"The amnesiac title character of 'Anastasia' isn’t alone in suffering a serious identity crisis. The postcard-scenic show that bears her name has its own troubling case of multiple personality disorder...The show in which she appears trembles nonstop with internal conflicts during its drawn-out two-and-a-half hours...The cartoon version from 1997 is very fondly remembered by people who saw it as tweens...Those without such nostalgic insulation are likely to find this 'Anastasia' a chore."
Read more

"The happiest surprise is how consistently good the musical turns out to be. Smartly adapted by Terrence McNally from the 1997 animated film...with Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens impressively expanding their score...'Anastasia' is a sweeping adventure, romance and historical epic whose fine craftsmanship will satisfy musical-theater fans beyond the show’s ideal audience of teenage girls...'Anastasia' is the richest and fullest family show to hit Broadway in years."
Read more

"There’s something soothing (in the wrong way) about the team’s ability to follow all the templates of normal musical-making even while writing about something so abnormal...A score of singular characterlessness. McNally’s book, its structural improvements notwithstanding, is similarly bland...Tresnjak’s tonally schizophrenic staging only makes things worse...It bewilders me that in making stage musicals from animated movies, adapters seem to think they can remain outside history."
Read more

"In Tresnjak’s production, everything is incredibly overblown, from the screensaver-like cityscape projections to the score, by Flaherty and Ahrens, who never met a pop ballad that they couldn’t top off with a sweeping high note...Historical license doesn’t quite cover the liberties taken, and in this riches-to-rags-to-riches tale there’s a great deal of romantic nostalgia for imperial Russia...If you bring a small child, you might get some thorny questions about the October Revolution."
Read more

“The musical’s various elements are so finely fitted and its cast so accomplished that all comparison is quickly left behind. It is intelligent, well-crafted, often exhilarating…A great deal of the credit must go to the book by McNally…Altomare is wondrous as Anya…Her voice is luminous and powerful and clear…In the expansion of their film score, Mr. Flaherty and Ms. Ahrens have created something much more coherent and comprehensive while keeping its highlights.”
Read more

“Tresnjak and choreographer Hickey have built a solid machine to make a lugubrious story pass by swiftly, if not always gracefully. They have in Altomare a near-perfect heroine whose only flaw is her flawlessness; as Anstasia, she seems too blandly resilient for anything more complex than a cartoon character’s reinvention...She’s lovely. A similar quality—or, rather, lack of distinguishing qualities—applies to the two men vying for her…‘Anastasia’ is surprisingly mild.”
Read more

"The show, despite being filled with some very good songs and performances, suffers from its own identity crisis. It’s got a split personality and is torn between whether it’s serious drama or frothy musical comedy...Darko Tresnjak’s staging boasts momentum and atmosphere...While the show’s tone is muddy, Altomare has a bright, clear voice and shines in the lead role. Anya may or may not be a princess, but the actress playing her is a royal treat."
Read more

"A sumptuous fairy tale of a musical that should please the kids, satisfy the sentimental and comfort those who thought the old templates for musical comedy were passé. The broad strokes of the familiar—a romantic young couple, a villain in hot pursuit, comic supporting characters—can still be irresistible when combined with taste, craftsmanship and a willing suspension of disbelief. Director Tresnjak, together with much of that first-class design team, weave an enchanting spell."
Read more