Small Theater, Larger Than Life Production

Emily Norton as Countess Lily (in blue) and the cast of Anastasia: The Musical at Lake Country Playhouse. Photo credit: Taran Schatz.

A review of Anastasia: The Musical

by DevinReigh Endries, age 14

Anastasia: The Musical tells the story of the Romanov family and how the youngest daughter is rumored to still be alive after the massacre of the rest of the family. The surviving grandmother is offering a heavy sum of money to have her granddaughter returned to her. Two men on the streets of St. Petersburg are very interested in “finding” the lost princess. Anya is a young girl who also lives in the streets and doesn’t remember anything about herself after a terrible accident. The three meet and the two men convince Anya that she could be the lost princess and are determined to fool the Grand Duchess. Lake Country Playhouse made this hit musical work beautifully in their jewelry box theater.

Lake Country Playhouse is an organization in Hartland that does theater for all ages year-round in their tiny theater. Now, when I say tiny theater, I do not mean it derogatorily; this theater's size is its strength. While I was seeing their performance of Anastasia: The Musical, the size of the space actually elevated the performance. An example of this was during the opening number, where you are so close that you can feel the sound, hear the movements. Every single feeling is elevated and heightened in this tiny space. This show specifically features a lot of powerful music and dancing. I got goosebumps more than once from experiencing this show. Every single actor feels like they're two feet away from you, conveying the raw emotions of this show. This elevated the performance for the audience tremendously, conveying such a heavy show and all it entails to a smaller audience by creating a more intimate atmosphere for everyone involved. 

As many theater people know, an opening number can make or break a show. This opening number made the show - the lights, the sound, the dancing, the costumes. Everything kept building it up and making it better till the first blackout. All the costumes (designed by Suze Falk) were truly magnificent, shining greatly in the lights and truly conveying the luxury that the Romanovs lived in.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Lily (Emily Norton) and the Duchess (Lisa Poglitsch). While Lily is employed by the Duchess, the latter's true love and care for Lily really show through, portraying the strong bond the two women had while also maintaining a professional level of respect between the two. While I'm on the topic, Lily was truly the star of Act Two. Her character really shines through, showing all her relationships with the characters we grew to love in the first act. It felt as though they were saving this character for the audience, really starting Act Two with a new character to keep the story going and remain entertaining. 

I would also like to highlight the complete ensemble of this show. It didn’t matter if it was a large dance scene with all cast members or a small group - this ensemble really made the show. Whether it was the dancing or the background vocals throughout every song, this ensemble showed every single emotion in the book, and since the theater is so compact, you truly felt the characters’ emotions. In the songs "Stay, I Pray You" and "Paris Holds the Key (to Your Heart)" the ensemble really shone through and deserved to be pointed out. 

All in all, Lake Country Playhouse took on the large show Anastasia and made sure they nailed it. Credits to the whole team for really pulling this production together. The show was truly magnificent and if you're ever looking for a show to see, definitely check out the Lake Country Playhouse for their upcoming performances. If any of their shows this season are as great as their take on Anastasia, it’s a must-see performance!