Bucks County Playhouse’s Tony-winning Producing team with two Anastasia actresses on Opening Night – from L to R: Josh Fiedler, Christy Altomare, Alexander Fraser, Lyda Jane Harlan and Robyn Goodman. (Credit: Bucks County Playhouse)
“Anastasia: The Musical” opened at Bucks County Playhouse on Saturday.
Broadway’s original Anastasia, Christy Altomare, was among the guests at a buzzy opening night of the new production of “Anastasia: The Musical” at Bucks County Playhouse on Saturday, November 23.
At the Opening Night party, held at Oldestone Steakhouse on Main Street in New Hope, Altomare was a special well-wisher who ceremoniously passed the torch and presented a bouquet of flowers to Lyda Jane Harlan, the young actor playing the lead in “Anastasia.”
Altomare who originated the role of “Anastasia” on Broadway, is a native of Bucks County and a resident of nearby Newtown, PA.
“Anastasia: The Musical” runs through January 5 at the historic theatre in New Hope, PA. The show features a book by 4-time Tony winner, Terrence McNally, and a lush score by the Tony Award®-winners Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics). The playhouse production features choreography by Al Blackstone and direction by Eric Rosen.
Joining Lyda Jade Harlan (“Scouts” Off-Broadway and “Maggie” at Goodspeed) in the cast, who makes her Bucks County Playhouse debut as Anya, Mason Reeves (National Tour of “Disney’s Frozen,” and BCP’s “Guys and Dolls”) as Dmitry, Erik Lochtefeld (Broadway’s “King Kong”) as Vlad, Roe Hartrampf (Broadway’s “Diana” and BCP’s “Noises Off”) as Gleb, Kate Marilley (National Tour of “Beetlejuice”) as Countess Lily, and Christine Toy Johnson (Broadway’s “The Music Man” and National tours of “Come From Away”, “Flower Drum Song”) as Dowager Empress.
The ensemble includes Anna Bermudez (“Broadway Backwards”), Alex Caldwell (National Tour of “Dirty Dancing”), Tracy Dunbar (Pittsburgh Public’s ““Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For”), Gina Gagliano (Surflight’s “Legally Blonde”), Chelsea Cree Groen (National Tour of “Hello, Dolly!”), Michael Allan Haggerty (National Tour of “Disney’s Frozen”), Maya Imani (Fulton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”), L’ogan J’ones (Broadway’s “SpongeBob SquarePants”), Aidan B. Jones, Laura Katherine Kaufman (National Tour of “Cats”), Colby Marie Lewis (National Tour of “Anastasia”), Devon McCleskey (National Tour of “Pretty Woman”), Michael Mottram (Royal Caribbean’s “Hairspray”) and Leeanna Rubin (National Tour of “Annie”).
The creative team includes Jack Magaw (Set Design), Ricky Lurie and Jess Gersz (Co-Costume Design), Wheeler Moon (Lighting Design), Sam Kusnetz (Sound Design), Michael Salvatore Commendatore (Projection Design), J. Jared Janas (Hair/Wig Design), and Evan Zavada (Music Direction). Merrick Williams is the Production Stage Manager. Casting by Paul Hardt, CSA.
Tickets to “Anastasia” start at $39. The production is sponsored by Capital Health. Opening Night is sponsored by Oldestone Steakhouse in New Hope. The Audience Services Sponsor for “Anastasia” is BLBB Advisors. The 2024 Season is sponsored by Bank of America.
“Anastasia” runs through January 5. “Anastasia” will play the following schedule: Tuesday through Friday evenings at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 1:30 pm. Special holiday week performances are Wednesday, November 27 at 7:30 pm and Friday, November 29, 2024 at 1:30 pm., Tuesday, December 24 at 1:30 pm and Friday, December 27 at 1:30 pm. There are no performances on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day. Tickets may be purchased now via the Bucks County Playhouse box office by calling (215) 862-2121, or online at BucksCountyPlayhouse.org
Christy Altomare, original Anastasia, with Lyda Jane Harlan, at Bucks County Playhouse.(Credit: Bucks County Playhouse)ABOUT BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE:
Steeped in a theatrical history that stems back to its founding in 1939 by a roster of theatrical royalty, Bucks County Playhouse is celebrating the twelfth anniversary of its 2012 re-opening and restoration. With more than 75,000 patrons walking through its doors every year, the Playhouse is leading the economic resurgence of New Hope and the surrounding community. In 2014, Tony Award-winning producers Alexander Fraser, Robyn Goodman and Josh Fiedler took the helm of the Playhouse, reclaiming its reputation for first-rate new productions created by Broadway and Hollywood artists. Playhouse productions of “Company” starring Justin Guarini, and William Finn’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” were named by Wall Street Journal to its “Best of Theatre” list for 2015. In 2018, the Wall Street Journal again hailed the Playhouse and Artistic Associate Hunter Foster in its Best of the Year listings for its production of “42nd Street” and in 2019 labeled the Playhouse “one of the best regional theaters on the East coast.” Box office records have been repeatedly broken by signature productions of “Steel Magnolias” directed by Marsha Mason, “Mamma Mia!” directed by John Tartaglia and “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” “Million Dollar Quartet,” “42nd Street,” and “Guys & Dolls” (all directed by Hunter Foster). In 2021, the team developed and presented Candace Bushnell’s “Is There Still Sex in the City,” which the Playhouse then partnered to move to New York. Recent critically acclaimed productions include “Tick, Tick … Boom!” with Andy Mientus and “The Bridges of Madison County” with Tony-nominee Kate Baldwin and Nicholas Rodriguez. The creative teams who come to create new productions at the Playhouse are among the most talented artists working in the professional theatre today and relish the opportunity to work on the historic stage where Grace Kelly, Robert Redford, and Jessica Walter began their careers.
