Paul Voodini & Dan Baines – On the Blood Reloaded

In September 1918, at a railway station at Siding 37, northwest of Perm, eight witnesses reported the recapture of a young woman after an apparent escape attempt. These witnesses were Maxim Grigoyev, Tatiana Sitnikova and her son Fyodor Sitnikov, Ivan Kuklin and Matrina Kuklina, Vassily Ryabov, Ustinya Varankina, and Dr Pavel Utkin, a physician. Dr Pavel Utkin personally treated the girl after the incident and his tale forms the basis of this unbelievable story.

Some of the witnesses identified the girl as Anastasia when they were shown photographs of the grand duchess by White Russian Army investigators. Utkin told the investigators that during her treatment, he removed a bullet from her upper arm and the injured girl told him, "I am Anastasia." At the secret police's orders to treat the bullet wound, Utkin obtained a prescription from a pharmacy for a patient named only as "N".

Utkin had no doubt that he had treated the Grand Duchess and kept the bullet as a grim souvenir of the day he helped the girl. Utkin was also given a small gold ring by the injured girl as gratitude for his medical help. Utkin recalls her saying, "please take this ring; it is worth nothing where I am going".

The performance of On the Blood can be broken down into three acts -

The Romanov Murders

Dr Pavel Utkin's Encounter

The Revelation

Act 1 – The Romanov Murders

A mysterious box is presented to the audience. The box was purchased from a stall adjacent to the Church on the Blood on a recent trip to Russia. It was owned by a Russian couple known as M. Zlatoustova and A. Petrova, who were the second cousins of Dr Pavel Utkin, who, as you will soon explain, is connected to the Romanov murders and Anastasia mystery.

The box is opened, a bloody bullet in a glass bottle, gold ring and stack of photos are removed. Placing the bullet artefact and gold ring to one side, you spread the 7 photos of the Romanov family on the table and recall how they were brutally murdered in 1918 following the Bolshevik Revolution and from which Anastasia supposedly escaped.

Act 2 – Dr Pavel Utkin's Encounter

The following day at a railway station northwest of Perm, eight witnesses reported a young woman's recapture after an apparent escape attempt. A group of White Russian Army investigators apprehended the young girl with a gunshot wound and ordered any bystanders with medical training to assist. Dr Pavel stepped forward and volunteered his services.

Dr Pavel then proceeded to remove a bullet from the girl's arm; as he did, the girl leant close and whispered to him, "I am Anastasia, the daughter of the ruler".

This is the very bullet Dr Pavel removed from Anastasia's arm.

The bullet is then passed around the audience.

When he had finished dressing the wound, the girl claiming to be Anastasia, thanked Dr Pavel and placed a small gold ring into his hand (showing the gold ring to the audience)

Act 3 – The Revelation

You then tell the audience that using only the artefacts in Dr Pavel's box, we can prove that Anastasia did escape. However, her final fate cannot be determined after her recapture at the train station.

Not only will you prove Anastasia's escape but that she was also assisted by Rasputin!