April 26 – May 11, 2024
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 p.m.
Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 11 at 2:00 p.m.
March/April 2024
From Tony winners Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, creators of such Broadway classics as “Ragtime” and “Once on This Island,” this dazzling show transports its audience from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing con man and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love and family. (Concord Theatricals.)
Purchase your tickets at thecenterpresents.org.
While the historical reality has debunked the claim of Anastasia’s survival, storytelling, particularly in mediums like musicals, can offer a different lens through which to explore themes of identity, loss and resilience. “Anastasia,” the musical, despite its departure from historical accuracy, can still provide an engaging and empathetic portrayal of a refugee’s journey and the universal desire to reconnect with one’s past and family. Fictional narratives like this allow audiences to delve into emotional landscapes and empathize with characters navigating complex personal journeys, even if they diverge from historical truth.
Bella Agresta – Anya
This is my second show with Civic, and when I saw that Anne Beck was directing, I knew I had to do this show. I think something about Anya that I hope people will understand is that she was just trying to find out who she was. She wanted to find her family and to know who she was … she didn’t want to be [the ] Princess Anastasia.
I didn’t see the movie “Anastasia,” but what I love about this musical is the music. When I was in high school, I was in show choir and a lot of people would sing songs from the show. I’ve always loved the music from this musical, and that’s one thing that helps me get into character because I’ve always really been into music. I think the music and the lyrics are so beautiful. I really love “In My Dreams” … it is so beautiful. I also really love “In a Crowd of Thousands” that Anya sings with Dmitry.
Troy Bridges – Dmitry
This is my first civic show. I’ve seen a couple of shows here in previous years, and I loved the camaraderie. I always knew this was a theater that I wanted to get myself into. When I saw “Anastasia” come up, I was excited to audition for it.
I think, historically, “Anastasia” is really interesting. It was an atrocity that happened so long ago. Disney can paint this picture or fairy tale, but at the end of the day, it was a travesty and I think it’s important for audiences to understand that.
I’ve had a really good experience trying to understand what Dmitry’s motives are. At one point, he’s trying to get out of Russia and get all this money and whatnot, and then later on, he has this whole character development where he and Anya start getting really close and it just completely flips. It’s been really fun getting to understand that.
Steve Kruze – Vlad Popov
I think this is my 13th production with Civic. The experiences are always top-notch. All you have to worry about is bringing the work to the character into the rehearsal room and onto the stage. Everything else gets taken care of.
For me, as a history buff, I happily went back down the rabbit hole to find from the historical perspective what’s happened in the last 20 years, discovering bones and things and finding out that nobody made it out. So, this story is a little more fictional as time has gone along, but that point in that country’s development and learning how things changed and why some of that stuff happened has been interesting, as has figuring out how this character Vlad, who is an amalgam of every sycophant hanging at every table, [is] trying to get a name for himself.
Nathanael Hein – Gleb Vaganov
This is my first show with Civic. Some of my friends were in “The Sound of Music” and it was amazing. I can see there’s a really strong family-like feeling amongst the people that have been here.
I’ve never played an antagonist before. I think Gleb is a really great first one to have a go at. I think Gleb is conflicted about what he truly wants and is stuck in this sense of duty and wanting to obey orders. You can say that he also wants love and wants to grow. I think throughout the story, these things really grate on each other a lot: his wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps, to be a good soldier, and do what’s “right” for the country, and yet he’s taken with Anya. As much as Gleb wants to love Anya, to do that would betray his father’s memory, and it would make what he [his father] did wrong.
CAST LIST
Anya – Bella Agresta
Dmitry – Troy Bridges
Vlad Popov – Steve Kruze
Gleb Vaganov – Nathanael Hein
Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch – Nina Stilabower
The Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorvna – Jill O’Malia
ENSEMBLE:
(All ensemble members will play multiple roles.)
Tsar Nicholas II – David Brock
Tsarina Alexandra – Heather Hansen
Little Anastasia – Louisa Zabel
Young Anastasia – Keegan Connor
Olga Romanov – Emily Lantz
Tatiana Romanov – Renée La Schiazza
Maria Romanov – Alicia Barnes
Marfa – Kelsey McDaniel
Paulina – Alexis Koshenina
Dunya/Countess Gregory – Braxton Hiser
Count Ipolitov – Matthew Sumpter
Gorlinsky – Daniel Wilke
Count Leopold – Tanner Brunson
Count Gregory – Josh Vander Missen
Sergei – Alex Smith
Alexei Romanov – Jackson Duncan
Nolan Daugherty
Chris Ritchie
