Now that it is 2017 there are a few things that I am super excited about and looking forward to. There are the big life moments like graduating college and either starting graduate school or a job. Then there is the fact that Anastasia will finally be on Broadway! When news broke around June of last year that the show would finally move to Broadway, all girls who grew up in the nineties loving the movie version were behind excited. And now that it is finally 2017 we only have a few months to wait until we get the chance to hear some of our favorite childhood songs sung on The Great White Way.

For those who do not know Anastasia, both the cartoon movie version and musical, is about the lost Russian princess who cannot remember her past and tries to discover who her family is. Anastasia was, in fact, a real person, one of the daughters of Czar Nicholas of Russia. Unfortunately, in real life the entire family, including Anastasia, was killed as the Czar’s family was thrown from power in the beginnings of the Russian Revolution. Both the movie and musical explore a ‘what-if’ the princess escaped and lived world, as it was once a long time rumor that she had escaped.

Lovers of the movie that starred Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd and Angela Lansbury, will be pleased to know that many of the beloved songs from the movie are in the musical version headed to Broadway. However, that does not mean that there will not be changes. Instead of the main villain being Rasputin, the once holy man who sold his soul of the power to destroy the royal family, the musical’s main villain is named Gleb. He represents Russia’s new Communist rule as a member of their secret police. Gleb will be played by Ramin Karimloo who was most recently nominated for a Tony award for his role as Jean Valjean in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables.

Despite the differences between the movie that we all grew up loving and the new Broadway musical, this show will be a can’t miss. As it features the songs we love (like ‘Once Upon a December’!!) you know everyone in the audience will be quietly singing along. This show offers a bit of nostalgia for our childhoods that we do not see every day. Since Anastasia is not owned by Disney and she is therefore not a Disney Princess, we have not been inundated with Anastasia’s image as we have with the other princesses we grew up loving.

Anastasia opens on April 24, with previews beginning March 23 at the Broadhurst Theatre. This is the perfect chance for us nineties girls to go relive a part of our childhoods. This new show will definitely be a bright spot for a new year with so many other expectations.