St. Petersburg To Pittsburgh: Wardrobe Team Pulls Back The Curtain At 'Anastasia'

Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- From St. Petersburg to Pittsburgh, the Broadway musical "Anastasia" has made its way to the Benedum Center stage.

"The audiences are just blown away by the incredible costumes, the sets, the characters, the actors, the singing and the dancing," Scott Shiller, of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, said.

Unless you have a ticket, the sets and stagecraft are all top secret, but KDKA-TV got a sneak peek backstage at some of the Tony Award-nominated costumes with wardrobe supervisor Matt Kelbaugh.

"Every costume is labeled and numbered," he said.

One beaded masterpiece is worn by the Empress of Russia.

"It's really, really heavy. The biggest piece of it is this train that she wears. It is a 12-pound train covered in Swarovski crystals," Kelbaugh said.

Anya's breathtaking finale gown is lovingly known backstage as "Big Red."

"The inner structure is what makes it so incredible. There's hoops and ridgling and boning. She's not going anywhere," Kelbaugh said.

Pittsburgh is only the second stop on the musical's 30-city tour across the country.

"This is particularly fitting because ['Anastasia' composer] Stephen Flaherty is actually from Pittsburgh," Shiller said. "And 'Anastasia' is all about journeying to the past and finding your way home."

"It's incredible to be around all this fabulous make-believe," Kelbaugh said.

"Anastasia" is in Pittsburgh through Sunday. More information can be found at trustarts.org/production/58246/anastasia.