The Anastasia File is a disturbing drama and sober reminder of an horrific evil act which shook the world and ended the Russian monarchy - and three centuries of the Romanov Dynasty.

...or did it?

The execution of Russia’s last Tsar, Nicholas II - along with his The Empress, his wife, their five children and four servants in July 1918 by a Bolshevik firing squad is key to its context.

Diamonds and precious gems sewn into the women’s undergarments deflected the initial bullets and the horror was compounded when their killers finished them off with bayonets and point-blank shots.

Interconnecting themes of trauma, mental health and fact versus fiction are pivotal to this production which elicits wide-ranging emotions and one burning question.

Was Anne Manahan - a woman pulled out of a Berlin canal in 1920 after trying to commit suicide - the Grand Duchess Anastasia, the Tsar’s youngest daughter? If so, she was the sole survivor of the massacre and heir to the substantial Romanov fortune.

The revival of Royce Ryton’s 1978 play is based on a real life story of how Anne doggedly pursued her claim to be legally acknowledged as the last surviving Romanov for three decades.

Her multi-faceted character, performed by acclaimed actress Jenny Seagrove, depicts her as a visibly traumatised victim battling with amnesia who is under observation in a Berlin institutional facility.

As doctors and an inspector try to delve into her past, Anne appears to possess an extraordinary knowledge of the Romanov family.

Recounting her former family lifestyle in grand palaces, her minutiae detail about the fateful night of the massacre is riveting.

Left for dead with thirty two stab wounds and covered in blood, she recalls how compassionate Poles rolled her into a carpet and helped her escape. She also vividly remembers marrying and having a child.

Anne’s recollections pull on our heartstrings, heightening the irony of her bleak surroundings compared to the opulence of her imperial childhood.

As the investigation deepens, the significance of her claim, which could hand her the Romanov treasure chest of 20 million roubles in gold, shifts the spotlight from identify to the power of money.

I cringed at the ulterior motives of the characters, including two royal aunts, and their machinations and manipulation of the truth for their own self interests.

Seven years after first performing as Anne Manahan, Jenny Seagrove is a tour de force oscillating from vulnerability, feistiness, crazed outbursts to regal composure - and all with a plausible Russian accent.

Anguished by the impact of the traumatic events on her fragile mental health, I felt nothing but compassion for her plight.

She is an extraordinary combination of arrogance born of class and privilege and vulnerability, …So you both love her and dislike her in equal amounts! People think they know the story, but it is the details and the humanity that bring this piece so compellingly to life.

Seagrove leads a four-strong cast who brilliantly sustain the momentum. Simon Shepherd is excellent as the measured but caring Inspector striving to do the best by Anne.

Ashley D. Gayle and Rosie Thomson impressively take on a myriad of accents and rapid costume changes for multiple roles including detectives, hospital staff, legal administrators and self-serving Russian aristocrats.

Directed by Roy Marsden, the drama’s austere set with its striking emblem of the Russian Eagle is a constant reminder of its horrific historical backdrop. Lighting is by Nick Richings and sound by Dan Samson.

In the real life version of events, German courts ruled in 1970 that there was not enough evidence to prove Anne was Anastasia.

The roller coaster of twists and turns of this enigma, which places the onus on the audience to make up their own mind, continue to leave me blurry eyed and mystified.

The Anastasia File, a Bill Kenwright Limited production, plays Newcastle Theatre Royal until Saturday, September 19. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.

For details of the UK tour visit https://www.kenwright.com/productions/the-anastasia-file/