The Avon Echo

By Simone Bender

Over the course of three weekend shows, the Avon High School’s theater department was able to put on an excellent performance of Anastasia, the musical story of the lost Romanov princess and her journey to Paris. As a longtime fan of the story and music, I went into the show with high expectations, and the cast/crew did not disappoint. The costuming, set design, acting performances, and choices of casting all contributed so much to the success of the show, and I was so happy to be able to see it all come together in the end. Some of the members did so well to the point that I felt they needed a specific recognition. So, here I present, the Anastasia version of our AHS Tony Awards.

Best Actor

Junior Abram Teipen did such an incredible job with the part of Dmitry, the leading male in the production. His amazing chemistry with the other leads, ability to bring the character to life, and incredible singing voice all contributed so much to the production as a whole. I was overall so impressed with his performance and couldn’t imagine anyone doing the part better.

Best Actress

Although her character didn’t come in until the second act, junior Olivia Swynenburg delivered in her role as Countess Lily. She truly was able to take on the character as a whole, from the way she delivered her lines all the way down to the way she walked around the stage. She very much embodied her character and was a joy to watch on stage.  

Best Vocalist

In the leading role for the second year in a row, senior Ava Lee’s voice was stunning in her portrayal of Anya. After seeing her perform many, many times, I’ve learned to expect amazing things from her as a singer, but I can confidently say that Anastasia was one of the best performances I’ve heard her give. The music of the show is so iconic and easy to do wrong, but her performances of In My Dreams, Once Upon a December, and Journey to the Past were actually insane. She truly is one of the best singers I’ve ever heard.

Best Stage Presence

I was so excited to see junior Luke Sigler in his character, Vlad Popov, because of how alive he becomes as an actor onstage. He had such great chemistry with Ava, Abram, and Olivia, which made the performance feel so real. I loved him in this role and definitely enjoyed watching him on stage.

Best Villainous Performance

I love Gleb as the villain in Anastasia and junior Carter Coy did such a good job of doing the character justice. I haven’t seen him in a role like this before and I was definitely impressed by the result. At one point during the show, he yelled and it actually scared me so much that I jumped and made the person next to me laugh. If a villainous actor doesn’t do that to you, then are they really doing their job right?

Best Character Interpretation

Senior Lily Wendell was the epitome of excellence and grace playing The Dowager Empress. Her voice, elegance, and commanding delivery all felt just like the character should. It’s really amazing to see high school actors who are able to truly embody their characters rather than just delivering lines and Lily did such a wonderful job with this.

Most Entertaining Supporting Actor

I was really impressed with senior Max Dunn, who had a solo in his role of Ipolitov. I’ve known Max to be a great singer, but his performance in Anastasia was amazing. The entire song of Stay, I Pray You was one of the most moving in the show and he was able to lead this wonderfully. I really appreciated his contribution.

Best Dancing Performance

I was delightfully surprised with the performances of seniors Abby Dirrim, Ayomide Resen, and freshman Macie Dunn who made up the dance ensemble for the production. They truly stole the show when they were onstage and did such a great job contributing that element of dance to the show.

Best Junior Actors

Shoutout to Isla Clark, Julian Leon, Bridget Neal, and Busy Neal, who made up the kid’s ensemble! It was so cool to have the children’s roles played by actual younger kids as opposed to high schoolers in disguise and these kids did such a great job delivering lines, dancing, and having presence onstage. I’m always so impressed by child actors when I see professional productions and it was really cool to see kids with that same talent in a high school show.