DETROIT, Mich.–The number of little girls who haven’t wished they were really princesses must be small indeed. That is why the classic tale of Anastasia resonates across borders, cultures and decades.

This touring production of Anastasia The New Broadway Musical directed by Darko Tresnjak (part of the Broadway in Detroit series playing at The Fisher Theatre), will, with a few exceptions, dazzle and delight audiences.

This iteration (book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens), begins by displaying the unadulterated opulence of the Russian Imperial Romanov family in 1906 and 1917.  Sadly, the family is murdered by Bolshevik revolutionaries; 17-year-old Anastasia survives, although the trauma leaves her with amnesia. Anastasia’s grandmother, the Dowager Empress (Joy Franz) who now lives in Paris, has heard rumors that her granddaughter has survived and is living somewhere in Russia.  She has offered a great reward to anyone who finds her granddaughter. 

This lure of riches inspires many charlatans to bring forth dozens of Anastasia imposters over the years, but none have been recognized by the Dowager Empress.  That brings us to 1927, when former courtier Vlad (Edward Staudenmayer) teams up with a younger partner Dmitry (Stephen Brower) to find the perfect young woman to play Anastasia and make them a fortune. 

They think they have found just the right girl in Anya (Lila  Coogan), a street sweeper who remembers only fragments of her past.  They spend weeks preparing her for the fraud, during which time Anya and Dmitry forge a special connection. Anya, Dmitry and Vlad leave Russia with fraudulent traveling documents and are nearly apprehended by Russian soldiers led by Gleb (Jason Michael Evans), son of the man who killed the Romanov family and who is tasked with finding the rumored Anastasia and killing her. In Paris, the trio encounters many Russian ex-patriots, including Countess Lily (Tari Kelly), lady-in-waiting of the Dowager Empress and also Vlad’s old flame. Vlad convinces Lily to arrange a meeting with the Dowager Empress, while Anya recovers a memory that convinces both herself and Dmitry that she is the real Grand Duchess Anastasia.

They arrange for the Dowager Empress to lay eyes on Anya at the ballet, but she remains skeptical. It is only Dmitry’s sacrifice of the reward money that convinces the Dowager Empress to meet Anya face to face, and together they realize she truly is the missing Grand Duchess Anastasia.  Her grandmother finally convinces Anya/Anastasia to follow her heart and go after the man for whom love is more important than money, fame or position, and thereby we get our happy ending fit for a princess

From start to finish, this production is a visual feast.  The opening scenes of pageantry and dancing at the Romanov palace feature glittery costumes that instantly evoke royalty, and choreography that conveys both the culture of Russia and the high class of their royal station. After the revolution, the costumes take on the more rustic and practical manner of the peasants and working class.  And finally, when the story moves to  a new setting in Paris, the costumes take on the energy and “modern” styling of 1920s European high society.

The scenery and backdrops feature only a few versatile, stationary wall and window panels, which are “changed” throughout the show with expertly projected images (Aaron Rhyne), making for distraction-free scene transitions. The high definition images are beautiful combinations of indoor, outdoor, day and night scenes, and even change within each scene to indicate movement, weather or the passage of time. In the very enjoyable scene where the trio travels by train from Russia to Paris, the background intriguingly changes perspective as the train car rotates on the tracks, and stage left and right feature a map that moves as they travel. The first act, which takes place entirely in Russia, seems to center around a palette of beiges, grays, and shades of blue and teal.  In the second act, when the story moves to Paris, the colors become brighter, with more red, pink and gold everywhere.  The Romanov family always appears in glittering white, silver and pale pink.

The performance talent in this production is impressive, for the most part.  Coogan as Anya/Anastasia has the right look and bearing for both a peasant and a princess, but her performance was disappointingly inconsistent: vocally, she showed off her skills when belting the dramatic moments of her songs but didn’t project as well during the softer moments, to the point where her voice was sometimes lost in the music or background voices.  She emoted well during songs, but her dialogue delivery was more expressionless.

In comparison, Brower as Dmitry, Franz as Dowager Empress, Staudenmayer as Vlad and Kelly as Lily were  dynamic and animated.  Staudenmayer and Kelly truly stole the show in their romantic reunion scene (“The Countess and the Common Man”), and as a pair were the highlight of the production.  Other scenes and moments that make an impact:  a moving solo by Brad Greer as Count Ipolitov, sadly leaving his homeland (“Stay, I Pray You”); Vlad and Dmitry coaching Anya on impersonating a duchess (“Learn to Do It”); Anya’s memories of her family at an Imperial ball (“Once Upon a December”); an energetic dance scene featuring Countess Lily (“Land of Yesterday”); and the wonderful Swan Lake dancers, who make it difficult to focus on the song being sung by the main characters (“Quartet at the Ballet”).

The songs were memorable and well adapted to the story, with lovely melodies and a variety of moods. In combination with the vocal performances, the costumes and the delightful scenery, this show will be sure to entertain audiences from the very young to the very old.  It is playing at the Fisher Theatre through June 23, 2019.