A stage musical adaptation of the Fox animated movie “Anastasia” has set its Broadway premiere for April 24, 2017 at the Broadhurst Theatre, producers announced Tuesday.
“Anastasia” features songs from the 1997 film, including composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens’ Oscar-nominated “Journey to the Past,” as well as an entirely new score from the Tony Award-winning team. Terrence McNally, who previously worked with Ahrens and Flaherty on the 1998 Broadway classic “Ragtime,” wrote the book for the show.
Christy Altomare (“Carrie”), Derek Klena (“The Bridges of Madison County”), John Bolton (“Dames at Sea”) and Caroline O’Connor (“A Christmas Story”) will star in the Broadway production, reprising roles they played in this spring’s sold-out pre-Broadway tryout at Connecticut’s Hartford Stage.
“Anastasia” follows Altomare as a brave young woman who travels from the twilight of the Russian Empire to 1920s Paris seeking to discover the mystery of her past.
Tony winner Darko Tresnjak (“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder”) will direct, with Peggy Hickey providing choreography.
Stage Entertainment USA, Bill Taylor (“Sister Act,” “Rocky”) and Tom Kirdahy Productions (“The Visit”) will produce.
“After finishing a record breaking run in Hartford, we look forward to bringing the magic of Anastasia to Broadway audiences next spring,” producers Bill Taylor and Tom Kirdahy said in a statement. “In Hartford, we saw people ages 8-100 travel from all over the world to enjoy Anastasia’s enduring story.”
The creative team also includes Alexander Dodge (Set Design), Linda Cho (Costume Design), Donald Holder (Lighting Design), Peter Hylenski (Sound Design), Aaron Rhyne (Projection Design), Charles LaPointe (Hair/Wig Design), Thomas Murray (Music Supervision & Direction), Doug Besterman (Orchestrations), casting by Telsey + Company/Craig Burns, CSA.
For the record: A previous version of this story bungled the names of composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens.