Show guide
Anastasia
Anastasia follows a young amnesiac street sweeper in post revolutionary Russia who may or may not be the last surviving daughter of the Romanov dynasty.
- Broadway premiere
- 2017
- Music by
- Stephen Flaherty
- Genre
- Drama
- Setting
- 1920s
Anastasia: quick answers
What is Anastasia about?
- Anastasia follows Anya, a young amnesiac in 1920s Russia who teams up with two con men to pose as the lost Grand Duchess Anastasia, travels to Paris to meet the Dowager Empress, and begins to suspect she really is the princess.
When did Anastasia open on Broadway?
- Anastasia opened on Broadway on April 24, 2017, at the Broadhurst Theatre, after premiering at Hartford Stage in 2016. It played 808 performances before closing on March 31, 2019.
What kind of musical is Anastasia?
- Anastasia is a romantic book musical by Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, and Terrence McNally, adapted from the 1997 animated film. It keeps six of the film's songs, adds 16 new ones, and drops the film's magic in favor of a more grounded, historical story.
Where and when is Anastasia set?
- Anastasia is set in Saint Petersburg (later Leningrad) in 1907, 1917, and 1927, and in Paris in 1927.
Is there a Anastasia movie?
- The musical is based on the 1997 animated film Anastasia, directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, with Meg Ryan, John Cusack, and Kelsey Grammer. An earlier live-action Anastasia (1956) starred Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner.
The story of Anastasia
Set in the years after the Russian Revolution, Anastasia centers on Anya, a young woman with no memory of her past who is recruited by two con men, Dmitry and Vlad, to pose as the missing Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov in order to claim a reward from the exiled Dowager Empress. As Anya's journey takes her from Russia to Paris, fragments of real memory begin to surface, raising the question of whether she might truly be the lost princess.
Pursued by Gleb, a Soviet officer torn between duty and growing feelings for Anya, the show blends romance, political drama, and mystery. It draws on the real historical uncertainty surrounding Anastasia Romanov's fate as well as the earlier animated film, reworking the story with a more grounded, historically minded tone for the stage.
The music and the makers
The stage musical features music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and a book by Terrence McNally, the same team behind Ragtime, adapting and expanding the score from the 1997 animated film. Their sweeping, classically influenced style suits the show's blend of fairy tale romance and twentieth century Russian history.
Film favorites such as "Journey to the Past" and "Once Upon a December" remain central to the score, joined by newly written songs such as Dmitry and Anya's duet "In a Crowd of Thousands," while Gleb's own numbers, "Still" and "The Neva Flows," deepen his character and give the stage version a more layered, adult emotional palette than its animated source.
Anastasia on Broadway
Anastasia opened on Broadway in April 2017 at the Broadhurst Theatre, with Christy Altomare as Anya and Derek Klena as Dmitry, following an earlier out of town premiere at Hartford Stage. The production emphasized lavish period costumes and projection based scenery to depict its sweeping journey from Russia to Paris.
The show ran for roughly two years before closing on Broadway in March 2019, and it has since been staged internationally, including productions in Madrid and Stuttgart, Germany. It stands as one of the more prominent stage adaptations to expand meaningfully beyond its animated film source, adding new characters and material rather than simply restaging the movie.
Anastasia: frequently asked questions
When did Anastasia open on Broadway?
Anastasia opened on Broadway in April 2017 at the Broadhurst Theatre.
Who composed Anastasia?
Stephen Flaherty composed the music, with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and a book by Terrence McNally.
What is Anastasia about?
Anastasia follows an amnesiac young woman in post revolutionary Russia who is groomed to impersonate the missing Grand Duchess Anastasia, only to wonder if she truly is the lost princess.
Can you name today's mystery Broadway show?
Play the Show Guesser