Theatre Royal Windsor – until Saturday 31st May 2025
Reviewed by Carly
4****
Windsor brings you The Anastasia File, written by Royce Ryton directed by Roy Marsden.
In the year of 1918, Tsar Nicholas II and his family are executed by the Bolsheviks in Ekaterinburg. Two years later in 1920 a woman is pulled from a canal, having jumped off a bridge as an attempted suicide, where she is then taken to a mental hospital. It’s clear to see that she been through an ordeal. Her body shows the signs of being struck, beaten as well as stabbed. Feeling trapped and believing that no-one is her friend – rather her enemy, she remains silent to protect herself. It’s clear to see that she holds a deep sadness from within and as time goes by in her stay at hospital, they notice that perhaps she comes from money. Maybe a rich family. She has a polite silence about her, she walks well. It becomes clear that she has knowledge and political interests and although when she occasionally speaks, she speaks in German, later she is tricked into speaking Russian and does it with ease. Slowly she starts to open- up with the accounts of her escape from her family’s death by assassins…. Could she be the Grand Duchess Anastasia the Heir to the Romanov fortune!?
The inspector (Simon Shepherd) that takes the case, becomes extremely obsessed with it and helps her to tell her story. He also feels for her safety inviting her to stay with himself and wife to offer her protection whilst the world becomes gripped with Anastasia’s story and weather her claims are in fact true!
Throughout this time a friendship is formed, and an emotional powerful story is revealed.
Simon Shepherd who plays the inspector gives an honest and fair character on stage alongside Mrs Manahan (Jenny Seagrove) who offers great depth in her performance that comes across very believable.
Ashley D. Gayle and Rosie Thomson who plays multiple characters throughout the show slip in and out of their performances with exceptional ease and was fascinating to watch.
The stage was simple but effective with what looked like concrete walls but had subtle changes of backgrounds projected such as woodland colours to create an outdoor feeling, changing the atmosphere when needed.
An amazing production – done incredibly well with just four actors covering many characters.
A great performance, an intriguing story filled with much power, emotion, sorrow, depth and torment.
This was a production that is well worth a watch.