Words cannot describe how honored I felt to see the broadway musical “Anastasia” on “Friday,” Sept. 23, 2022. For those who are not familiar with the broadway musical or movie, they are both based on the true story of the late grand duchess Anastasia, but both versions have her go by the name Anya because not only does she want to try to remember who she was, but she wants to find her grandmother who is the Grand Duchess Marie. Anya also finds her grandmother in Paris in the 1920s with the help of two men by the name of Dimitri and Vlad, who tag along on the journey and help her discover herself.

If I could name some parts that I liked about “Anastasia”, it would be how they used the Swan Lake scene during Quartet at the ballet when Anya, Dimitri, Lily, Vlad, Marie and Gleb go see the ballet live in Paris. You could feel the tension between Anya, Dimitri, Marie and Gleb as they are struggling between different conflicts such as when Anya is trying to regain her composure when she is with her grandmother. Marie is in denial about Anya being her long lost granddaughter, Dimitri is worried about leaving Anya in harm’s way, and Gleb is hot on their trails as he wants to kill Anya. I also loved the symbolism of having Odette, Rothbart and the prince in Swan Lake represent both Anya, Dimitri and Gleb as they are caught in a web of political and personal conflict. Another part that I enjoyed in “Anastasia” was “Once Upon a December” as Anya sees visions of her dead ancestors in an abandoned party hall and she waltzes with them until they fade away never to be seen again.

Overall, the musical “Anastasia” was breathtaking, ethereal, and ravishing. If you love musical theater and learning about famous royal people, then you should definitely see the musical “Anastasia” live.