Anastasia the Musical | Adelaide | Review

With spectacular sets, memorable songs and a heroine older kids will love, Anastasia is a magical night at the theatre for families with tweens and teens.

Review by Carla Caruso

When I mentioned I was going to see Anastasia, someone asked if I meant the noughties pop singer. Then they guessed the nineties Disney movie.

Neither was quite right. Released in 1997, Anastasia was the first animated feature from 20th Century Fox’s animation division, not Disney. Two decades later, it was reimagined as a Broadway musical that has since toured the world. The Australian production is now playing at Adelaide Festival Theatre for a limited season.

I went in with few expectations. I’d never seen the animated film as a kid (musical movies weren’t really my thing) and only vaguely knew it centred on a Russian princess who may or may not have been real.

She did exist. Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II. For decades, rumours swirled that she’d escaped the execution of the Russian royal family during the Russian Revolution, with several women later claiming to be her.

In reality, Anastasia was murdered alongside her family in 1918. The musical transforms one of history’s darkest chapters into a hopeful fairytale. It’s a little unsettling to think that the name of a teenage murder victim still appears in lights around the world. Such is the curious legacy of the Anastasia myth.

The story follows Anya, a young woman with amnesia, who teams up with two conmen hoping to pass her off as the long-lost duchess. What unfolds is a mix of mystery, romance and wish fulfilment as Anya searches for her true identity.

At first, I admired the production more than I connected with it. Everything was there: intricate costumes, flawless choreography, a superb orchestra and immersive video projections transporting us from imperial Russia to 1920s Paris.

It was like a Hollywood film brought to life before my eyes – or stepping inside an elaborate musical box or snow globe – yet I wasn’t convinced it offered anything I hadn’t seen before.

Then something clicked.

Perhaps it was the arrival of Georgina Hopson as Anya that changed everything. With her soaring voice and quiet vulnerability, she makes it impossible not to root for her. Robert Tripolino is equally charming as the lovable conman Dmitry, while Rodney Dobson delivers plenty of laughs as the affable Vlad.

Then there’s Rhonda Burchmore, who steals every scene she appears in as the flamboyant Countess Lily. At 66, she still matches the rest of the cast step for step. Rounding out the principal cast is Nancye Hayes as Anastasia’s grandmother, portraying a woman shaped by loss and experience, with an elegant resemblance to the late Maggie Smith.

Somewhere along the way, I realised I was completely caught up in Anya’s story. The songs don’t stop the action – they become part of it, with favourites including Journey to the Past and Once Upon a December helping carry the tale forwards.

While wrapped in fairytale charm, the story’s also grounded by the harsh realities of revolution. The depiction of war, starvation and poverty puts many of our everyday concerns in the Western world into perspective.

By the final curtain, I realised this may have become my favourite musical yet.

While there are some suspenseful scenes, including chases, confrontations and one involving a gun, the production is suitable for older children, with a recommended age of around 12 and up. At two hours and 25 minutes, including a 20-minute interval, it’s a substantial outing, but one worth making.

Young theatre lovers will especially enjoy the street-smart heroine and the classic rags-to-riches fairytale, even if they find themselves wrestling with whether Anya is quite the underdog she first appears to be.

You’ll have to see the musical to discover if Anya really is Anastasia. Afterwards, it’s worth reading about the real history, which is, of course, far more complex than the version told on stage.

Extra fun facts about Anastasia the Musical

• Adelaide performer Nathan Stafford appears in the cast, while the four young Anastasias are played by local talents Isla Bahram, Audrey Burnett, Daisy Goodall and Aria Rose Piteo.
• The stage musical keeps the heart of the 1997 film but takes a more grounded, historical approach.
• The supernatural villain Rasputin and his bat sidekick Bartok have been removed entirely.

See Anastasia The Broadway Musical at Festival Theatre until 30 August 2026

Location:

Adelaide Festival Theatre, King William Road, Adelaide

Find Anastasia the Musical on Facebook and Instagram. 

See our Top Parks & Playgrounds Around Adelaide

For more information and all enquiries, please visit the Adelaide Festival Centre website.

Photos by Carla Caruso for Play & Go Adelaide, where marked. 

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. All photos are by Play & Go (unless specified).

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