Anastasia: A Journey to the Past
- Ellie Wilhelm
- Oct 20
- 2 min read
A review of Anastasia: The Musical
by Ellie Wilhelm, age 15
Anastasia, a heartfelt, breathtaking musical, was put on by Lake Country Playhouse from September 26 through October 12. The musical takes place in 1927 Russia, 20 years after the death of the Romanov family, and follows a young woman named Anya who has memory loss along her long journey to discover her identity. Lake Country Playhouse did many things to make their production great quality, including their utilization of the small space, their ensemble, and the acting.
As everyone that has ever been to Lake Country Playhouse knows, it is a small theater, with less than 100 seats. The stage also reflects that: it is smaller than the majority of stages I have encountered; however, this does not stop the theater from doing large-scale shows. In the case of Anastasia, they use every inch of stage space to submerge the audience and make the stage feel much larger than it really is. The set designer, Chad Munkwitz, decided to add many set pieces that were utilized throughout the show to create the different settings, including boxes and windows. I found this to be very creative because it helped me to follow the story, setting, and characters, all while creating a feeling of expansion on the stage.
The ensemble of the show was also a phenomenal part of the production. The director, Sarah Jo Martens, did an amazing job at directing the ensemble for an immersive feel. Not one person in the ensemble ever went out of character, and both their vocals (directed by Tracy Garon) and dance (choreographed by KyraJo Petit-Walla) were on point. I never knew who to look at because everyone was great to watch! Truly, without the ensemble in this show, it would not be nearly as high-quality as it is.
Furthermore, the acting was impeccable. I found that everybody portrayed their roles very well. For example, Ellie Adam, who played the role of Anya, greatly embodied the role through her character choices, and her acting felt very realistic. Another actor that stood out to me was Danny Slattery, who played the role of Gleb. His choices greatly built on Gleb’s backstory and life, and really brought the character to life; I always enjoyed watching him!
In conclusion, Anastasia was an immersive, high-quality show through many different aspects. Lake Country Playhouse always does an amazing job at putting on any show, and this one was no different! You can see another one of their amazing productions from November 28 - December 14, 2025, when they put on their annual production of A Christmas Carol. Tickets are on sale now, and they hope to see you there!