Terrence McNally, St. Petersburg and ‘Anastasia’
Terrence McNally. Photo: PBS.
The late playwright Terrance McNally, who was born right here in St. Petersburg, wrote the script for the Broadway musical Anastasia in 2016.
Full circle alert: Much of the show takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia.
It’s based on the story of the amnesiac orphan who claimed to be the offspring of Tsar Nicholas II, executed with his entire family following the Bolshevik uprising in 1917.
It had been long rumored that Anastasiya Nikolaevna Romanova, the ruler’s youngest daughter, had escaped. Was “Anya” really Anastasiya?
No spoilers here. Anastasia, the McNally-penned play (the songs are by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty), is on tour and has a stop Sunday (Dec. 4) at Ruth Eckerd Hall (shows at 1 and 7 p.m.).
It’s very loosely based on animator Don Bluth’s 1997 film of the same name. Only a few songs from the original film were retained, however; there are more than a dozen “new” ones. And many different characters, as well.
Although Anastasia won the Drama Desk and Outer Circle Critics awards for its production design, reviews were mixed.
Carped the New York Times: “Anastasia may well tap into the dewy-eyed demographic that made Wicked such an indestructible favorite of female adolescents. Those without such nostalgic insulation are likely to find this Anastasia a chore … bloody periods of history, like the Russian Revolution, do not naturally lend themselves to perky song and dance.”
McNally, a five-time Tony winner whose massive successes included Ragtime (with Ahrens and Flaherty), Kiss of the Spider Woman, Master Class and Love! Valour! Compassion!, described Anastasia thusly: “It’s a wonderful mystery, fairy tale, romance,” he told Playbill. “It’s the most modern story I could think of. It’s the search for identity, roots, family connection. What mysteries lie in our lineage? That’s why it continues to speak to people.”
St. Petersburg Times, 1938.
A little history: Michael Terrence McNally’s parents, Hubert and Dorothy, operated the Penguin Club on Sunset Beach between 1939 and 1941. The private surfside dinner and dance club emphasized beach and aquatic sports, and boasted a bath house with accommodations for 100 guests.
The Penguin Club was sold in the summer of ’41, and under new management was reportedly damaged by subsequent hurricanes. The structure was destroyed in a 1972 storm and replaced by the legendary “igloo-shaped” Penguin restaurant.
The McNallys relocated to Port Chester, N.Y., where they had family. During that time, young Terrence’s grandfather introduced him to Broadway and the world of theater.
After World War II, the family – which now included Terrence’s younger brother – moved to Corpus Christi, Texas.
Terrence McNally died of complications from Covid-19 March 24, 2020, at his home in Sarasota. He was 81.
Tickets for Anastasia at Ruth Eckerd Hall are here.
