwelling in exile in Paris, that Anya is her long-lost granddaughter, and to gather the beneficiant reward.
The con males are Dmitry (Maxwell Lam, all the time a welcome presence on The Croswell stage, with a stellar voice to match), a street-smart younger man who finds himself falling for Anya’s cussed spirit, and Vlad Popov (Jeffrey King, clearly having a blast), a former aristocrat on a mission to reunite with an previous flame. That flame,
Countess Lily, is performed by Love Ruddell in a close to scene-stealing efficiency that injects the second act with sufficient comedic vitality and charisma to push the present into excessive gear. Complicating issues additional is Gleb (Brian Jones, stable in a barely underwritten position), a principled Russian officer who stands out as the one compelled to determine Anya’s destiny.
It might not be a story as previous as time, however the rags-to-riches spirit of “Anastasia” stays universally relatable. With Lauren main the way in which, it’s not possible to not root for Anya’s journey. She has a shocking voice, particularly showcased in her Act One ballad “In My Goals,” a haunting, heartfelt solo that captures the character’s longing and confusion as she tries to reclaim her previous. Lauren and Lam have exceptional chemistry, grounding a budding romance that turns into the emotional anchor of a musical whose rating, whereas competent, isn’t significantly memorable.
Fortuitously, Sarah Nowak’s dynamic choreography offers the present loads of spark. Giant ensemble numbers like “A Rumor in St. Petersburg” explode with life, and a late second-act ballet sequence is staged with class and precision. None of this might resonate as absolutely with out the jaw-dropping costume design by Sabriyah W. Davis. Davis, a Croswell veteran, has actually outdone herself. From royal robes to humble streetwear, the eye to element and craftsmanship is on full show. Her earlier work on exhibits like “Into the Woods” and “The Bodyguard” was already spectacular, however this can be her crowning achievement. If native Tonys existed, she’d be a shoo-in.
As would Ruddell, whose portrayal of Countess Lily is a comedic triumph. Alongside King, their duet “The Countess and the Widespread Man” is the comedic excessive level of the night. Frankly, I’d watch a complete spin-off musical nearly these two characters with these actors taking part in them.
The present ran easily on opening evening, although there have been just a few technical hiccups, together with some sound points throughout a key quantity. One artistic selection that didn’t fairly land was using projections, significantly throughout a journey sequence aboard a practice. Although well-designed, the projections sometimes distracted greater than they enhanced. A extra minimalistic strategy may need served the story higher.
Nonetheless, these are small complaints in a manufacturing that radiates coronary heart and professionalism. The opening evening viewers was already rising to their ft earlier than the ultimate bow, and because the curtain fell, it was a reminder of simply how a lot expertise resides on this group. From the designers to the forged to the crew backstage, The Croswell proves as soon as once more why it’s a neighborhood theatrical powerhouse. “Anastasia” is a shining instance of the magic that occurs when an organization fires on all cylinders. Bravo.
The Croswell’s manufacturing of ANASTASIA continues by means of Could 18th. Tickets might be bought right here.