Opening weekend for Seattle Pacific University Theater’s production of “Anastasia” featured a theater filled with students, friends and family showing support for the cast and crew. The show is the department’s first musical of 2025, and it has certainly given their next one a lot to live up to.
Candace Vance, an Associate Professor of Theater and director of “Anastasia,” remarks, “It was only published in 2018, and the rights to it have not been available except for Broadway until quite recently, so we’re really one of the first theaters to get the rights to do it.”
The plot follows two men and one young woman on their journey from 1920’s Saint Petersburg, Russia to Paris, France. They pretend — and eventually, prove — that the young lady is the long-lost Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov. Stars Josephine Partridge playing Anya, Daniel Mercado playing Dmitry and Jack D’Agostino playing Vlad showcased imposing, expressive acting throughout the performance.
Their acting was only made more immersive by the talented costume designer Kilah Williams, accompanied by wardrobe manager Libby Patsiga, who created an array of clothing and accessories for the show. A brilliant dichotomy in the colors and expensiveness of the clothes could be seen as the characters arrived in Paris from Russia.
One number that stood out was freshman Gabriela Tolomei’s rendition of “Land of Yesterday.” Her character, Lily, parties with former wealthy Russian citizens as they reminisce about the way their lives used to be. Her vocals included jazz-esque techniques which combined with her acting to give the entire scene the justice it deserved.
While the students’ voices were amazing, the quality of the music depended on guidance. Candace Vance commented that this was the first production to collaborate with the Seattle Pacific University Music Faculty. Vocal director Julie Kae Sigars and Director of Instrumental Music Dr. David Krosschell worked to bring this production’s music to life, and it showed.
The historical aspect of the show was crucial. Costumes were beautiful, but they also displayed the class disparity of the time. The plot featured romance and humor, but it also shed light on realities present in Russia after the Bolsheviks rose to power in 1917.
“The complexity of the material is its own challenge,” Vance said. “There’s so much historical detail to a piece like this but then there’s also this, like, myth of Anastasia that has branched off into all different kinds of fiction, and we want to honor that.”
Ballerina Echo Vance elegantly performed “Swan Lake” in Act II. The author of the script, Terrence McNally, included this scene very purposefully.
“We can’t completely look at that as an event separate from current events. There are images of the Swan Lake ballerina all over Ukraine right now because it’s an image of solidarity against Russian oppression,” Vance said.
This musical was evidently created by many uniquely talented people. “It’s just such a joy-filled process and it’s so fun to see so many students together having a great time, partially because they know they’re creating a product that’s really worth seeing,” Vance said.
Don’t worry if you missed opening weekend! You can buy tickets for Feb. 15 at https://sputheatre.ludus.com/index.php
