‘It Deserves To Be Seen’: Northport Theater Revives Broadway Play ‘Anastasia’

NORTHPORT, NY — The Community Playhouse of Northport is inviting audiences on “a journey to the past” as it brings Anastasia the Musical to life for six performances over two weekends, beginning Nov. 14. For Executive Director Suzie Lustig, the production is both a creative milestone and a heartfelt community achievement.

“This was the first time it landed when I applied,” Lustig said. “We grabbed it and we ran with it because the music is truly glorious. It had a very short run on Broadway, and it’s a shame, because it deserves to be seen by more audiences.”

Based on the beloved animated film and inspired by real events, Anastasia the Musical follows a young woman’s quest to uncover her past and find her place in the world. Set against the fall of Imperial Russia and the glittering nightlife of 1920s Paris, the story traces Anya’s transformation from an orphan with no memory into the spirited woman who may be the lost Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov.

Lustig, a Greenlawn resident, said Northport’s production takes an imaginative approach to capture the musical’s sweeping historical and magical elements. Special lighting and sound design will be used to evoke major moments — even the Romanov family’s assassination.

“The set is very minimal, but instead, we put a lot into the lighting effects and visuals,” she said. “The lighting will reflect a lot of the emotion that goes into the story.”

The Playhouse’s board president, Allison Grassi, and her son, Nick Grassi, helped bring the project to fruition — Nick interned on the lighting team for Anastasia during its Broadway run and will serve as sound designer for the local production.

“We’ve been hearing their family talk about Anastasia for years,” Lustig said. “He was so excited to be able to have this opportunity again.”

Lustig’s own family is involved as well: her daughter and friends will appear as Swan Lake dancers in a scene.

“That’s one of the beautiful things about the Community Playhouse of Northport — we are a multigenerational theater,” she said. “We have parents, children, and grandparents getting involved. It’s a very warm and welcoming theater.”

The production features roughly 27 cast members, including both children and adults. Many principal roles, including Anastasia, Dmitry, and Gleb, are double-cast — allowing more performers to shine.

Lustig personally handled costume design, sourcing garments from around the world to capture the shift from imperial Russia to the palette of 1920s Paris.

“We tried to make things as historically accurate as possible,” she said. “You’ll see big differences between the Romanov family scenes and the Paris scenes — the color palettes are very intentional.”

The Community Playhouse of Northport was founded in 2021 by a group of local theater lovers who wanted to carry on the legacy of the former Northport Community Theater, which closed when its longtime director, Betty Silver, retired.

“When she announced she was shutting it down, a group of us got together because we loved each other, the experience, and the value of live theater,” Lustig said. “One of the signatures of our theater is to have large casts of families. We try to make it inclusive so that it’s a community and educational experience.”

Lustig said the Playhouse also prides itself on affordability.

“Our adult ticket prices are $20,” she said. “We want to make theater accessible to the community.”

Since its founding, the Playhouse has seen steady growth and enthusiastic community support. Lustig said Anastasia represents the company’s most ambitious show yet — but also its most meaningful.

“I am genuinely so excited for families to discover and fall in love with Anastasia,” she said. “If a small community theater like ours can take this on, it shows that others can, too. The music, the voices, the story — people are going to be swept away by it.