Georgina Hopson will headline the Australian premiere of “Anastasia,” opening at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in December 2025 before touring to Perth and Sydney the following year.
The Green Room Award-winning performer, known for “Titanique,” “Phantom of the Opera” and “Jagged Little Pill,” will take on the role of Anya — a young woman searching for her true identity in the twilight of Imperial Russia.
“I can’t quite believe that I am going to be playing Anya in ‘Anastasia’,” Hopson said. “I have loved this story and this character since I was a kid. I used to dress up as her and sing ‘Journey to the Past’ on the trampoline. I wish I could tell my younger self this was happening — she would have passed out with excitement.”
The musical draws inspiration from the legend of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov’s rumoured escape during the Russian Revolution and the 1997 animated film. It features a book by late five-time Tony Award winner Terrence McNally (“Ragtime,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman”) and a score by Tony-winning songwriting duo Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (“Once on This Island”), described by the Chicago Tribune as “one of the greatest songwriting teams in Broadway history.”
Directed by Tony Award winner Darko Tresnjak (“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”), “Anastasia” opened on Broadway in 2017, earning a Tony nomination for Best Costume Design and winning more than 15 major international awards, including Best Musical honours in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.
Hopson’s stage career includes starring as Rose Dewitt-Bukater in “Titanique” (Michael Cassel Group), Christine Daaé in “Phantom of the Opera” (Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour), and roles in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Bananaland,” and “Jekyll & Hyde”. On screen, she has appeared in “Hoges: The Paul Hogan Story,” “Bump” and “Doctor Doctor”.
“Anastasia” is produced by John Frost for Crossroads Live and Opera Australia, in collaboration with Stage Entertainment Productions, Tom Kirdahy, Hunter Arnold and Dan Hinde. The production will run at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre from December 2025, Crown Theatre Perth from March 2026, and Sydney’s Lyric Theatre from April 2026.
Further casting announcements are expected in the coming months. More information can be found via the production’s social media accounts or the website, www.anastasiathemusical.com.au.