On Sunday, April 13, the final curtain fell on the Conejo Players Theater’s month-long run of the 2017 Broadway musical “Anastasia.”
The historical fiction musical was written by Terrence McNally and based on the 1997 film of the same name about the legend of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia.
The story takes place in 1927 Russia, following a girl going by the name of Anya. Anya is suffering from post-traumatic amnesia, causing her to lose memory of her true identity entirely.
In light of the assassination of the royal Romanov family, Anya becomes involved in a scheme with local conmen Vladimir Popov and Dmitry in which she is to pretend to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov in order to secure a place as the heir to the Romanov fortune.
Over the course of her training to play the part and subsequent travel to Paris, however, Anya and Dmitry begin to wonder if the identity really is a con after all.
Directed by Erin Fagundes, the Conejo Players Theater production starred Maya Puterbaugh as Anya, Tony Cellucci as Dmirty and Benjamin Mitnick as Vladimir Popov. It also featured Kobe Burton as antagonist revolutionary Gleb, Amie Woolweber as Vladimir’s love interest; Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch and Deidre Parmenter as Anastasia’s Grandmother; the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.
Director Fagundes said her favorite part of the process was watching the cast come together.
“[It’s] watching a group of people who mostly didn’t know each other at all evolve into the most incredible family who has each other’s backs, will do anything to support each other, bring each other laughter and joy, check their egos at the door, all while still beautifully accomplishing the number one goal – storytelling,” Fagundes said.
“This experience has truly been what I wish for everyone who does theatre or participates in any kind of group activity. This one is hard to say goodbye to. We were so fortunate to have had the caliber of both the performers and staff we had. Everyone brought their A-game,” Fagundes said.
This “A-game” was brought in all respects, from the musical repertoire of the show to large ensemble dancing to en pointe ballet. Multi-part splits, smooth transitions and visual storytelling abounded, with clever humor throughout.
Nick Davila, a Theatre Arts major at Moorpark College, expressed the tremendous impact that stage productions have had in his life.
“Theatre not only has changed my life with how I plan my future, such as college, but it defines how I live my life every day,” Davila explained.
As a volunteer-run theater, Conejo Players has many positions for those seeking to get involved on and off the stage. Continued local shows such as Anastasia provide continuous opportunities to the Moorpark and surrounding community to engage in this transformative experience in theater.
Conejo Players Theater President Dana Marley-Kolb invites the community to lend a hand to the theater and join the Conejo Players family.
“The theater is an amazing center of collaboration,” Marley-Kolb says in the productions program. “Each production relies on directors, producers, performers, choreographers, designers, builders, crew members, ushers and countless others. Working together creates a family of sorts. We welcome anyone who would like to join our family of volunteers – a truly generous and talented bunch.”
The Conejo Players Theater’s “Upcoming Auditions” page is uploaded constantly with their upcoming open calls, as well as their “Upcoming Shows” page which catalogs all upcoming productions and special events.
