This year, Shaler Area’s musical delves into one of history’s greatest mysteries – the fate of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov. “Anastasia” blends heartwarming moments with poignant reflections.
Set amidst the turmoil of the Russian revolution, an amnesiac orphan named Anya finds herself in St. Petersburg, yearning to uncover her past, believed to be in Paris. Teaming up with a charming conman, Dmitry, and an ex-aristocrat, Vlad Popov, they plan to convince Dowager Empress Marie that Anya is the lost Anastasia. As they flee to Paris with a Soviet officer in pursuit, Anastasia embarks on a journey of seeking home, love, and family while embracing her true identity.
This year’s musical will also be the last for three seniors. Josh Clark will be taking on the role of Dimitri, Max Milligan will be taking on the role of Gleb, and Malia Podgorski will be Anastasia.
“I’m really excited to see my last show wrap up my high school career with a lot of people that I love, I will miss it but it’s been a good run to see everyone grow and evolve along with me,” Clark said.
Along with the impressive list of senior actors, the set design for this musical stands out as a strong point for the show. There will be periaktoi, spinning set pieces, that can switch between different sets seamlessly. To pair with those, there will be an Eiffel Tower that towers over the actors.
“I love watching the tower unravel to the song. It’s our own little taste of Paris in Shaler,” stage manager Meghan O’Neill said.
A big challenge for the actors and stage crew alike has been a new lighting setup. New lights were installed in the auditorium and though they make the show even better, they caused some delays in the show’s production as the crew figured out how they worked.
“The lights are really cool. They just slowed things down because we had to reset everything, but with a couple long practices we were able to catch back up,” senior Thomas Emanuele said.
Behind the scenes, Kristen Paul and her small group of students have been hard at work developing costume pieces for every single person on stage.
“I loved being able to be behind the scenes in the show and watch all of these costumes fit the theme of the show and come to fruition,” freshman assistant costume designer, Emily O’Niell said.
One of the interesting connections is how “Anastasia” is easily connected to the students who will be performing it.
“The SAHS performing arts students are magic. They are talented, intelligent, dedicated, and kind. This show is about holding tight to your roots while you seek new adventures; about loving and honoring your first-family even as you grow and build a found-family; about finding courage in the midst of fear; about opening your eyes to new ways of viewing the world; about balancing legacies with opportunities,” director Mrs. Jennifer Birch said. “It’s the embodiment of what our seniors are living and experiencing in real time. The heart of this show echoes so beautifully the hearts of our students.”
This impressive show is set to be performed on March 1-3 and 8-9. Tickets can be purchased using this link https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/80163
