As summer starts to heat up in Melbourne, audiences are being transported to a Russian winter wonderland at the Regent Theatre as blockbuster musical Anastasia takes to the stage for the first time in Australia.
This production offers spectacle and glamour, as well as a sensational star-making lead performance, but the story at its heart is rather predictable and at times emotionally unengaging.
Based on the beloved 1997 animated film, Anastasia opens in Saint Petersburg during the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, in which the imperial Romanov family is killed. A decade later, rumours persist that the youngest daughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia, survived, prompting her grandmother, the Dowager Empress (Nancye Hayes), to offer a reward for her discovery.
Anastasia: an amnesiac orphan
Enter Anya (Georgina Hopson), an amnesiac orphan who teams up with conmen Dmitry (Robert Tripolino) and Vlad (Rodney Dobson), who plan to pass her off as Anastasia to claim the reward. While they seek fortune, Anya seeks answers about her past and a place to belong. Rich in history, intrigue and romance, the story is perfectly primed for musical adaptation.
As in the animated film, the lush score is by Broadway duo Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime), who have skilfully expanded and reimagined the original songs while adding new numbers that feel fully integrated into the score. With a book by the legendary Terrence McNally (another Ragtime alum), the show features more traditional book scenes than many contemporary musicals, lending it a classic musical theatre feel.
While Anastasia is well written, its central mystery is resolved too early, making the outcome quickly apparent. In the first act, Anya repeatedly reveals knowledge of the Romanovs she couldn’t plausibly possess unless she were the real Anastasia, which undercuts narrative momentum and emotional stakes. When the destination is so clear, sustaining audience engagement becomes difficult.
That said, the production looks and sounds sumptuous, boasting outstanding performances and a dazzling design.
Georgina Hopson is an astonishingly versatile performer who has spent years building an impressive stage career. From the doe-eyed soprano Christine in The Phantom of the Opera to the raw intensity of Jagged Little Pill and the camp exuberance of Titanique, she has shown remarkable range.
This marks her first lead role in a major commercial musical, and she seizes it completely. Hopson is magnetic on stage, imbuing Anya with warmth and authenticity, while delivering one of the most powerful, precise and effortless voices currently heard in musical theatre.
Her Act One closer, ‘Journey to the Past’, is a thrilling highlight, though every moment she appears feels assured and compelling. This is her moment, and Hopson shines.
Anastasia: a romantic rogue
Returning to Melbourne after several years in the West End, Robert Tripolino plays the romantic rogue Dmitry. While he brings charm to the role, his chemistry with Hopson feels underdeveloped and his vocals were occasionally unstable on opening night, though his performance will likely settle as the run continues. Veteran performer Rodney Dobson brings warmth to the fallen aristocrat Vlad, though the role could benefit from a stronger embrace of its comic potential.
He is at his best opposite Rhonda Burchmore’s Countess Lily, whose impeccable comic timing and exuberance light up the stage. Always a crowd-pleaser, Burchmore delights here with spirited dancing and sharply delivered one-liners.
A key addition to the stage adaptation is Gleb, a Bolshevik general driven by a personal connection to the Romanovs’ downfall. Joshua Robson captures the character’s simmering intensity and inner conflict with assurance, his rich baritone ideally suited to the role.
Anastasia: high production values
Audiences expect high production values from a major commercial musical, and this show delivers. Linda Cho’s lavish costumes shimmer with decadence, texture and movement, with Anya’s purple ballgown and tiara providing a genuine gasp-inducing moment.
Alexander Dodge’s set design fluidly evokes everything from grand palaces to grimy streets, but it is Aaron Rhyne’s ingenious video design that truly elevates the production, creating a thrilling sense of scale, movement and realism. Paired with Darko Tresnjak’s staging (recreated locally by Karen Johnson Mortimer), the video design powers several standout sequences, including the prologue and the Act One train journey to Paris.
It is some of the most effective use of video I’ve seen on stage, lending the production a sweeping cinematic momentum while sharply punctuating key story moments.
Anastasia is a solid traditional musical with an accomplished creative team, stunning design, and an unforgettable central performance. Although the story is predictable and some moments lack an emotional punch, this production still manages to cast a spell over the audience.
