It all started in 1997, when the hit animated film Anastasia made a splash. Years later, the musical by the same name made its 2016 debut as a musical in Hartford, CT. Lightning struck again, and in April 2017 Anastasia moved to Broadway, where it has been nominated for numerous awards including the Drama Desk award for Best Musical.

Although a success, the relatively new musical is not as mainstream as the comparable show Wicked. Group leader Jonathan Lam lobbied for CCIP (www.theccip.com) to add this show to the activity calendar and encouraged other students to sign up. It turned out to be the right choice, because 11 Session A CCIP visitors loved Anastasia when they went to see it on June 26.

Anastasia revolves around the legend of the daughter of Nicholas II, Russia’s last tsar. Did the teenaged Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia escape the execution of her family? Years after their tragic deaths, an amnesiac orphan named Anya hopes to trace her heritage by siding with two con men who wish to take advantage of her likeness to the Grand Duchess. The story is full of twists, turns, and intrigue.

Activity coordinator Hazell Tan from Nanyang Technological University and group leader Jackson Lai from the Open University of Hong Kong led the outing. “Shows like Phantom of the Opera and Frozen are a little more commercial -- this was something special,” said Jackson. Added Hazell, “It was like watching a good old Disney movie -- it had loads of drama and great songs."

"Jonathan, the group leaders, and the activity coordinators were right to fight to get this show on the activity calendar, “ said Owen Qi from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “It was unique and memorable. Tickets are expensive if purchased individually, so getting the group tickets was a big advantage."