Anastasia’s Georgina Hopson turns childhood ‘obsession’ into star turn
As she prepares for her starring role in Anastasia: The Broadway Musical, Georgina Hopson opens up about her “slow burn” into musical theatre, and the challenges facing Australia’s performing arts community.
When word spread that Georgina Hopson had won the central role of Anya in the new Australian production of Anastasia: The Broadway Musical, her phone went into meltdown with messages from childhood friends.
“They all knew how obsessed I was with this musical as a child,” Hopson says. “I would put on a coat and the little hat and scarf and I would sing the song ‘Journey to the Past’.
“So, winning this role feels like a one in a million, it’s like winning the lottery for me.”
Anastasia follows the story of Anya, a young girl left orphaned by the turmoil of the Russian Revolution in 1916, who sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a Soviet officer who is determined to silence her, Anya enlists the help of a dashing conman and an ex-aristocrat in an adventure that leads her to 1920s Paris.
The fictionalised story, previously brought to life in the 1997 Oscar-nominated animated film Anastasia, was inspired by the long-rumoured – but thoroughly debunked – escape and survival of the real-life Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov while the rest of the Romanov dynasty was executed at the onset of the Russian Revolution.
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Directed by Tony Award-winning director Darko Tresnjak, the Tony Award-nominated musical premiered on Broadway in March 2017 before touring internationally. This production from John Frost for Crossroads Live, Opera Australia and Stage Entertainment Productions, stars Robert Tripolino as the con artist Dimitry, Josh Robson as the antagonist Gleb, Rodney Robson as Vlad, and musical theatre icons Rhonda Burchmore as Countess Lily and Nancye Hayes in the role of Anastasia’s grandmother, the Dowager Empress.
Four young South Australian performers – Isla Bahrami (9 years old), Audrey Burnett (11 years old), Daisy Goodall (10 years old) and Aria Rose Piteo (10 years old) – will also take to the stage to share the role of young Anya during the Adelaide season, which kicked off over the weekend. Hopson says the story of Anya “appeals to a lot of young girls because she doesn’t start out as a typical princess”.
“She’s really feisty and spunky and fiery and full of courage and determination to find out who she is,” Hopson says. “I think that’s such a great role model for kids and people can really relate to that.
“This is a family show, it appeals to any age because there are so many elements; the historical element, the mystery, the love story. It’s just a beautiful show, a modern classic that speaks to so many generations, with the most beautiful score that you’ve ever heard.”
Another draw card is the show’s lavish costumes, including the famous “red dress” that is a “feat of engineering”, Hopson says.
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Hopson says she explored a variety of other career options before pursuing a life on stage, including starting a degree in speech pathology followed by two two years of a business/marketing degree, before she discovered her true path, studying musical theatre at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in 2014.
“I didn’t do well in those other degrees, I think that was a sign,” she laughs. “I played instruments growing up, the but getting into musical theatre was a slow burn for me.”
For someone who came to musical theatre later in life, Hopson has an impressive list of credits to her name including Phantom of the Opera, Singin’ in the Rain and Jagged Little Pill. She also starred in Mother in Ragtime (TPC) for which she won a 2020 Green Room Award for Best Performer in a Leading Role and Merrily We Roll Along which saw her nominated for a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in 2021. Other accolades include the Rob Guest Endowment Award in 2017, and a Matilda Award for Best Emerging Artist in 2015.
With several major musicals being cancelled in Australia in recent months (Beetlejuice, Waitress and Back to the Future), Hopson is grateful for the opportunities she’s enjoyed, and mindful of the challenges faced by the industry more broadly.
“I think it’s great to bring that up,” she says when InReview mentions the industry turmoil. “Firstly, I feel so lucky to be working and it’s so nice that Anastasia is doing so well. My heart goes out to all the people whose shows have been cancelled and not just the actors, the crew, the ushers, everyone, the ripple effect is huge.
“The good that’s come out of it is the conversation has been sparked and there’s a lot of talk about the London model, and we’re talking about tax basically – London has tax breaks for live theatre and they do it here in Australia for film and TV.
“Now there is talk from the union and people involved trying to get that happening here in Australia, which would be so amazing for the economy and our culture.”
For now, the musical theatre star is preparing for her Adelaide Anastasia season as she continues her dream run in the role of a lifetime.
“This is such an honour and to have the responsibility of it is really special. I don’t take that lightly,” she says.
Anastasia: The Broadway Musical continues at the Festival Theatre until August 30.
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