The 2025 fall musical, “Anastasia,” broke records at Weber High with the show being sold out before opening night, which was on Nov. 7. Ticket sales sky-rocketed, resulting in an added performance.
The last time there was an added performance for a fall musical was in 2018, when Weber High performed “Newsies”.
“I feel like there’s a higher expectation [here] than a lot of other schools,” senior Solomon Stewart, who played Vlad Popov, said. “There’s just a higher expectation to be professional and to be focused.”
Auditions for fall musicals are usually held within the first few weeks of the new school year; however, auditions for “Anastasia” were held in May of last school year. Mr. Mark Daniels, the teacher and director of “Anastasia,” wanted to make sure he did the show “justice.” After casting the show, he told everyone with lines to have it memorized by the next school year. The cast worked throughout the summer to make sure they were ready to jump right into putting the show together when school started up again. Senior Natalia Bingham, who was casted as Anya/Anastasia, said she really started to work on becoming familiar with the show in July.
“It was a lot on me,” Bingham said. “The first act alone is huge, she has three pretty big ballads, so it was definitely working not just my voice but my stamina and my body.”
The leads were not the only ones practicing over the summer though. Within the show, there is a “Swan Lake” ballet sequence. Ballerinas were casted and they had to work consistently through the summer. Sophomore Victoria Bingham was cast as teen Anastasia as well as the Swan Princess.
“In ‘Swan Lake’, the main swan, Odette, has to choose between a beautiful prince and a very bad guy,” Victoria said. “It’s back and forth and it’s a very dramatic story. But that is definitely how ‘Anastasia’ goes. She has Gleb and Dmitry. Although Anastasia never had romantic feelings for Gleb, she did always have empathy towards Gleb. So it’s this internal conflict.”
The show was about two hours and 20 minutes long and it was performed ten times. People in the cast were tired and had a hard time feeling motivated to keep performing. Stewart said remembering that a lot of people want to see the show is what kept him motivated.
“I don’t want to put something out there that’s not my best,” Stewart said. “If I don’t feel proud of it, then I wouldn’t have done it in the first place.”
Daniels entered the show into a theatre competition along with the Productions company show, “The Drowsy Chaperone.” The show was adjudicated on Monday, Nov. 10.
“This fall musical, compared to a lot of the other ones, feels like a truly amazing show,” Szymanski said. “This is art and this is a fantastic show.”
On Nov. 15, the show had a matinee. Instead of just having two shows that day, they added a “Royalty Brunch.” Muffins and parfaits were served. Guests also received crowns, took pictures with the cast, got their faces painted, danced, and participated in a costume contest.
“There was a little boy who was dressed up as Dmitry [at the Royalty Brunch],” senior Sam Roundy, who played Dmitry, said. “He was in a little blue vest, pants, and a button up shirt. I got to take a picture with him and it made my day.”
The closing of the show was very bittersweet for many cast members. They loved the show and they grew closer together as a cast and a family because of “Anastasia”.
“[My favorite quote from the musical is by] the Dowager and it’s, ‘You can’t be anyone without first recognizing yourself,’” Bingham said. “This show is just learning that you can start from the beginning and you can start over and still find love, and find your family. It’s a story of hope and I’m very grateful and really sad it’s coming to an end but you know, all good things must come to an end, I just wish it was a little longer.”
