By Sara Beth Williams–
The theatrical production of Anastasia, recently performed at Royal Stage’s theater inside the Sunrise Mall on April 4-7, featured a strong cast of young adult and adult actors, singers, and dancers from across Citrus Heights and surrounding cities.
The nonprofit performing arts group has produced a multitude of family-friendly productions since 2011, with a strong focus on musical theater productions. After holding performances at various locations for over a decade, including at a local church in Citrus Heights, Royal Stage finally debuted their permanent theater space inside the Sunrise Mall in late 2022 and has held performances at the location since that time.
Related: Royal Stage to host grand opening next month at Sunrise Mall – Citrus Heights Sentinel
The plot of Anastasia centers around the fabled Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov of Russia and is set during the Russian Revolution in the early 1900s. In the opening scene, through a neat montage sequence, it’s implied that the Romanov family have all perished, but rumors in St. Petersburg claim there is a reward for the safe return of Anastasia to her grandmother.
In the lively and fun rendition of “There’s a Rumor in St. Petersburg” we meet Dimitry (played by Baz Meier) and Vlad, (played by John Conner) two con-men who want to escape Russia and get rich. Knowing that a reward has been posted for the return of the true Princess Anastasia, they begin a search for the right woman to play the part.
Enter Anya (played by Lilly Burnett), a street sweeper with only scattered memories of her past. With the shared goal of getting out of Russia alive, the three devise a plan to get to Paris and present Anya as the true Anastasia to her grandmother, the Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia.
Poignant and skilled performances by experienced lead actors made up for several missteps in the opening scene. While the opening sequence of a complicated ballroom dance that included a majority of the cast was well executed, much of the dance lacked energy.
Powerful vocal performances throughout the production conveyed the raw emotions of each character as they endured the hardship of their home country in upheaval. Burnett’s performance of Anya surpassed the depiction of the legend brought back to life by the 1997 animated film. In Burnett’s performance, we see a broken and traumatized young woman who longs to discover her past. Meier’s portrayal of Dimitry likewise goes beyond the cartoon’s simplistic depiction of a typical conman and reveals deeper layers that give the character greater depth.
Meier, Conner, and Burnett carried the production with remarkable confidence and chemistry. The purposeful lightheartedness of Meier and Conner’s characters contrasted appropriately to Burnett’s portrayal of Anya’s weary demeanor. Whether by design or not, Burnett and Meier lacked chemistry between them during the first half of the play.
Director Spencer Gayden’s choice to weave amusing physical comedy sequences amid multiple emotional vocal performances provided a balanced production overall, however, some of the physical comedy felt underwhelming.
The most striking solo vocal performance came from Count Ipolitov (played by Andres Moreno) who sang a stunning version of “Stay I Pray You”, juxtaposing deep sorrow against a resilient national pride.
Anastasia, though family-friendly, included sequences with light physical violence and implied deaths and executions. In light of the theme and intensity of some sequences, Gayden successfully delivered a production that was both timely and nostalgic.
Royal Stage’s spring production lineup concludes with a run of The Aristocats KIDS, which features a cast of children actors and a host of familiar songs. Performances begin Thursday evening, April 18. Ticket information and showtimes are posted at Royalstage.org.
The Royal Stage Theater is located at 6174 Sunrise Boulevard, inside the mall in between Macy’s Men’s and Zumiez on the Greenback side.
The theatrical production of Anastasia, recently performed at Royal Stage’s theater inside the Sunrise Mall on April 4-7, featured a strong cast of young adult and adult actors, singers, and dancers from across Citrus Heights and surrounding cities...
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