#anastasia cast: hartford

[derekklenadaily]

Flashback Friday: Several press pictures of 'Anastasia' for their run in Hartford, Connecticut in 2016!

[bootleglesbian]

available bootlegs

this is everything i currently have available (updated 06/18/24). if you have anything to trade i generally prefer that but i am open to gifting any of the titles that are not starred! as a rule, if no cast is listed or only some members are listed, that means that i do not know the cast but i am happy to send a screenshot if you would like (and if anyone is interested in helping me identify unknown casts or dates of any files, let me know!).

green = video, pink = audio, starred = trade or donations only

*Anastasia (Hartford Theatre pre-Broadway run - Christy Altomare, Derek Klena)

*Anastasia (Broadway - Christy Altomare, Derek Klena)

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Broadway, 06/24/18 - Melissa Benoist)

Beetlejuice (Broadway, 10/31/19 aka Halloween)

Book of Mormon (Broadway - Ben Platt)

Come From Away (Broadway - Jenn Collela)

Falsettos (Proshot)

Falsettos (Broadway - ORC, not proshot)

Falsettos (Tour - Max von Essen, Nick Adams, Eden Espinosa, Nick Blaemire, Audrey Cardwell, Bryonha Marie Parham)

*Falsettos (Tour - Max von Essen, Nicka Adams, Eden Espinosa, Nick Blaemire, Audrey Cardwell, Bryonha Marie Parham)

Freaky Friday (La Jolla)

*Ghost (Broadway - Caissie Levy)

Hamilton (Broadway - Lexi Lawson)

Hamilton (First National Tour - Michael Luwoye, Solea Pffeifer, Joshua Henry, Emmy Raver Lampman, Isaiah Johnson, Jordan Donica, Mathenee Treco, Ruben J. Carbajal, Amber Iman, Rory O'Malley)

*Hamilton (Chicago Act 1 only - Karen Olivo, Ariana Afsar, Samantha Marie Ware, Miguel Cervantes, Joshua Henry)

*Hamilton (Broadway - OBC, not proshot)

*The Last Five Years (Off-Broadway - Betsy Wolfe, Adam Kantor)

*Lempicka (Broadway, 03/38/24 - Eden Espinosa, Amber Iman, Andrew Samonsky, George Abud, Natalie Joy Johnson, Zoe Glick, Nathaniel Stampley, Beth Leavel)

*Mean Girls (Broadway, 02/22/20 - Renee Rapp, Erika Henningson, Barrett Wilbert Weed, Grey Henson, Kate Rockwell, Krystina Alabado, Kyle Selig)

*Mean Girls (National Tour)

*Mystery of Edwin Drood (Broadway - Stephanie J. Block, Betsy Wolfe, Jessie Mueller)

*The Prom (Alliance Theatre pre-Broadway - Caitlin Kinnunen, Anna Grace Barlow)

*She Loves Me (Broadway - ORC proshot)

Waitress (ART pre-Broadway run - Jessie Mueller, Jeanna de Waal, Keala Settle, Drew Gehling, Joe Tippett, Dakin Matthews, Christopher Fitzgerald, Eric Anderson)

*Waitress (Broadway - Jessie Mueller, Keala Settle, Molly Jobe, Drew Gehling)

*Waitress (Broadway - Sara Barielles, Chris Diamantopoulos, Charity Angel Dawson, Molly Jobe, Will Swenson, Christopher Fitzgerald)

*Waitress (Broadway, 06/19/17 - Betsy Wolfe, Drew Gehling)

Waitress (Broadway, 12/14/17 - Stephanie Torns, Jason Mraz)

Waitress (Broadway - Shoshana Bean, Jeremy Jordan)

*Waitress (Broadway - Shoshana Bean, Jeremy Jordan)

Waitress (Broadway, 02/03/19 - Sara Bareilles, Gavin Creel)

Waitress (Tour, 08/26/18)

Wicked (Broadway, 02/01/15 - Caroline Bowman, Kara Lindsey)

Wicked (Broadway, 02/10/13 - Donna Vivino, Ali Mauzey, Kyle Dean Massey, Randy Danson, Adam Grupper, Catherine Charlebois, F. Michael Haynie, Tom Flynn)

Wicked (unknown - Eden Espinosa, Megan Hilty)

*Wicked (Broadway - Stephanie J. Block, Annaleigh Ashford)

*Wicked (Broadway - Lindsay Mendez, Katie Rose Clark)

[anastasiamusicalupdates]

Anastasia the Musical Costumes: Anya

Russia

The first costume we see an adult Anya wearing is her iconic Russian coat and skirt. This costume is nearly identical in nearly every production. The main differences between productions are in the wigs, which can differ when it comes to braid placement, waves vs curls vs straight, and shade. Some productions include dirt smudges on Anya’s face. The costume features a brown woven coat, thick belt, patterned skirt, and boots. Underneath, Anya actresses wear a peasant blouse, wool stockings, and striped bloomers. Some scenes feature fingerless gloves.

(Christy Altomare, Broadway)

Learn To Do It

The Russia costume with the coat removed, so we can see the peasant blouse underneath. The exact pattern can sometimes differ, and some productions will use just one garment as a blouse while others will use two layered pieces.

(María Arévalo Saez, Madrid)

Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart

The design for this gown is a white suit-like dress with blue accents. She also wears matching shoes and new jewelry. At this point her hairstyle changes to an updo, either a low bun or roll, with finger waves. Anya also begins wearing brighter red lipstick. The Hartford production had Anya in a completely different pink dress with a more 1920s silhouette, though no pictures exist of this costume.

(Molly Rushing, Broadway)

In a Crowd of Thousands

Here, Anya wears a nightgown/chemise. The exact shimmery pattern can be different between productions. This is the only point in act two that Anya does not wear her updo, instead wearing a long wig with loose curls pulled away from her face.

(Christy Altomare, Broadway)

Pink Ballet Hartford

The original design for this gown was a light pink, flowing dress with short transparent gloves. The original collar gradually got raised over the course of the Hartford production, the only production to ever use this design.

(Christy Altomare, Hartford)

Blue Ballet

When the show moved to Broadway, the gown was designed to reflect the animated film’s ballet dress. Every replica production since has used this design. It is a more structured gown with blue beading and long white gloves.

(Kathryn Boswell, Broadway)

Marketing Post-Ballet OUAD Reprise Coat

When packing after the ballet, Anya has changed into a long purple velvet coat. It is relatively simple, though it has some embroidery over the front buttons. Though the marketing posters show her wearing this dress with a long wavy wig, that wig is never featured in the show and instead the dress is worn with her usual act two updo. The marketing wig looks very similar to the wig worn during In a Crowd of Thousands, however the marketing wig generally had tighter waves rather than loose curls, and it also had a knotted bun in the back.

(Christy Altomare, early marketing for Hartford and Broadway)

Finale

The last outfit Anya wears in the show is her red gown to reflect the royal status she’s come to discover (and will soon reject). Exact embroidery can differ between productions. It is strapless with a wide and low waistline, featuring gold and red decals. The skirt is severely pleated to give the appearance of a split in the front to reveal a red beaded underskirt. It is worn with long white gloves, a large red and gold tiara, matching earrings, and a bracelet. Sometimes it is short enough that Anya’s shoes are visible.

(Victoria Madden, Second National Tour)

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

During the parade, the Broadway cast of Anastasia performed Once Upon a December and Anya got a new costume, only ever used for this performance and never in the actual stage show. Anya starts the song in a brown hooded cloak, removed to reveal a pink Russian court dress, pink shoes, and tiara. The hairstyle is the act one braided look, but slightly shorter, more voluminous on top, and with loose curls instead of waves.

(Christy Altomare, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade)

[goldenmaknaes]

The opening night curtain call for the Broadway production of Anastasia (April 24, 2017).

[christinealtomare]

anastasiabway: We're gonna need an Anya/Dmitry baking show on Food Network after seeing this video of @christyaltomare and @derek_klena. #AnastasiaTheMusical

[anastasiasource]

nicolescimeca9: Happy birthday #marybethpeil! 🎂🍾🎊🎉❤️❤️❤️ Have a great day off and we will celebrate at the show tomorrow! #nana#dowagerempress #anastasiabroadway#anastasiamusical #broadwaykid@anastasiabway #younganastasia

[sunlightnstorms]

Ana Villafañe as Nina Rosario.

Ana Villafañe singing Breathe, as Nina Rosario.

That is all everyone, thank you for your time

[margridarnauds]

for honesty hour: thoughts on tkz's adaptation of anastasia?

Honestly, I genuinely believe it's the best possible production we've gotten. Anastasia, Frozen, and Prince of Egypt are sort of my unholy trio of "musical adaptations of legendary pieces of animation that ultimately just couldn't live up to their hype/removed or reworked key aspects of what made people like the originals." It was difficult because they tried to both have their cake and eat it too, they wanted something that would both appeal to fans of the film while also...basically creating an entirely new musical, reworking key elements, removing fan favorite songs and fan favorite characters. Sometimes, it works -- I think most people would agree that Gleb works better as a villain than Rasputin. Other times, it doesn't (Dmitri, the odd infantilization of Anya in the Broadway/replica, the overall issues of tone with making it a significantly darker musical while also trying to keep a few cartoonish scenes in there, all the historical baggage that comes when you make what had been a loosely historical fairy tale into something closer to a historical fiction AU.) I remember looking forward to the initial run in Hartford, then listening to the audios when they were first released, and kind of going "this is it?" There were a few things I liked, but it just didn't quite live up to the hype of FINALLY having a musical adaptation of Anastasia. I shipped Glebya, I've been shipping it since basically Day 1, there's never been a time I haven't, really, but it was in a sort of....abstract way, especially since there used to be. So much. Discourse. (There still is every once in a while, but [1] things have calmed down since the Broadway closed down and [2] ...I blocked pretty much everyone involved.) I wasn't particularly interested in it. I didn't HATE it, but....I didn't really *care* enough about it to hate it.

Then, came the Zuka. And I decided that, before I saw the musical live, since I bought discount tickets, I might as well actually see it. And it was like "Oh. This is what it should have been." (Which almost was a disappointment when I saw it live, even though there was a lot I liked from that particular cast as well.)

Like, you have a cast that's firing on every possible cylinder, everyone cast perfectly, everyone throwing themselves into it. You've got a Gleb that's soft enough to be a plausible romantic interest to Anya even if we know it can't happen but who's ALSO hard enough to be a credible antagonist, who trades out the goofiness mixed with domination and chauvinism of some other Glebs with this....weariness. (Though he still gets his goofy moments.) Anya herself is the right blend between obviously being haunted and traumatized but also having a spine of steel, so she isn't 😲 gasping 😲 every 😲 five 😲 seconds 😲 like 😲 the 😲 human 😲 embodiment 😲 of 😲 this 😲 emoji 😲. (Not to name names, but if you know Anastasia...you know who.) I feel like the fact that it's Takarazuka and it's already stylized and most musumeyaku are going to be used to toeing a line between feisty and feminine means that Anya comes off as much more organic, as a character, than she does in, say, the Broadway, where her beating off the guys attacking her and Dmitri looks...cartoony, but in a way that's jarring with the tone of the musical. Here, it kind of fits in with the stylization we generally expect from a Zuka musical. Her voice is innocent and sweet, but there's also this strength and fullness to it that I really like

Dmitri...look. I don't like him. I will never like him. I feel like he's one of the original sins of the musical where it's like....they cut out most of what made Animated!Dmitri compelling and, by softening Anya up so much, they made the dynamic unequal in a really unpleasant way. But Suzuho has enough charisma that like...she does a good job almost convincing me otherwise. I really, really love the way that her and Madoka's voices go together in "A Crowd of Thousands." I didn't like the way that Dmitri is shoved into almost all of Anya's songs, except for "In My Dreams", but...I've been a Zuka fan for over....God, at least six years at this point. I know the drill, I knew what I was in for. I'd love for it to be a Sainte d'Amour situation where Anya really gets to be the heroine and protagonist, but like...I know the drill. I know the business. And Suzuho does so WELL with Dmitri's songs where it's like "Okay, I'm going to log out of the story and listen to the music here." I even liked the added song more than I thought I would, and it felt like it really fit the flow of the musical as a whole in a way that a lot of songs added for Zuka don't. (Like, yes...it's a shilling song for Dmitri, but it's a *good* shilling song, and it's incorporated enough through the rest of the musical that it feels like it has a place.)

And Gleb. GLEB. Totally steals the show, love of my life, I was so grateful to see that they put all that work into him instead of making him a one dimensional villain. Kiki has this amazing ability to just...throw herself into any role she's cast in. Like, if you'd told me that the woman who played the most fruity and capricious Moriarty I think I've ever seen ALSO played an absolutely heartbreaking and compelling Gleb...I'm not sure I'd have believed it. And like, yes, that everyone involved's a professional actor means that they SHOULD be able to do that, but for a lot of actors and actresses, both in and outside of Zuka, it can be very hard to break out of typecasting. But in her case...she's something very special.

Also: LILY. So much effortless poise and energy and charisma rolled into one. I did not expect myself to keep going back to her song, but she just...sells it, in every possible way. I can't take my eyes off of her. It's actually a little hard to see the Broadway/replica production now when I've seen how an ensemble + actress who are trained in dancing can pull off this scene.

99% of the time, I love the costuming and the set work, I think they really did a phenomenal job reinterpreting the costumes -- I especially love Lily's red dress, Anya's rags, Anya and Dmitri's night clothing (especially because I've always HATED the Broadway costumes for that scene) ,Dmitri's green coat (and then the blue coat) ....my one complaint is the opera dress, and that's mainly because the opera gown from the Broadway/replica productions is so iconic, I was really looking forward to seeing what Zuka did with it, and...it isn't a BAD dress, it's not ugly, I love the velvet, I love the lace, I love the hem, but it's just...not what I was expecting, it's a little on the plain side, and I was expecting a lot more sparkle from Zuka, known purveyors of sparkle. Like, this is Anya's BIG DRESS, her big Wow moment, and it just didn't quite translate with the gown they used.

Overall, basically an almost perfect production of a profoundly imperfect musical that smooths over a lot of the rough edges of its source. I'm really glad they were able to get the rights to put it on and then the rights to release a DVD.

[setitofflove143]

My current list of bootlegs:

- Aladdin

- Alice By Heart

- Anastasia OBC

- Anastasia Hartford

- Anastasia Final Show with Cody Simpson

- Anastasia Touring Cast 2021 (audio)

- Bandstand OBC

- Carrie Off-Broadway 2012 Revival

- Catch Me If You Can OBC

- Dogfight Original Off-Broadway

- Frozen with Ryan MCartan, McKenzie Kurtz, and Ciara Renée

- Great Comet OBC

- Great Comet with Oak

- Hadestown OBC

- Heathers with Dan Domenech

- Hunchback of Notre Dame Original Off-Broadway

- Jagged Little Pill OBC

- Jagged Little Pill with Iris Menas

- Les Mis with Adam Jacobs

- Les Mis with Joshua Grosso and Nick Cartell

- Les Mis with Tam Mutu

- Mean Girls with Reneé Rapp

- Moulin Rouge Boston Closing

- Moulin Rouge Derek Klena and Ashley Loren Opening Night Audio

- Moulin Rouge OBC

- Next to Normal 2nd Broadway Preview

- The Three Musketeers with Aaron Tveit

- Waitress with Jeremy Jordan and Shoshana Bean

- Wicked with Aaron Tveit

- Wicked with Ryan McCartan

[anastasiamusicalupdates]

A Guide to the Anastasia Productions

Hartford - The show’s month long pre-Broadway trial in Hartford, Connecticut from May 13 2016 to June 2016.

Broadway - The show ran on Broadway from March 23 2017 to March 31 2019. Previews ended and shows open to the public on April 24 2017. The show performed at the Broadhurst Theatre. The book, libretto, blocking, and design were all slightly adjusted after the show moved from Hartford to Broadway and all subsequent productions have used the Broadway changes.

Madrid, Spain - The Madrid production ran from October 10 2018 to March 7 2020, when performances were suspended due to covid. The announcement that the show would not reopen was made in September. The show was performed at the Coliseum Theatre in Spanish.

First National Tour - The first North American tour ran from October 12 2018 to March 12 2020, when performances were suspended due to covid. The first version of the tour never reopened.

Stuttgart, Germany - The Stuttgart production ran from November 15 2018 to October 13 2019. It performed at the Stage Palladium Theatre in German.

The Hague, Netherlands - The Dutch production ran from September 22 2019 to March 23 2020, when performances were suspended due to covid. The announcement that the show would not reopen was made in April. It performed at the AFAS Circustheatre and was managed by Stage Entertainment. Because it was located in the Scheveningen district of The Hague, it is sometimes referred to as the Scheveningen production. It was performed in Dutch.

Tokyo, Japan - The Japan production was meant to be a tour, with performances in both Tokyo and Osaka, however the Osaka performances were cancelled due to covid. The production ran in Tokyo from March 9 2020 to March 27 2020, with only 14 performances. The theatre was the Theatre Orb and it was performed in Japanese.

Takarazuka Japanese Tour - The Takarazuke production was a non-replica produced by Takarazuka Revue with an all female cast in Japanese. It performed shows in both Takarazuka and Tokyo. It ran at the Takarazuka Grand Theatre from November 7 2020 to December 14 2020, and at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre from January 8 2021 to February 21 2021.

Second National Tour - The second North American tour began when the first tour reopened on October 15 2021, however because this tour was non-equity with an entirely new cast it is considered an entirely different tour.

Malmö, Sweden - The Swedish production ran from September 2 2022 to November 12 2022 in Swedish. It was a non-replica performed at the Malmö Opera, and so is usually referred to as the Malmö Opera production.

Tampere, Finland: The Finnish production began on September 2 2022. It is a non-replica production that is performing at Tampere Theatre in Finnish.

Linz, Austria: The Austrian production began on September 10 2022. It is a non-replica production that is performing at the Landestheatre in German.

São Paulo, Brazil: The Brazil production began on November 9 2022. It is performed in Portuguese, at the Renault Theatre, and is produced by T4F and Caradiboi.

Mexico City, Mexico: A Mexican production is set to open in 2023 at the Teatro Telcel, produced by OCESA Teatro.

There have also been announced an Australian production and a Russian production, though those were both announced before the pandemic so plans may have changed.

[goldenmaknaes]

The opening night curtain call for the Broadway production of Anastasia (April 24, 2017).

[christinealtomare]

The program for the Hartford production of “Anastasia.”

[anastasiasource]

From Kathryn Boswell’s Instagram stories (July 14, 2018)

[earith]

constantineroman “In my dreams it’s so real...” ✨

From being cast as Tsar Nicholas in our Hartford Stage ‘Anastasia’... to being assigned Count Ipolitov and ‘Stay, I Pray You’, on the second day of rehearsal in Hartford... to being cast, additionally, as a Gleb understudy for ‘Anastasia’ on Broadway... to closing the two-year Broadway run as Gleb Vaganov.

A kid running barefoot on a tiny Greek island in the middle of the sea, listening to musicals alone in my room... to this moment.

Dream big, my friends. Dream big.

All my love.

CG 🖤💜

[nxtatsarinaindistress]

Let me have a moment, let me say goodbye...

While I was growing up I loved princess movies. I binge watched the sleeping beauty and Aladdin to the point today I can told you the exacts words and movements cuz I’m like that. But one good day, mom arrived with a movie. She told me it was about a lost princess and my monarchic ass was jumping across all the living room waiting for her to putt it. (It was an effort to make me happy cuz my father brook my Aladdin’s VHS) The love for the film was instantaneous. I was love struck by the songs, by Anya, by the fact that she saved herself just as Leía did.

Then a good one day, I was watching it on my grandmother’s house and I was like “Anastasia this, Anastasia that.” And she was like “she died with the rest of her family.” Since that moment I was obsessed with the Romanov family and their finals day (I was five but I was a huge history nerd already)

Years passed and of course, Anastasia was still important to me.

But it became even more important because journey to the past was the first song I sang in my performing classes. So my journey for becoming the actress I’m today started the day I sang that song. So yeah maybe I like Anastasia.

Some years passed, and my lil sister asked if I could sing her something in her 15 party. I panicked. I have any idea of what should I fucking sing. And then it hit me. She was going to dance the vals; why don’t try with once upon a December? I didn’t rehearsal in the stage until that very night. I was SCREAMING IN FEAR. Yet I did it. I sang my first ever song alone. And it was magical. My dress was in the same shade of the dress Anya wears in the film. everyone was dancing around the Val’s while I was singing it was just surreal. I was sitting in a table and I started singing and walked to the stage. My own family asked my if it was my voice for real because it was stunning. IMAGINE THAT.

I remember that it was announced that Anastasia was going to be a musical. I was screaming in every damn language I’m capable of speak.

I loved christy since the very beginning she was just so lovely. I remember I had troubles at first with the poster it was just to weird but I accepted it and I loved it. And when I watched the 👢of Hartford I was like “okay where is the blue dress, why is OUAD before JYP, where is Rasputin.” And when I watched it again I understood everything.

This musical was not longer a fairytale like the film, it was more dark. More true to the story. And I loved it.

When it moved to NY I was like: I NEED TO GO TO NY. But I knew it was impossible. A friend of mine went to watch the show and she asked Christy to say hi to me. I was so happy yet so sad because I wasn’t going to hug her.

But two weeks after that my mom told me that I was traveling to ny. And I just exploded with emotion. I was going to hug Christy and told her how much I loved her. Anastasia a new broadway musical was my first broadway musical. I get to not only say hi to christy but to have a photo and a beautiful letter she gave me. She is the most sweet and beautiful woman ever. A light to this dark world.

Months later I was back in ny but I was like: I will not see this show again I want to see others. But then that sad day came. Anastasia announced it was closing.

My heart was CRYING. I screamed in my whole ass apartment my roommates where like “what’s wrong with ye.” So I decided I was gonna stage door to see her once last time. The first time she didn’t come. But at least I met Kathryn and she was an angel. The other one, she was talking with the producers and blah blah.

Then the third time came. I checked and she was on the show. I gave her my cd and the photo we took in June. She remembered me and she gave me the most sweet hug ever and she was happy that I didn’t cry that time.

One good day I woke up and I was like: I’m gonna see this fucking show again. I’m working and I deserve it. That day oh gosh. I went to the highline and then to the theater.

My mom was like “only if you get the cheapest one” and I was okay. Sure. I was shaking because it was the end of February and everyone was rushing to buy the tickets to watch it before it closes.

AND I DID. I GET THE TICKET.

I cried and cried because I was so damn happy. I was gonna see the show again.

My sister and my parents came to ny because they were actually missing me and my sister was like I want to see Anastasia so we watched the show together.

And once again I saw Christy. This time I didn’t ask for a photo just for a hug. That time was more personal more “thank you for everything.” And she said to me “I love you.” My heart, my heart, my heart.

Back in September I said someone please pay me the plane ticket to Madrid so I can go to Anastasia.

Guess who payed her plane ticket? MYSELF.

Yet I wasn’t going to see Anastasia even if I wanted. Ticket were expensive. I was going to watch billy or west side story. (Madrid is one of the capitals theater so as an actress I had to watch a show) but ticket were way more expensive.

So I went to the theater of Anastasia and I asked for the cheapest ticket for that night. I was like so sad cuz it was obvious I was not watching it. Even the woman was like “I don’t think I have.” but destiny works in a way that we don’t understand. SHE HAD TICKETS and that same day was the fan day with Carlos and Jana. So I met both of my fav characters.

So I have this special relationship with Anastasia. It’s so important to me. It’s a big part of my history as a performer and it’s looks like all my ways end up in the show.

Happy trails to the cast of Anastasia.

Dasvidaniya, Anastasia.

(That’s a lil vid of me singing once upon a December)

HOME LOVE FAMILY

[evanhansens]

home, love, family - always.

I’ve been meaning to write something about Anastasia closing being announced, but I guess I just kept putting it off because it just made it that much more real.

I’m not going to spin you some sort of tale where I was shocked and how could Anastasia be closing? Because that would be a huge lie and I think we all know it. We’ve all seen the grosses, some of us have been there and just looked around the theater and been like - yep, this is where we are. I will say I had deluded myself into thinking they had lined someone up as Dmitry to get them through the summer post-Cody but I always knew a closing was imminent.

But let us not dwell on that, let’s focus on this show - this gorgeous show that has found its way so deeply into my heart. I happen to be old enough to remember when the movie came out and I remember getting the VHS (yes, I’m “old”) for my first communion and I just fell in love with it. Journey to the Past joined Part of Your World as one of the songs I would sing around the house and ultimately annoy everyone around me with.

I remember when talk of Anastasia becoming a musical began to happen and I was super excited because of growing up with the movie. TBT to the workshop when Kelli Barrett was Anya, Aaron Tveit was Dmitry, and Angela Lansbury reprised her role as the Dowager Empress - that was A TIME. When they announced the run in Hartford and the casting of Christy, Derek, and John - I was beyond excited and even though I sadly didn’t end up going to Hartford as I had planned, I was so happy to know it would be coming to Broadway.

Christy has had my heart since the Spring Awakening tour and I can’t put into words what it was like the first time I saw the show in previews and watched her leave her entire heart on the stage. I watched her bring everything she had to Journey to the Past and I was a sobbing mess by the end of the song. Watching her walk out in the red dress during curtain call was such a beautiful moment and watching her be the leading lady on Broadway that she deserved to be was beautiful. Getting to see Derek originate a leading man role on Broadway was a dream and fit him like a glove - he was Dmitry and he captured everything the con man I grew up knowing from the movie to be and more. John Bolton was born to play Vlad and his over the top showmanship and heart only went further to prove that. Mary Beth was a perfect Dowager – bitter but with such a glimmer of hope beneath, Caroline brought Lily perfectly to life – vivacious, hilarious, and saucy as a former countess needed to be. Ramin’s Gleb was brooding and angry, but a great foil to Dmitry and ultimately what drives home the historical aspects of the plot.

I could go on and on about cast members from this show – Zach’s incredible Dmitry, Lyrica’s gorgeous Odette, Max’s charming Gleb, Kathryn’s adorable Anya, and so on and so on. The point is – this show has brought so many wonderful things into my life over the last two years and saying goodbye is not easy whatsoever. The only thing that makes this feel less painful is knowing Anastasia will continue to impact lives across the country on tour and across the world with their international productions. The message of home, love, family will continue and only expand from here, but alas the journey will come to an end on Broadway.

I can’t put into words how grateful I am for Anastasia and I will hold this time in my heart always. What a beautiful dream you’ve been, Anastasia, and thank you for the journey. <3