Review: Sexy! Fun! Remarkable! Theatre Three's NATASHA, PIERRE, AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 is a must-see!

Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

Book, Music and Lyrics by Dave Malloy (adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace) 

Directed by Ashley H. White

Music Director - Scott A. Eckert

Produced by Theatre Three

Audience rating: PG-13

Running Time: 2 hours 30 minutes (15-minute intermission)

Accessible Seating: Available

Hearing Devices: Not available

Sensory Friendly Showing: Not available

ASL Showing: Not available 

Sound Level: Comfortable

Noises or Visuals to Prepare for: drinking, mentions of suicide, and implied gun violence.

Reviewed by Stacey Calvert

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 is a musical based on a portion of Leo Tolstoy's sprawling Russian novel, War and Peace. The novelist drew inspiration from a famous comet that appeared in the skies in 1811-1812 which was thought to have portended Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. The format, delivery,  and content of this modern operatic musical are boldly different and unexpected, combining experimental qualities such as audience immersion/interaction and characters making meta references to the source material, with more traditional features of musical theatre.  I will say that it took me a few numbers to “get it,” but the performers pulled me into their world and made me love it. By the second act, I was completely immersed. This is a brilliant night at the theater.

The story itself is quite simple. Natasha (also sometimes called "Natalia" or "Natalie") is a young Russian debutante in 1812 Moscow who falls for the charms of bad boy Anatole while Andrey, her beloved fiancée, is away at war. In the meantime, Pierre of the musical’s title is a middle-aged man in an unhappy marriage who is undergoing somewhat of an existential crisis and, being a character in a Russian novel, drinking too much. Theater Three under Ashley White's confident direction has produced something vital and audacious, with a mischievous and youthful spirit. The audience is made a part of the story, with some of the audience members literally sitting at cabaret tables on stage throughout. 

Although the story itself is quite easy to follow, the characters are complex as befits a Russian novel. The cast begins by explaining to us in self-referential fashion that we must refer to our programs to keep up with all of the different names and the relationships to each other (Prologue), and a sheet depicting the players is handed out right then and there. You should know that the musical is entirely sung, in a mixture of electropop, indie rock, Russian folk music, Hamilton-style modern musical theater, as well as avant-garde operatic styles. The noteworthy and talented cast performs not only the singing and acting, but plays many of the musical instruments throughout the show. This requires the actors and musicians to be in constant motion, rarely leaving the stage entirely. It was fascinating to watch Laura Leo Kelly, the energetic actor playing Balaga, stand up from their drum and go on stage to lead a song and dance, while Ian Ferguson, who plays Pierre, took over playing percussion during that number (Ferguson also plays accordion and piano). Several switcheroos like this happened throughout the show, with band leader Eckert standing up from the piano to play guitar while one of the characters sits down to play piano. I loved the unexpectedness of these transitions and how each person’s depth of talent was so thoroughly explored.

And the amount of talent on display is simply dazzling. Bella Zambrano is perfectly cast as the naive and fragile beauty Natasha. She's a strong singer and makes you believe in Natasha's ability to convince herself that she is in love with (married) Anatole, even though we all know it's only lust. Ferguson as Pierre gives an unforgettable and sensitive performance, vocally and as an actor and musician. Anatole is played by Nick McGeoy with a strong tenor voice and convincing swagger. He knows he's a rogue and he doesn't care. The fiery Laura Lites as Helene, Pierre’s faithless wife and Anatole’s enabling sister, was mesmerizingly sensual as an actor and also treats us to some fine singing, showing off both vocal and stylistic range. One of the other standout moments in the production occurs when Laila Jalil as Sonya sits at the piano and playa and sings the quiet solo Sonya Alone. You could have heard a pin drop - our audience absolutely loved it! The cast members are uniformly excellent and full of energy. And all this beautiful acting and singing is underscored by the excellent band led by Musical Director Eckert at the keyboard.

The production values are also outstanding: vibrant and engaging staging (White) enhanced by crystal clear sound (Martinez); a cleverly designed set that allows each piece to transform as needed, accented by a spinning platform, a huge, sparkling chandelier, and a profusion of gilt-edged mirrors (Schmidt); colorful and well-fitted costumes (Wallace) that evoked the early 19th century setting while still being modern; sexy and fun choreography by Georgiou; and outstanding lighting design by Johansen, culminating in a special moment near the end of the show that helps us experience the comet ourselves.

Go see this epic production of this remarkable show, and prepare to be wowed! Runs through December 29.

On with the show,

Stacey Simpson Calvert 

Photos provided by Jeffrey Schmidt 

With Ian Ferguson as Pierre, Bella Zambrano as Natasha