The nonprofit performing arts group has produced a multitude of family-friendly productions since , with a strong focus on musical theater productions. After holding performances at various locations for over a decade, including at a local church in Citrus Heights, Royal Stage finally debuted their permanent theater space inside the Sunrise Mall in late and has held performances at the location since that time.
Petersburg claim there is a reward for the safe return of Anastasia to her grandmother. Knowing that a reward has been posted for the return of the true Princess Anastasia, they begin a search for the right woman to play the part. Enter Anya played by Lilly Burnett , a street sweeper with only scattered memories of her past.
With the shared goal of getting out of Russia alive, the three devise a plan to get to Paris and present Anya as the true Anastasia to her grandmother, the Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia.
Poignant and skilled performances by experienced lead actors made up for several missteps in the opening scene. While the opening sequence of a complicated ballroom dance that included a majority of the cast was well executed, much of the dance lacked energy.
Powerful vocal performances throughout the production conveyed the raw emotions of each character as they endured the hardship of their home country in upheaval. Meier, Conner, and Burnett carried the production with remarkable confidence and chemistry. Whether by design or not, Burnett and Meier lacked chemistry between them during the first half of the play.
