Character guide
Countess Lily
from Anastasia
Countess Lily is the flamboyant lady in waiting who becomes Vlad's love interest in Anastasia, the 2017 musical by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens.
- Show
- Anastasia
- Broadway premiere
- 2017
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Stephen Flaherty
Countess Lily: from the film to Broadway
Broadway compared with the 1997 animated film
Caroline O'Connor originated Countess Lily on Broadway in 2017. She has no exact counterpart in the 1997 animated film: she is the musical's reworking of Sophie, the Dowager Empress's cousin and lady-in-waiting, voiced by Bernadette Peters. The stage version renames her Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch, keeps her as the Dowager Empress's lady-in-waiting, and gives her a past: she and Vlad were once lovers, and in Paris they rekindle their romance.
Lily also gets two new songs, Land of Yesterday, sung with her fellow Russian exiles, and her duet with Vlad, The Countess and the Common Man.
Countess Lily: role facts
- Originated on Broadway by
- Caroline O'Connor (2017)
- Notable performers
- Vicki Lewis later played Lily on Broadway, and Tari Kelly played her on the first North American tour (2018).
- Voice type and range
- Mezzo-soprano (belt)
- Songs Countess Lily sings
- Land of Yesterday (with ensemble)
- The Countess and the Common Man (with Vlad)
- The Press Conference (with Vlad and ensemble)
Who is Countess Lily?
Countess Lily serves as lady in waiting to the exiled Dowager Empress in Paris, a fun loving aristocrat who spends her nights reminiscing with fellow Russian exiles at the Neva Club. Far from standing in the group's way, she becomes their way in to the Empress, arranging for Anya to meet her at the ballet.
Her history with Vlad, a past romance that ended abruptly, resurfaces once the group arrives in Paris, adding a comic, bittersweet subplot to the show's central mystery and giving the older generation of characters their own second chance at love.
Countess Lily's role in Anastasia
Countess Lily is a supporting role built around comic flair and vocal glamour, especially in her entrance number "Land of Yesterday" and her duet with Vlad, "The Countess and the Common Man." The role calls for a performer who can command a room with both wit and warmth.
Caroline O'Connor originated the role on Broadway, praised for her showstopping energy in a relatively brief but memorable part. Audiences remember Countess Lily for providing some of the show's most purely entertaining moments amid its weightier historical drama.
Countess Lily: frequently asked questions
Is Countess Lily in the 1997 Anastasia movie?
Not by that name. Countess Lily is the stage musical's version of Sophie, the Dowager Empress's cousin and lady-in-waiting in the 1997 animated film, where Bernadette Peters voiced her. In the musical she is renamed and has a past love affair with Vlad that the two rekindle in Paris.
What is Countess Lily's full name?
Her full name is Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch. She is the Dowager Empress's lady-in-waiting in Paris, where she and her fellow Russian exiles reminisce about the old country at the Neva Club in the number Land of Yesterday.
What is Countess Lily's connection to Vlad in Anastasia?
Countess Lily and Vlad are former lovers, and she is still angry that he stole her jewelry. When they reunite in Paris they rekindle their romance in the duet The Countess and the Common Man, and Vlad persuades her to let Anya meet the Dowager Empress at the ballet.
What show is Countess Lily from?
Countess Lily is a supporting character in Anastasia, which opened on Broadway in 2017.
Is Countess Lily a lead or supporting role?
Countess Lily is a supporting role, lady in waiting to the Dowager Empress.
Who wrote the music for Anastasia?
Stephen Flaherty composed the music, with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.
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