Home, Love, Family: An Open Letter to the Anastasia Tour

On the closing weekend of the second national tour of Anastasia, I hope the cast and crew know how much the work they were doing is and was loved.

The second national tour of Anastasia opened in October 2021, following the abrupt end of the first national tour in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Anastasia tour was one of the first national tours to hit the road after theatres reopened in the fall of 2021.

After a long year and a half of the Broadway (and national tour) shut down, I was so excited to see shows reopening and hitting the road again. Of course, this time, it was with much more safety and precaution, which brought many challenges for touring productions.

From the moment the cast announcement dropped, I honestly became so invested in this touring company. It felt like a beacon of light after endless dark days. It was a new hope that things were turning around, and I was more than excited to cheer on the company— even if it was from the sidelines and just supporting from a distance.

As soon as the casting announcement dropped, I wanted to know who all the performers were who would be playing each part I loved so much and when and where I would be able to see them. Ironically, they skipped over most of California and the southwest in their first year. This was not entirely a surprise, as the 1NT spent significant time mounted in LA, Orange County, San Diego, and Arizona. But it was still a bit heartbreaking.

Nonetheless, I still followed along with the tour and found an immense amount of joy in following the cast through watching takeovers and social media. This cast was like the little engine that could trekking through the country during the pandemic.

This tour gave me so much hope and joy during very difficult times, and I am so grateful. It helped me reconnect with some friends I had made through Anastasia on Broadway and the 1NT and make new ones who had just seen the tour for the first time.

This show is so special to me, and when things in other areas of my life felt difficult, I purchased a ticket for a show eight months later to see the tour in Boston. I promised myself that when I used that ticket, I would work as hard as I could to change my circumstances—and I did.

As things worked out, I saw the tour in Boston the first night I called Boston my new home. I have never felt this show so deeply as watching Anya’s journey while on my very own journey. It was also many of the first-year cast’s final weekend with the show, which was incredibly emotional. It felt like a passing of the baton. The first year cast got me through to the next chapter of my life, and the year two cast was there as I settled into a new place.

There were many things I felt conflicted about with this tour switching to non-union, but I was never conflicted about the heart and talent at the core of this tour. This is one of my favorite casts of the show I have seen and coupled with the joy this show brings, it has been so amazing to watch these performers thrive and go on to build their repertoires out in new ways.

I also am so grateful — in the time of the pandemic and many premature closures — that this tour was able to complete its entire run, and the cast and crew can say goodbye to this show on their own terms. Several of the productions of Anastasia, including the 1NT, closed prematurely during the pandemic, resulting in an abrupt goodbye.

To the cast and crew of Anastasia — thank you for all you have done for the past two years. Happy trails! Although there are many mixed feelings about this journey coming to an end, I can’t wait to see what you go on to do next! 💜