Anastasia

Anastasia

Book by Terrence McNally. Music by Stephen Flaherty. Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Perth College. Directed by Tyler Jones. Judith Cottier Theatre, Perth College, Mt Lawley, WA. Aug 3-6, 2022

The Western Australian Premiere of Anastasia The Musical was a lavishly presented and beautifully produced by Perth College. Featuring a cast of around 90, a large student and community orchestra and excellent production values - this show was brought to life with enthusiasm and energy.

Featuring a gorgeous set with twin grand staircases - used to great effect, it was beautifully lit by Technical Designer Matthew Brown. Oodles of costumes, appreciate to period and character added to the beauty of the show- very well co-ordinated by Krystal Meek. 

This was a stellar cast, with Lia Shilo, as Anya, shining in the central role, singing and acting with excellence and anchoring the show with a powerhouse performance. She worked beautifully alongside three very strong leading men, borrowed from other schools. Noah Connelly was a charming and likeable Dmitry - a worthy love interest, Denver Havercroft brought a beautifully resonant voice and top-notch comic timing to the role of Vlad, with Zachary McLean creating a villain with great depth as Gleb.

Isabella Tassone gave lovely maturity and understanding to the complex role of the Dowager Empress, Saskia de Jong made the second act appearance of Lily worth the wait, Ciara Gannon made the most of the brief but pivotal role of Ipolitov - singing exquisitely, while Augusta Manowski, Cara Farrington and Gemma Ure as Marfa, Paulina and Dunya worked very well as a team.

Lovely dignity and presence from the Imperial Family, Kyan Matthews (The Tsar), Sophie Boswell (The Tsarina), Daisy Smith (Olga), Beth Musikanth (Tatiana), Isabella Wertheim (Maria) and Klara Kuhn (Alexei), while Sofia Bandini set the tone for the show with her opening scene appearance as the young Anastasia.

Great support in smaller roles from Grace Adeniyi, Jackson Miller, James Leber, Georgia Bruzzese, Ainsley Scott-Lee and Hayley Carson, while on Opening Night, Sebastian Havea filled in seamlessly at short notice for an absent Hans Dimalanta. Chorus work throughout was strong and focused, singing with strength under the guidance of Musical Director Jane Artelaris and executing the choreography of Sarah Lees and Caitlin McNulty with precision and good timing. A select dance chorus brought particular skill - and the ballet scenes were particularly striking.

Great to see a new production performed by a young cast, that not only showed great talent, but a wonderful sense of community and a clear understanding of the story they were telling. A production that was a pleasure to watch.

Kimberley Shaw