 Altomare had grown up singing the song constantly ever since learning that Callaway, of whom she had been a fan since seeing her perform in the musical "Cats" (1981), had sung the song in the movie.Ahrens claims that adapting "Anastasia" for the stage helped her realize the true impact the song has had on listeners and fans, recalling the audience's reaction to hearing "Journey to the Past" for the first time.Actor Derek Klena, who plays Dimitry in the production, identified "Journey to the Past" as one of the songs "that stick in everyone's head when they think about "Anastasia"", describing it as his favorite song and scene in the original film.