Itch your theatre bug with ‘Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812’
Lucas Steele and Denée Benton perform as Anatole and Natasha at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway in 2016. Photo courtesy of Playbill
Lily Cole | Editor
Jada Hauser | Graphic Designer
My first musical theatre performance was in 2018 for the show “Hands on a Hardbody.” The show is about 10 contestants competing for a “hardbody” truck in Longview, Texas. The last contestant who has his or her hands on the truck wins it. We had a real Nissan truck roll into our little black box theatre. It was magical.
After that moment, I immersed myself in performing throughout high school. It was something I really wanted to do, and singing is a passion of mine. I had been into theatre before, but doing this show, even as an ensemble performer, pushed my love for musicals, and I began listening to a lot more. One of my favorites is “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.”
“Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812” (or just “The Great Comet”), is a musical that tells the story of a 70-page part of Leo Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace,” first published in 1869.
The musical was created by Dave Malloy, who wrote the score and lyrics. It was originally directed by Rachel Chavkin. The show is based on Volume II, Part V of the novel and focuses on two main storylines: Natasha’s love affair with Anatole and Pierre’s journey to find meaning in his life.
The show’s synopsis is extensive–too extensive to condense into a little recommendation—but it follows the lives of a ton of characters, ranging from Natasha (she’s young) and Sonya (she’s good) to Anatole (he’s hot) and Dolokhov (he’s fierce). Listeners get introduced to these characters and more through the first song in the soundtrack, “Prologue.”
“The Great Comet,” which premiered Off-Broadway in 2012, has been produced in various locations, including a Broadway run from 2016 to 2017.
The show received positive reviews for performances by Phillipa Soo, Denée Benton and Josh Groban (he’s been my childhood crush for years), with the production earning 12 Tony Award nominations, including for Best Musical and Best Actor for Groban, and winning two awards for scenic design (Mimi Lien) and lighting design (Bradley King). Some standout songs from the show are “The Opera,” “Charming” and “Dust and Ashes.”
The musical mixes Russian folk and classical music with indie rock and EDM vibes. Malloy, who wrote the score and orchestrated the whole thing, calls it an “electropop opera” because it’s mostly sung-through, with only one line of spoken dialogue between Pierre and Natasha in their scene together.
On stage, most of the actors also play musical instruments, adding to the orchestra’s sound–something that you don’t see often in musical theatre nowadays. Pierre even plays the accordion for a bit and performs big parts of the score on the orchestra’s piano.
“The Great Comet” is a fun listen for anyone who wants to get into musical theatre. It’s vibrant, switching from belts to opera in a range of songs. It’s filled with emotional depth and cultural richness, and its story will make you fall in love or hate the word altogether.
If you’re new to musical theatre or want a new one to itch your theatre bug, “Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812” is just for you.
Denée Benton and Josh Groban debuted the roles of Natasha and Pierre on Broadway in 2016. The two received rave reviews for their performances. Photo courtesy of Playbill
Listen to the soundtrack on Spotify:
