A Royal Takeover: Anastasia Graces the McMaster Stage
Photo by Kreations Photography
The Russians are taking over … well, taking over Robinsons Memorial Theatre where the McMaster Musical Theatre Club concluded their week-long showcase of the musical Anastasia last Saturday. In the musical we follow the legend of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of the Russian Imperial family as she searches for her identity after the death of her family in the Bolshevik revolution. This iconic animated movie turned Broadway show found a stage at McMaster, and I was beyond excited to give it a watch.
In need of a respite from the cold and busy nature of the mid-winter semester, I had the chance to watch the last run of the musical on Saturday, March 1st, and can I just say it ended with a bang and a fistful of emotions! I had not consumed any Anastasia medium in case of any spoilers, and what a choice that was. Knowing absolutely nothing of the story other than she was a beloved Disney princess, the soulful and tear-jerking story that dealt with grief and finding oneself absolutely moved me as a young adult trying to find my identity, something we can all relate to.
The cast was absolutely stacked with our main lead, Anastasia, being played by the melodic Emma Prestage, who had played Little Red Riding Hood in last year's production of Into the Woods, and her male lead, Dmitry, played by Sam Pike, who was last year’s main lead. As the Assistant Stage Manager for last year's production, I knew a lot of work and passion went into putting this show on, especially the technical crew, whose dedication was obvious throughout the production.
The start of the show showcased beautiful white costumes that depicted the grandeur of Russian royalty in a way that had you wondering how they could have possibly created them on a club budget. The lighting department was able to set the mood from airy and fun during the catchy ensemble musical numbers, which are now permanently stuck in my head, to moody and eerie as we followed our antagonist, Glen, through his musical numbers.
If I were to rank my two favourite moments in the musical, the first would be the ensemble number “A Rumor in St. Petersburg,” a catchy number filled with so much life. The cast used the stage to their fullest, highlighting the strength that all the ensemble numbers in the production held. The second would be the song “The Countess and the Common Man,” which ended in a particularly steamy kiss between the character Vlad and Lily that had me clutching my imaginary pearls and the audience hooting in approval.
After a brilliant final showcase, the audience erupted in cheers as the cast took its final bow, with tears coming from those performing for the final time at the Robinson Memorial Theatre. As the sold-out theatre cleared out and multiple hugs were exchanged, you could truly see the amount of love every person, especially the director Megan Macfarlane, had put into the show. I’m truly excited to see what the club has in store for next year and you can be sure I’ll be seated in the audience, ready to write that article because one knows there’s truly no business like show business.
