Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Tickets from $59 Buy Tickets
Cititour.com Review
Who is that doughy, bespectacled guy playing the accordion in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812? It’s bestselling recording artist Josh Groban as you’ve never seen him before, making his Broadway debut in a sumptuous new musical unlike any the Great White Way has seen.
Written and orchestrated by Broadway newcomer Dave Malloy, Great Comet takes its inspiration from a section of War and Peace and doesn’t just set it to music, but creates a festive immersive experience that dazzles without sacrificing substance.
The Imperial Theatre has been reconfigured and lavishly draped in red by scenic designer Mimi Lien to create the opulence of the 19th-century Russian aristocracy. Choreographer Sam Pinkleton adds to the visual splendor by spreading his dancers throughout the theater, as do Paloma Young’s period-contemporary costumes and Bradley King’s shadowy lighting.
Some audience members are on the stage (and occasionally get close contact with the cast). Others sit just below the stage’s edge. But even those in the house are in for a unique experience. Seats have been removed and replaced with small tables to create a cabaret atmosphere. A couple of ramps run through the orchestra section — extensions of the stage — all to reproduce the environment of the musical’s Off Broadway productions.
Malloy and Rachel Chavkin, an imaginative young director also making her Broadway debut, throw their energies into character, atmosphere and song. Despite the title, Natasha (Denée Benton) and Pierre (Groban) are in their own worlds for most of the show. She’s engaged to Andrey, who’s away at war, but falls hard to the sexy, reckless Anatole (Lucas Steele), whose sister Helene (Amber Gray) is married to Pierre.
It was when this sung-through musical was Off Broadway that Groban became a fan, and now his star wattage has helped bring it to Broadway with much of the original cast. Groban takes over for Malloy and really loses himself in sad, unhappily married Pierre, burying his boyish good looks behind matted hair, scruffy beard and fat suit. And that resounding voice that’s won him legions of fans is in top form, especially in the arias “Dust and Ashes” and the title number.
Excellent voices abound among the cast, many of whom are Broadway first-timers. Leading lady Benton as the romantically torn Natasha has a pure, powerful soprano that makes “No One Else” soar. As her caring cousin Sonya, Brittain Ashford brings down the house with the emotion-packed ballad “Sonya Alone”; Gray delivers the infectious “Charming” with a flirtatious bundle of energy; and Steele bring equal parts charm and vanity to Anatole.
What makes the evening so intoxicating, though, is how Malloy and Chavkin weave together such a complex musical with hardly a strand out of place. It’s character-rich, yet the humorous moments never seem out of place. The score is a vibrant opera-pop mixture, and the lyrics soulful and sly. Great Comet sets Broadway aglow.
By Diane Snyder
Visit the Site
http://greatcometbroadway.com
Cast
Josh Groban, Denée Benton, Brittain Ashford, Gelsey Bell, Nicholas Belton, Nick Choksi, Amber Gray, Grace McLean, Paul Pinto, Scott Stangland, Lucas Steele, Sumayya Ali, Courtney Bassett, Josh Canfield, Ken Clark, Erica Dorfler, Lulu Fall, Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Nick Gaswirth, Alex Gibson, Billy Joe Kiessling, Mary Spencer Knapp, Reed Luplau, Brandt Martinez, Andrew Mayer, Azudi Onyejekwe, Pearl Rhein, Heath Saunders, Ani Taj, Cathryn Wake, Katrina Yaukey, Lauren Zakrin
Open/Close Dates
Opening 11/14/2016
Closing 9/3/2017
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 10/18/2016
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
212-239-6200
Theatre Info
Imperial Theatre
249 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
Comments
Sign up for our newsletter !