Based on the 20th Century Fox Animation 1997 film of the same name, the musical adapts the legend of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, who was rumored to have escaped and survived the execution of the Russian Imperial family.

Many years later, an amnesiac young woman named Anya hopes to find some trace of her past by siding with two con men, who wish to take advantage of her resemblance to Anastasia.

After completing a pre-Broadway run in Hartford, Connecticut, the show premiered on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre in April 2017, and since then it has spawned multiple productions worldwide.

In 1906,[1] Saint Petersburg, Russia, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna comforts her youngest granddaughter, five-year-old Grand Duchess Anastasia, who is saddened that her grandmother is moving to Paris, France.

In 1927, Gleb Vaganov, a general for the Bolsheviks, who now control Russia, announces to the gloomy Russians that the now-poor Saint Petersburg has been renamed Leningrad, and he promises a bright and peaceful future.

Anya easily winds and opens the box and begins to vaguely remember her past, including an imperial ball many years earlier ("Once Upon a December").

As Gleb arrives in Paris, Lily parties at the Neva Club, where rich and noble Russians exiles reminisce about the old Russia ("Land of Yesterday").

The two rekindle their scandalous romance and Vlad convinces her to let Anya meet the Dowager Empress at the ballet the next week ("The Countess and the Common Man").

[5] A workshop was held on June 12, 2015, in New York City, and included Elena Shaddow as Anya, Ramin Karimloo as Gleb Vaganov, Mark Evans as Dmitry, Douglas Sills as Vlad and Mary Beth Peil as the Dowager Empress.

[7] The musical omits elements of magic realism that appeared in the film, such as its villain—a depiction of Grigori Rasputin as an undead wizard accompanied by a talking bat named Bartok—who is replaced with a new antagonist, Bolshevik general Gleb.

[9] The show was directed by Darko Tresnjak and choreography by Peggy Hickey, with Christy Altomare and Derek Klena starring as Anya and Dmitry, respectively opposite Caroline O'Connor as Countess Lily, Manoel Felciano as Gleb, Mary Beth Peil as the Dowager Empress, and John Bolton as Vlad.

[10][11] The musical opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on March 23, 2017, in previews, later officially on April 24, featuring most of the original Hartford principal cast, the exception being Ramin Karimloo taking over the role of Gleb.

[16][17] The first North America tour began on October 9, 2018 (officially on October 12) at the Proctor's Theatre in Schenectady, New York, with Lila Coogan as Anya, Stephen Brower as Dmitry, Jason Michael Evans as Gleb, Edward Staudenmayer as Vlad, Tari Kelly as Countess Lily, and Joy Franz as Dowager Empress,[18][19][20] and closed on March 12, 2020, at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, when performances were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[21] A non-equity U.S. tour kicked off on October 15, 2021, at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center in Evans, Georgia, starring Kyla Stone as Anya, Sam McLellan as Dmitry, Brandon Delgado as Gleb, Bryan Seastrom as Vlad, Madeline Raube as Countess Lily, and Gerri Weagraff as Dowager Empress.

A German production ran from November 15, 2018, to October 13, 2019, at the Stage Palladium Theater in Stuttgart, starring Judith Caspari as Anya and Milan van Waardenburg as Dmitry.

The cast was led by Wakana Aoi and Haruka Kinoshita as Anya, Naoto Kaiho, Hiroki Aiba and Akiyoshi Utsumi as Dmitry, Koji Yamamoto, Yoshikuni Dochin and Yusuke Tohyama as Gleb, Kenya Osumi and Zen Ishikawa as Vlad, Hikaru Asami, Marcia and Keiko Horiuchi as Countess Lily, and Rei Asami as Dowager Empress.

This version included the new song "She Walks In", written by the original creative team for the character of Dmitry and played by Cosmos Troupe top star Suzuho Makaze.

[32] A Finnish production premiered on September 2, 2022, at the Tampere Theatre, Finland, with Pia Piltz as Anya, Petrus Kähkönen as Dmitry, Joel Mäkinen as Gleb, Ville Majamaa as Vlad, Kaisa Hela as Countess Lily, and Sinikka Sokka as Dowager Empress.

The cast was led by Giovanna Rangel as Anya, Rodrigo Filgueiras as Dmitry, Luciano Andrey as Gleb, Tiago Abravanel as Vlad, Carol Costa as Countess Lily and Edna d'Oliveira as Dowager Empress.

It was adapted and directed by Themis Marsellou and the cast included Demy as Anya, Ian Stratis as Dmitry, Thanasis Tsaltabasis as Vlad, Mirka Papakonstantinou as the Dowager Empress Maria, Katerina Sousoula as Lily, and Vasilis Axiotis as Gleb Vaganov.

[38] A Danish-language production opened September 2024 at Det Ny Teater, Copenhagen, starring Emilie Groth as Anya, Mathias Hartmann Niclasen as Dmitry, Kim Hammelsvang as Vlad, Marianne Mortensen as the Dowager Empress Maria, Julie Steincke as Lily, and Mikkel Hoé Knudsen as Gleb Vaganov.

[39] The third Spanish-speaking production opened in Panama, from August 6 to August 18 of 2024, with a second season going from November 20 to November 24 of 2024; Starring Mafe Achurra as Anya, Diego de Obaldía as Dmitry, Angel Credidío as Vlad, Nilena Zisopulos as Dowager Empress Maria, Cristina de la Fuente as Lily, and Randy Domínguez as Gleb Vaganov, also featuring Amanda Vega & Isabella Almengor as little Anastasia, and Jesús Medrano as Alexei Romanov.

[40] On 17 February 2025, Christy Altomare, John Bolton, and Mary Beth Peil are set to reprise their Broadway roles in a concert production of Anastasia at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall.

Renamed from the Hartford production (#) Not featured in the cast recordings (+)[42] Features the melody of "In the Dark of the Night", song from the film (±) Replaced by a reprise of "Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)" in the US tour and international productions (∞) Saint Petersburg, 1907, 1917, and 1927 Paris, 1927 The New England Theatre Journal called the premier performance at the Hartford Stage a "slick new theatrical rendition of the story" with "likable characters, lively, tuneful music, expert direction, exciting choreography, uniformly strong performers, and gorgeously designed settings".

[52] Jose Solís, reviewing Anastasia for The New York Times International Edition, complimented the show and argued that "its charms outweigh its imperfections".

[51] Reviewer Lim concluded that "every musical has its redeeming qualities" and praised the characters Vlad and Countess Lily, who "carry the physical comedy of the show".