I am so excited to be interviewing rising Actress Lyda Jade Harlan who is currently starring as Anya in Bucks County Playhouse’s production of the Broadway musical Anastasia, based upon the animated Disney film.

After just interviewing Christine Toy Johnson who plays Anya’s grandmother, Dowager Empress in the show, it is thrilling to now get Lyda’s perspective about the show.

In this interview, Lyda answered my call to share:

• Her inspirations
• Why taking on the role of Anya was so challenging
• What has been the most rewarding part about playing Anya
• What she gets from her own songwriting that she doesn’t get from performing
• So much more

Connect with Lyda: Website, Instagram

With a book by Terrance McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Anastasia will play at Bucks County Playhouse in Bucks County, PA through January 5, 2025. Click here for tickets!

Anastasia transports audiences from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.

Lyda Jade Harlan as Anya
Anastasia, Bucks County Playhouse, Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

1. Who or what inspired you to become a performer? Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to sing. I was born in Los Angeles, CA to a dad who was in a band called “The Psychedelic Cowboys” and a mom who knew how to play piano by ear. Music was always essential in our household. Although, being a “performer” didn’t quite appeal to me until my mom forced me to audition for a community theatre’s production of Les Miserables. 

At the age of 12, I somehow landed the role of Cosette…and from there I was hooked. Being in a community of people who love to do the same things I do to create an empowering story-telling ensemble really spoke to me. I knew that I didn’t really want to do anything else.

2. You are currently starring in Bucks County Playhouse's production of Anatasia, based upon Disney's film of the same name. What made you want to audition for this show? Luckily, I saw the Broadway production of Anastasia when I was a sophomore in high school for a choir field trip. I absolutely loved the show and developed great admiration for Christy Altomare. Although…I never saw myself in the role of Anya.

It wasn’t until last September that my agents sent me a tape request for the role at BCP and in complete transparency, I laughed out loud. Anya’s music is extremely challenging. I never thought I’d be able to get a hold of it. Additionally, I never saw myself as a princess of any sorts.

But it wasn’t until I started preparing for the audition that I realized; Anya isn’t your typical princess and there is a lot about her strength and stature that I admired and connected to immediately…which made the audition process very enjoyable and fulfilling.

3. What do you relate to most about Anya? What I relate to the most about Anya is how careful she is to put her trust in others. Anya is extremely intelligent and is good at analyzing people for who they really are. I think she and I are very similar in that way. 

Lyda Jade Harlan as Anya, Mason Reeves as Dmitry, 
Anastasia, Bucks County Playhouse, Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

4. What is one characteristic of Anya's you are glad you yourself do not possess? I can’t think of a characteristic of hers that I’m GLAD I don’t possess… What I can say is that Anya is very strong, courageous, and a huge risk taker. I wouldn’t say I possess those characteristics to the extent she does but I wish I did. I live life fearful, often times, and I wish I was a lot more headstrong than I actually am.

5. You posted on your social media that you didn't feel you were capable of playing Anya and it was a hard role to grasp. Why did you feel this way? Just like I mentioned a few questions ago…her musical track is quite challenging and I never saw myself in a “princess” type role. Honestly, another huge factor in my way of thinking was my looks.

A lot of previous Anya's look very different from me, in terms of body type. I have never been very confident in how I look, especially on stage. And to see myself in a role that was to be treated like “royalty” by the end felt very unrealistic. 

6. What has been the most rewarding part about overcoming this fear and conquering the role? I am glad to say that I feel my voice has overcome the challenges of the part and the songs now sit in a very comfortable place for me. I have really connected with Anya and now see her as an extension of myself.

My lack of confidence on my looks remains a challenge, but luckily Eric Rosen and Jess Gersz have been so incredible to work with and have done nothing but make me feel a lot more comfortable during this process than I thought I would be.

Mason Reeves as Dmitry, Lyda Jade Harlan as Anya
Anastasia, Bucks County Playhouse, Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

7. Let's find out more about you through some of the songs you sing in the show.

• "Journey to the Past" - What is an event in your life you would like to take a journey back to and experience again? An event in my life that I’d like to experience again would be the first time I performed on a stage. I’d love to feel how it felt to realize that this may have been my calling.
• "In My Dreams" - What is something you still want to achieve that you haven’t? Something I still want to achieve is to make my Broadway debut. It sounds corny and I know I have a lot more work to do…but it is still one of my biggest dreams.
• "Crossing a Bridge" - What is the most challenging thing you've had to face thus far in your life, that made you feel like you were crossing a bridge? I actually don’t sing this song in our production, but I am constantly facing the challenge of rejection. I send in loads of audition tapes and go to countless in-person appointments and I am constantly told “not this time.” I am always facing this challenge, but that is what I signed up for when I decided to be a performer, so I will continue to try crossing that bridge for the rest of my career.

8. You also sing, "Once Upon A December" in the show. Since we are in the holiday season, what are some of your favorite holiday traditions? Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday, I love everything about it! Some of my favorite traditions are watching my favorite Christmas movies with my parents and putting on our favorite Christmas records. Another one is that every year we get to open one present on Christmas Eve, that one always gets me super excited!

Lyda Jade Harlan and the Cast of Anastasia
Bucks County Playhouse, Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

9. In addition to musical theatre, you also write your own songs. What do you get from songwriting that you don't get from performing? A lot of my songwriting stems directly from my own experiences. When I’m performing for musical theatre, I can draw from my own experiences and use them for the role, but it’s a very hard thing to do because I don’t write the shows I perform in, and they’re not the exact same series of events I’ve been through myself.

When it comes to my music…I have complete freedom and I connect to it the most because it’s my stories and experiences. It's very special, and I don’t get that same type of sensation when performing in a show.

10. What is something we didn't get to talk about in this interview that you'd like my audience to know about you? Nothing that I can think of besides the fact that I am so grateful to be doing this show and that everyone should come see it!

I am also releasing a single called “Idea of Him” on all streaming platforms on December 20th. I don’t know if you plug those types of things, but if you want to let your audience know, that’d be awesome!

Related Interview:

Christine Toy Johnson: Taking a Journey to the Past in Anastasia

 Lyda Jade Harlan

More on Lyda Jade Harlan:

Lyda Jade Harlan holds her Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre from The Manhattan School of Music where she studied under Samuel McKelton's voice studio. She has been performing since the age of 7 and has been writing music since the age 12. 

She aspires to perform for the rest of her life and believes that telling stories through musical theatre is one of the most efficient ways to enact change and inspire others through music, dance, and intricate book-writing.