Stephen Brower Stars in PPAC’s Anastasia

Stephen Brower is starring as Dmitry in the musical Anastasia, opening at PPAC on November 27.

Based on the 1997 film, the musical adapts the legend of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, who could have escaped the execution of her family. Years later, an amnesiac orphan named Anya hopes to find some trace of her family by siding with two con men who wish to take advantage of her likeness to the Grand Duchess.

The music and lyrics are by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime), and a book by Terrence McNally. Anastasia premiered on Broadway in April 2017 and was nominated for the Drama Desk award for Best Musical.

Dmitry is a con man who starts off poor in the city of St. Petersburg. “(Dmitry) has very noble goals to get out of Russia and start a new life for himself,” Brower said. “Sort of a rags to riches (story). He will achieve that goal by any means.”

The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native toured the country with Pippin and An American in Paris before landing the role of Dmitry. Brower started acting at a young age in community theater. He later took dance lessons and went on to graduate from Texas State University, where he majored in musical theater. Brower has a lot of admiration for Anastasia’s creative team of producers and artisans. “It makes for a fantastic epic story I wanted to be a part of,” Brower said. “The audiences just love the story. You can hear the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ and the laughter and the applause. It appeals to many generations.”

Anastasia runs November 27 through December 2 at Providence Performing Arts Center. For tickets, go to ppacri.org or call 401-421-ARTS.