REVIEW: ‘Anastasia’ performance at Hobby Center leads audience through journey to the past

After opening on Broadway in spring 2017, the touring cast of “Anastasia” began trekking across the U.S., which included a stop at Houston’s Hobby Center March 5-10. This enchanting story is structurally similar to the 20th Century Fox’s 1997 animated film “Anastasia,” but added a more fleshed out world and 16 songs to the original eight from the film.

Set mostly in 1927, the story revolves around Anya, portrayed by Lila Coogan, traveling from the U.S.S.R. to Paris with conmen Dimitry, portrayed by Stephen Brower, and Vlad, portrayed by Edward Staudenmayer. With little memory of her past, outside of being raised in an orphanage, Anya believes she is the missing Grand Duchess Anastasia and is looking to be reunited with her only surviving family member, her “Nana” – the Dowager Empress, portrayed by Joy Franz. While the trio are on their journey, Soviet general Gleb Vaganov, portrayed by Jason Michael Evans, is chasing them down to kill Anya. Meanwhile, the Dowager Empress is losing hope that she will be united with her real granddaughter, Anastasia.

The most surprising aspect of this adaptation was the more mature elements in writing as well as the central tension of the plot. Rather than using the film character of the sorcerer Rasputin, himself based on a real man, this adaptation infused more history and politics into the plot to better serve a broader audience.

Weaving in historical context

One of the major criticisms of the original animated film was the depiction of Anastasia Romanov being the sole survivor of the Romanov massacre, during the Bolshevik Revolution, when in actuality she was not. For millions, the film, and now this musical production, is an introduction to the Romanov family and the only point of reference.

Though the plot of the musical and film are filled with inaccuracies and should not be considered a biographic work, there are elements to the Broadway adaptation that feel more myth than fairy tale. These changes enhanced the plot, which makes for a more compelling story.

The antagonist of the musical production, Gleb, is the son of a soldier who was a part of the firing squad that killed the Romanov family. This element made him much more of an interesting villain than Rasputin from the film. Gleb is proud of the new Russia (U.S.S.R.) and his father’s role as executioner, despite the regrets he admits to having. Gleb’s nationalism toward his country at the expense of freedom is something that nearly 100 years later one sees in the U.S and around the world. As much as one would disagree with his actions, it is easier to sympathize for Gleb acting on what he believes is best, “I am nothing but a man! With nothing but his orders.”

Another benefit of adding the richness and history into the fabric of the story is that the people who tried to escape become more humanized, as they make up the musical’s chorus. The elites, artists and academics of the U.S.S.R. attempt to escape the closing borders at the same time as Dmitry, Anya and Vlad. Before departure at the train station, there is a pause and the beautiful, haunting song “Stay, I Pray You” begins.

The glitz and humor of the story before this point leaves the audience forgetting that the main trio and all those trying to leave Russia are all refugees. This element shows the suffering of refugees and the sentiment that one does not typically foresee leaving their home country.

Set and costumes

The set for the musical production was almost too seamless and grand. This is because an artist, or anyone who has worked in theater production, would find themselves in awe of the setting and transitions while wondering what was put in place for the transitions to be so smooth – forgetting that dialogue and songs were taking place. This will not be an issue of the average viewer and honestly goes to show how intricate and well designed the whole stage was.

The colors and fabrics in costuming aided greatly in setting the tone of the scene. The cast was bundled up and dreary in the U.S.S.R., then, without missing a beat, become fabulous and upbeat in 1927 Paris.

When dressing the chorus, many musicals have the cast look unified as if all the members are siblings gathered for a family photo. However, Linda Cho, costume designer, and Charles G. Lapointe, hair and wig design, made the “Anastasia” chorus look like individuals who cohesively stood out without overshadowing the main cast. This is outside of the actual family photo portrayed in the opening of Act I. One example of this was Kourtney Keitt’s stunning orange jumper during the performance of “Land of Yesterday.”

The sparkling, ornate costumes worn by the Romanov family, including the Grand Duchess, were so extravagant that the worst seat in the house would still be in awe. Even in scenes featuring the family as ghosts, the shimmers combined with all white wardrobe made them ethereal and mesmerizing as they danced across the stage.

Better together

From start to finish, nearly every performer was convincing, in step and in tune. Coogan’s performance as Anastasia did falter a few times such as when she gets into a fight with a group of comrades with Dimitry. When she was swinging the weapon around to defend herself it was supposed to be funny, but the humor didn’t land. Coogan was at her most compelling when she was singing or part of the main trio.

Evans’ performance had similar issues to Coogan. He also had a strong voice but his acting was weakest on stage alone. His posture as a trained soldier made sense as to why he was not as expressive with his body movements, but he was very stiff unless he had others on stage to balance him out.

Tari Kelly as Countess Lily, hand to the dowager empress, and Staudenmayer as Vlad captivated the room when they were on stage. Being the comic relief, there is a home advantage to likablilty, but they both exceeded that through delightful performances. This was exponentially more apparent when they were performing together in songs like “The Countess and the Common Man” and “The Press Conference.”

Despite the few awkward moments when leading characters were too cartoonish, the production was still magical and moving. The performers interacting with each other and the immersive visuals made for an incredible storytelling experience. If one loves musicals that explore culture through a historical lens, albeit mostly fictitiously, then this is a show worth stopping for.

For more information on the tour and or seeing the show on Broadway visit anastasiathemusical.com.

This is the trailer for the Broadway musical.