Producers John Frost for Crossroads Live and Opera Australia are delighted to announce that Broadway musical ANASTASIA will premiere in Brisbane’s Lyric Theatre at QPAC from September 2026.
The crowd-favourite musical made its Australian debut in December at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre wowing audiences and critics alike. Tickets will go on pre-sale for the Brisbane season to those who have signed up to the waitlist on Monday 2 March and to the general public from Friday 6 March.
Time Out Melbourne called the musical a “charming theatre experience’” that was “destined to deliver theatrical magic” while The Music said it was “a theatrical spectacle that dazzles on every front and will leave you spellbound” and Beat Magazine said that the musical’s “dazzling Australian premiere is rich with powerful performances.”
The cast includes Queensland’s own Georgina Hopson as Anya, Robert Tripolino as charming con artist Dmitry, Joshua Robson in the role of antagonist Gleb, Rodney Dobson as Vlad,themuch-loved Rhonda Burchmore as Countess Lily and theatre icon Nancye Hayes AM in the role of the Dowager Empress.
“As a very proud Queenslander, I just can’t wait to share the magic of ANASTASIA with Brisbane audiences. It’s a beautiful story to be immersed in, accompanied by iconic songs that invoke a nostalgic feeling of our shared childhood including Once Upon a December and Journey to the Past,” said Georgina Hopson, who trained at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University.
“ANASTASIA’s message is the importance of home, love and family, and to me Queensland represents all of this so I can’t wait to share the story with local audiences,” she added.
The ensemble cast members include Sophia Bae, Elliot Baker, Billy Bourchier, Nicholas Cunningham, Davis Giotopoulos Moore, Todd Goddard, Stephanie Kurlow, Keian Langdon, Bella Minniti, Nathan Stafford, Alexis Van Maanen, Annie Wilson, Deone Zanotto, and Andrea Zappacosta with the Swings team featuring Manon Gunderson-Briggs, Iosefa Laga’aia, Nathan Pinnell and Emma Russell.
Inspired by the mysterious tale of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov’s rumoured escape in the dawning days of the Russian Revolution, and the 1997 Oscar nominated animated film of the same name, ANASTASIA has been brought to life on the stage by the Tony Award-winning creative team of Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens.
ANASTASIA is a lavish musical for all ages, 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.
Directed by Tony Award winning director Darko Tresnjak, ANASTASIA premiered on Broadway in March 2017. It 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 ANASTASIA 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.
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The Fame Reporter 