Review

Anastasia the Musical: Youth Edition

'An option for a school musical that might have more appeal to those who grew up watching the original,' says reviewer Matthew Nichols.
 

Anastasia the Musical: Youth Edition
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 20th century through the prism of individual triumph and tribulation.

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