The Broadway hit musical Anastasia, will have its Australian premiere at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne in December 2025 before touring to Perth and Sydney in 2026.
Inspired by the mysterious tale of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov’s rumoured escape in the dawning days of the Russian Revolution, and the 20th Century Fox animated fairytale of the same name, Anastasia has been brought to life on the stage by the Tony Award-winning creative team of the late Terrence McNally, alongside Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens.
It’s described as a lavish musical for the whole family, transporting audiences from the twilight years of the Imperial rule to the euphoria and exuberance of Paris in the 1920s, 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 lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.
Producer John Frost shared his excitement about staging the show to Australia for the first time.
“The legend of Anastasia has intrigued the world for many years and I’ve been wanting to bring this musical to Australia since it premiered on Broadway in 2017. It’s a story full of mystery and romance with a magnificent score that I know Australia is going to fall in love with,” Frost said.
The production will be staged in collaboration with Opera Australia, Acting CEO Simon Militano said it’s sure to be a captivating show.
“Opera Australia is thrilled to be once again partnering with John Frost to bring another world class musical to Australian theatres. We expect the glorious music, spectacle and intrigue of Anastasia will captivate audiences around the country,” Militano said.
Directed by Tony Award winning director Darko Tresnjak, Anastasia premiered on Broadway in March 2017 and played to sold out audiences for three years before productions in Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Brazil, Mexico and Japan as well as two North American tours.
It also received a Tony Award nomination for Best Costume Design in a Musical and won more than 15 major international awards including Best Musical awards in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.
The book for the musical was written by the late five time Tony Award winning writer Terrence McNally, whose credits include Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Ragtime.
Music and lyrics for were written by the renowned writing team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens who previously collaborated with McNally on Ragtime. They’re also the team behind Seussical, Rocky the Musical, and Knoxville.
The musical will open in Melbourne on December before heading to Crown Theatre in Perth for a season from March 2026, and then on to the Lyric Theatre in Sydney in April.
To add your name to the waitlist for tickets, head to the show’s website.
