4.5 out of 5.0 stars
It’s been a while. I stopped writing here because I found “reviewing” was stealing the joy of shows. I’d be approaching the opening of a production waiting to analyse and take notes. It didn’t help that in the majority of recent performances I’d seen I wasn’t exactly blown away and there was actually lots to critique.
What initially got me writing here was a love of the experience that is musical theatre and Anastasia at Crown in Perth last week re-ignited my enthusiasm for musicals. Once more we could escape the real world for 3 hours, taken away by a musical simply done well.
The songs fit well to the story and listening to them again afterwards will bring back many happy memories of the night out.
Refreshingly, the Sound and Lighting at Crown this time were top notch, showing it can be done (you may have seen my previous disappointments at this venue in other reviews). The stage this time though was bright, easily visible even from Row S. And the sound mix was spot on between orchestra and artists and there were no hiccups at all.
The cast stood out most for their quality of singing, able to cope with the challenging songs with ease. Rodney Dobson, Georgina Hopson and Robert Tripolino were an entertaining trio who gave it everything for the whole show, supported most ably by the rest of the cast.
The show oozed sophistication and class, appropriate to the settings of Russia and France. The ballet scene was a highlight. The characters and their development was endearing, even if the story was unlikely (but hey, that’s most musicals).
It was a highlight to meet Robert and Georgina briefly after the show who were super friendly to my daughter and me, the icing on the cake after a genuinely enjoyable night.
I’ll be keen to get to Anastasia again elsewhere in Australia if the opportunity presents and you should too!
