Anastasia the Musical: Youth Edition

Anastasia is a well-trodden story of an amnesiac orphan princess who sets out to discover her true heritage and, in the process, falls in love. It’s probably best known to most via the 1997 animated movie. Previously a 1950s vehicle for Ingrid Bergman, the Fox Studios cartoon added Meg Ryan, a couple of zippy songs and some cutesy sidekicks. The result was a modest success, but clearly enough to warrant a Broadway musical revamp and, lo and a behold, here it is in all its pomp, with added jazz hands.

That’s not strictly true. There’s not much jazz at work here. What we have is a lovely score from Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens with a smart book from Terrence McNally. Lightning struck for this trio with their masterpiece Ragtime, which managed (as Anastasia does) to look at a turbulent period of 20^th century through the prism of individual triumph and tribulation.

Sadly, Anastasia has things to recommend it but it lacks the ‘take-home tunes’ and dramatic dynamite to make it a copper-bottomed classic.

This, a recently released youth edition, is nicely aimed at the schools’ market. There’s some exciting preliminary material about the ‘buzz’ of being part of a company and in a show.

The layout is colourful and eye-catching, and this is certainly a production which would suit schools looking to stage a dynamic show with a large cast. There’s scope for a decent ensemble too. All these things matter when it comes to trying to accommodate a cast which may well fluctuate in size during the rehearsal period.

McNally’s book is serviceable with some nice moments, and the songs are pleasant – rather than being the best work of Flaherty and Ahrens. Some schools often reach a point in which they wonder what to stage next, possibly exhausting lots of popular options for audience favourites with a large cast. This could be that next show. I’m not sure that it would be my first choice but perhaps I’m the wrong demographic and the generation who grew up rewinding the original cartoon on VHS might now cherish this sweet, simple fable.