The lights go down, a hush falls over the chattering girls who sit in avid anticipation. A spotlight glows down onto the stage, warm light covers a figure, and music begins to play. On Thursday’s CHR, we got a sneak peek at our all-school musical, Anastasia. While we only got to see a single song of the show, we were all able to see the magic of a show coming together, and this writer was definitely intrigued to see more.
Anastasia: The Musical (book written by Terrence McNally/music and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty), inspired by the 1997 animated movie, is a musical set in 1920s Russia and Paris. It’s a story of a girl named Anya, an orphan with no memory of her childhood, and her journey to Paris to find her family and ultimately her identity. Along her journey, Anya meets two men, Dmitry and Vlad, who rope her into a scheme, aiming to use her mysterious past to gain money from the royal Romanov family. As they journey to Paris, they are faced with challenges, especially a rising communist officer named Gleb who aims to stop Anya from meeting the Romanov family. The musical is a story of finding yourself, family, love, and overcoming obstacles.
Montrose has been buzzing about this production in the school halls for a while now. Even before the musical was announced, it was common knowledge that Anastasia was the goal. One of the loudest voices advocating for the musical was, coincidentally, the girl who now leads the show, Lucy Ellife. Lucy’s passion for Anastasia and her determination to be able to play the role of Anya has been a common theme throughout this year, and when the musical was announced it was no surprise she threw herself in the running for the role and on thursday as she stood on stage front and center, she proved to every member of the audience just why the role of Anya was meant for her. Lucy is not the only big talent in our star-studded cast, though; she is accompanied onstage by many talented actors and actresses, including two young men joining us from outside of Montrose to fill the roles of Dmitry and Vlad. Some other leading members of the cast include Maria Silvera Dodds (Gleb), Sorina Yeaghan (Dowager Empress Romanov), Gabby Hassehager (Countess Lily), and a large, talented ensemble who complete the show.
From being present at tech rehearsals and being able to experience the magic of this show being put together first hand, I can proudly say that Anastasia is a show that you surely should attend. The hard work and dedication put in by the cast and crew, and also the pure talent and passion always present onstage. I am confident that Anastasia will be one of our best school musicals yet, and I, for one, cannot wait to see it live this weekend.
By: Emma Botelho
Rising Clubs and Classes Editor
