The rumors in St. Petersburg are true! Fox’s animated feature Anastasia will be waltzing onto a Broadway stage on April 24, 2017, almost 20 years after the iconic film was first released in theaters. No, your eyes do not deceive you, everyone’s favorite non-Disney, true-life princess is coming to Broadway at last.
The stage musical adaptation of the end of the Russian oligarchy will feature songs from the beloved 1997 film, as well as a completely new score from Tony Award-winning team Stephen Ahrens (composer) and Lynn Flaherty (lyricist). The book was written by Terrence McNally, otherwise known as the genius behind Ragtime. The main cast will be comprised of Broadway regulars reprising their roles after a sold-out, pre-Broadway tryout at Connecticut’s Hartford Stage.
“From the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, the new musical Anastasia is the romantic, adventure-filled story of a brave young woman attempting to discover the mystery of her past”, the show’s website reads.
For those of you not caught up on your early 20th century Russian history, Anastasia tells the semi-true story of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, the last child of Tsar Nicholas II. The whole of the Romanov family was executed in 1918, but even after their deaths, rumors of Anastasia’s escape captivated the world, with several women coming forward to claim that they were, in fact, the lost Grand Duchess. And in 1997, that outrageous tale was turned into a children’s film (because what else does one do with a story of extrajudicial execution?), where a girl with a lost memory of her princess past is taken in by a pair of crooks hoping to pass her off as the real Anastasia only to found out that, well, she actually was the real deal all along! Twist, right?
“After finishing a record breaking run in Hartford, we look forward to bringing the magic of Anastasia to Broadway audiences next spring,” explained producers Bill Taylor and Tom Kirdahy in a statement. “In Hartford, we saw people ages 8-100 travel from all over the world to enjoy Anastasia’s enduring story.”
While it’s normal to be hesitant about these sorts of things—adaptations have a bad rep of being cash grabs—all of this sounds insanely promising thanks to sold-out shows and the great cast and crew involved. Besides, it’s pretty much everything I didn’t know I needed. Anastasia, just take all my money and take me on a journey to the past.
For a look behind-the-scenes of the musical, check out these official featurettes:
Tickets are available now.
What do you think? Is an Anastasia musical worth your time? Sound off in the comments below!
Image: Fox
