An adaptation of the 1997 Disney animated film, B-CC’s production of the musical “Anastasia” was a dazzling affair, capturing the melancholic yet hopeful journey of the Romanov princess Anastasia as she battles her amnesia, escapes from a persistent KGB detective, and works to prove her identity to her jaded and doubtful grandmother in Paris.
The most notable triumph of the show was the gorgeous set design. Making excellent use of a projected screen in the back of the stage, as well as creative use of simple stage props, the B-CC crew managed to transport the audience effortlessly into early 20th-century Europe – never breaking immersion. A particular highlight was the train set piece, which was repeatedly turned 90 degrees to display different angles of the cast throughout the musical number “We’ll Go From There” and subsequent scenes.
Apart from focus on the set design, the choreography – created by junior Ada Moore and IB Dance teacher Ms. Lloyd – also proved to be phenomenal, with no two numbers feeling alike. In addition to the aforementioned number on a train, there was a stellar ballet performance during the second act’s “Quartet at the Ballet” — which was a spot-on reenactment of the famous ballet, Swan Lake.
None of the choreography could have been performed without the show’s actors. The cast, which featured an ensemble of over 40 members, was truly impressive. Madelyn Zaccari’s performance as Anya/Anastastasia and Andy Sandhaus’s Dimitry Dusayev had excellent chemistry on stage, selling the characters’ journey from partners to lovers. Ben Marshall as Vladimir Popov and Ada Moore’s performance as Lily Malevsky-Malevitch were similarly charming, providing much of the show’s levity together. Despite minor technical errors in the audio, the music was catchy and enthralling, from the upbeat “Learn to Do It” to the haunting “Stay I Pray You.” Last, but certainly not least, Lucas De Chaisemartin’s Gleb Vaganov provided an intense antagonist for the show, whose character arc paralleled Anastasia’s, and remained a threat to her throughout the story.
Stay tuned during the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year to learn about B-CC’s other theatre production: the fall play!
