This August the magical musical Anastasia – The Hit Broadway Musical will arrive at the Festival Theatre for a limited season.
Inspired by the mysterious tale of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov’s rumoured escape in the dawning days of the Russian Revolution, and the 1997 Oscar-nominated animated film of the same name, Anastasia has been brought to life on stage by the Tony Award-winning creative team of Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens.
Anastasia is a lavish musical for all ages, transporting audiences from the twilight years of Imperial rule to the euphoria and exuberance of 1920s Paris, as a brave young woman named Anya sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by an army officer determined to silence her, she enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a loveable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.
Cast in the role of Dowager Empress is Australian stage royalty, Nancye Hayes AM. For over sixty years, Nancye has weaved her magic across many productions including Sweet Charity, Chicago, Sweeney Todd, Guys & Dolls, and 42nd Street. Her recent credits include Mary Poppins as Bird Woman; A Little Night Music, for which Nancye won the 2023 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical; and Ripcord for State Theatre Company South Australia. In addition to many well deserved awards and accolades, Nancye was honoured with the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 1981 and an AM in 2014.
Nancye spoke to Glam Adelaide about Anastasia, her career over the last sixty years and what it is about the performing arts that she loves so dearly.
“I think it’s the element of it being live with an audience; the audience tells you how you’re going, and their reactions fuel your performance. Whether it be the silence when something is touching them, or whether it’s the comedy, it’s that interaction between a performer and the audience. It becomes an adrenaline rush. Laughter and applause is very addictive.”
We asked Nancye if any particular production has stood out a favourite?
“They’re all treasured memories, and of course there have been the shows that have been outstanding because the roles have been outstanding. From Sweet Charity to Chicago and Guys & Dolls, Sweeney Todd, all of those were amazing shows to be given the opportunity to play those roles. I’ve done a lot of wonderful straight work as well, like The Importance of Being Earnest and The Glass Menagerie and things like that. They’re classic roles, and I’m very fortunate that I’ve had such a number of them come my way.”
In August Nancye is returning to Adelaide to perform in the musical Anastasia.
“It has so many of the elements of what I believe that musical theatre should have. It has a great story, a lovely score, beautiful settings and costumes. So it’s the whole musical theatre celebration basically.
“I particularly love the technology of it. The wonderful LED scenery that they use is just incredible. It’s quite an extraordinary new form of technical brilliance for musical theatre.”
The cast includes Georgina Hopson as Anya, Robert Tripolino as charming con artist Dmitry, Joshua Robson in the role of antagonist Gleb, Rodney Dobson as Vlad, and theatre icon Rhonda Burchmore as Countess Lily.
We asked Nancye what it’s been like working with such an incredible cast on this beautiful musical.
“It’s a gift really, because I’m only in the first part of the first act, so I have the ability to just sit and listen to the quality of their vocals. It really is incredible because it’s a demanding score and they just rise to it so brilliantly. It’s a beautiful book to play too, because Terrence McNally of course is a very fine playwright. So it’s constantly interesting to just listen to them and to the audience reactions to everything. They are really wonderful, and it’s beautifully cast.”
Anastasia – The Hit Broadway Musical will play at the Adelaide Festival Theatre for a limited season from August 2. Tickets are now on sale.
“I’ve done a lot of work in Adelaide and I’ve always found that audiences are vocal and they want you to know when they love something. They’ll stop you in the street and say, ‘We went to the show and we loved it’. It’s that feedback that you get which is terrific. I’ve done Sweeney Todd and Guys & Dolls there. One of my favourite roles in Adelaide was with Todd McKenney in Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks. It’s always been terrific, and I’ve worked with the State Theatre Company a number of times. I’ve spent a lot of time on stage in Adelaide and it’s always a joy to perform there. I’m looking forward to getting back to the Festival Theatre to perform.”
Anastasia – The Hit Broadway Musical
Adelaide Festival Theatre
From 2nd August 2026
https://anastasiathemusical.com.au/
Photo credit: Jeff Busby
