Musical theatre / Anastasia, Sydney Lyric Theatre until July 18. Reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

This sumptuous production tells the story of Anya, an amnesiac young woman.

Anya hopes to find some trace of her past by siding with two con men to take advantage of her resemblance to the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov who was rumoured to have escaped and survived the execution of the Russian Imperial Family in the dawning days of the Russian Revolution. 

Based on the animation film of the same name, this musical play with music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, Anastasia premiered on Broadway in 2017.

Much in the style of classic musicals such as My Fair Lady and Phantom of the Opera, Anastasia boasts a cast of many of the country’s finest musical theatre performers headed by Georgina Hopson as Anya.

Having already starred in a string of Australian productions of major musicals, among them Ragtime, Phantom of the Opera, both on Sydney Harbour and in the Sydney Opera House, My Fair Lady, and Evita, gives a luminous performance as Anya. Her soaring rendition of Journey to the Past elicited cheers from the first-night audience. 

Similarly, Joshua Robson, who previously starred opposite Hopson in the 2022 Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, thrilled with his commanding performance as the sinister protagonist, Gleb, charged with disproving Anya’s story. His chilling rendition of The Neva Flows setting the tone for his relationship with Anya.

As Anya’s unlikely partners in crime, Robert Tripolino as the vagabond Dmitry, and Rodney Dobson as the fatherly Vlad both get opportunities to shine. Tripolino with his energetic performance of My Petersburg, and Dobson in his duet The Countess and the Common Man with Rhonda Burchmore. 

In this duet Burchmore as Countess Lily (the role created on Broadway by Caroline O’Connor and who, co-incidentally, is starring across the city in another musical, The Prom), challenges Dobson by pulling out every trick in her formidable comedic armoury to deliver a scene-stealing performance that has little to do with advancing the storyline but is tremendous fun for the audience.

Directed by Tony Award winner Darko Tresnjak, who utilises opulent settings, enhanced with superb video projections, lavish costumes and swirling ballroom scenes to evoke the splendour of imperial Russia.

With witty choreography by Peggy Hickey, who manages to incorporate excerpts from Swan Lake without interrupting the flow of Quartet at the Ballet, Anastasia is both a visual and aural feast for the senses. 

However, it is the casting of the legendary Nancye Hayes as the Dowager Empress, a role that could have been written for her, that makes this production one not to be missed, at least for this reviewer. 

From her opening scene with the young Anastasia, played charmingly on opening night by Willa Valaris, to her final acceptance of Anya’s claim for recognition, Hayes dominates every scene in which she appears, becoming the jewel in the crown of a magnificent production.