HPHS Production of ‘Anastasia: The Musical’ Opens Tonight

Highland Park theater students will take audiences on a magical adventure with a young woman struggling to unravel the mystery of her past during this week’s production of Anastasia: The Musical.

The production runs from Oct. 24 to 27. Showtimes are at 7 p.m. on Oct. 24, 25, and 26, and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 27. Tickets online or at the door are $12 on the balcony, and $15 for reserved seats. Click HERE to purchase tickets online.

Students began rehearsing for the musical before school started in August. The cast and crew spent six hours every evening finessing the production in the final days before opening, said senior Claire Vaughn, who plays Anya.

“This production is so much fun. The music is amazing. The storyline is so good,” she said. “It has everything that you want in a musical — great music, a nice love story, a really nice message about finding yourself and identity.”

The production’s elaborate costumes and professionally mapped projections help create an immersive environment for the audience. 

The characters’ journey begins in an opulent palace in 1907 before jumping forward in time to the streets of St. Petersburg and traveling more than 1,000 miles to Paris. Those transitions would have been difficult to show with set pieces that would need to be moved on and off the stage, explained HP Arts programs representative Carrie Martinez.

Anastasia’s director, Brittany Murphy, teamed up with Lightware Labs to create the projections, which are operated by students. Funding for the projections was provided by HP Arts. Thanks to the images, the characters and audience even seem to travel together through the countryside on a train.

Switching costumes quickly as characters journey through the story was another of the challenges created by the production, said senior Grace Martin who plays Countess Lily.

The show also features more complex harmonies than previous musicals such as last year’s Chicago, said junior Jaron Pierce who plays Dmitry.

“I think it challenges everyone to some extent, with either memorization or the difficulty,” he said. “I think it’s making everyone a better musician.”

Students said they’ve enjoyed the process of working with their friends and of watching the production come to life, and they hope that audiences are impressed by their efforts.

“I think this is just a really fun show the whole family can come to,” said junior Raj Luthra, who plays Vlad. “And you should definitely come see it.”