“Anastasia”

[rating=4]History, entertainment and true love are all on the stage of the Nederlander Theatre ( formerly the Oriental Theatre) as Broadway In Chicago presents “Anastasia”. I wasn’t sure what to expect as we took the almost 2 hour drive into the “loop”. I had heard that the production was smooth, long and by one or two people who had seen it in New York, “boring”. This is a story about a woman starts a journey to recover her past.

It is , as Jane called it, a period piece, taking place back in the early 1900’s thru the “Roaring Twenties”. It begins in Saint Petersburg as we meet the Royals of Russia, the Romanovs. They live in grandeur and elegance. At the very onset we meet young Anastasia (Victoria Bingham) and her grandmother, Dowager Empress ( played to perfection by Joy Franz) and see the bond between them. During the opening number, we also watch the years pass and this lovely little girl become a woman ( first step played by Taylor Quick) and then as an adult by the divine Lila Coogan).

As history shows us , Russia goes through some changes in 1917 and during a wonderful party, the Romanov family is killed. Well not all of them. The Dowager, who I will call “nana” from this point ( that is what she was called by Anastasia) is alive and living in splendor in Paris and as it turns out Anastasia was never found. Now we truly get into our story. Nana is seeking to find her granddaughter and many con-men and others are trying to convince her that they have found her. The rewards are worth the risk. Two of these men, Dmitri ( Stephen Brower) and Vlad ( deftly handled by Edward Staudenmayer) are also in search of this young girl and the riches they will get from finding her, or perhaps, creating her in a scam. Dmitri is from a former formal family and did have encounters with her when in his youth. Vlad, a con-man is as slick as they come and has an inside track to Nana because he had a “Thing” with her aid, Countess Lily ( an incredible performance by Tari Kelly). In fact, they do a number “The Countess and The Common Man” that is a true show-stopper ( worth the price of the ticket to witness).

There is also a villain in this story, Gleb ( played to perfection by Jason Michael Evans). He is a soldier who feels the need to also find Anastasia and kill her. His father was responsible for the death of the Romanov family and he feels the need to finish the job. He knows Anya from meeting her before. Anya ( who is in reality Anastasia) survived the attack and when in the hospital, suffering from amnesia, was given the name Anya by the nurses. She does not recall any of her past and thus when the two men offer her an opportunity to leave her job as a street sweeper and go to Paris, she takes it.

The story is well told with a book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. While it is not as strong as their other musical “Ragtime”, I thing it is a well told story and beautifully staged by Darko Tresnjak with great choreography by Peggy Hickey. The musical numbers help to propel the story with a few that truly stand out; “Journey to The Past” to end act one shows off the range of ms. Coogan as Anya and “Close The Door” allows Ms Franz as “nana” to show her talents.

For those of you who enjoy watching masterful effects on a stage, you will be wowed by the set and projections. Alexander Dodge has created a set that moves from place to place and time to time with great ease. This is a touring show, meaning this set has to also be very easy to pack and truck to the next theater. Creating a set that can do this and also be spectacular is a talent. The projections by Aaron Rhyne are like a show of their own. The train ride from Russia to Paris is astoundingly real. The actors truly appear to be riding the rails. Bravo!

“Anastasia” is only here thru April 7th with performances as follows:

Tuesdays  7:30 p.m.

Wednesdays  2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Sundays  2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ( no evening on 4/7)

Tickets range from $27- $123 and can be purchased at any of the Broadway In Chicago box offices or at http://www,BroadwayInChicago.com

Running time is 2 hours and 40 minutes with one intermission.

The James M. Nederlander Theatre is located at 24 West Randolph Street ( between State and Dearborn)

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Anastasia”.