Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812

Act 1

Moscow, 1812, just before Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and the burning of the city. As the story begins (“Prologue”) Pierre, a wealthy middle-aged aristocrat is having an existential crisis, living a slothful life of wine, philosophy and inaction ("Pierre"). He is best friends with Prince Andrey, who has left to go to war. Andrey has recently become engaged to the young, beautiful countess Natasha Rostova. Natasha and her cousin Sonya arrive in Moscow to stay the winter with Natasha's godmother, Marya D., while Natasha waits for Andrey to return from the war. Marya D. is an old friend of Pierre's ("Moscow"). Marya D. advises Natasha that she must visit her future in-laws, the demented, miserly old Prince Bolkonsky and his spinster daughter Mary (“The Private and Intimate Life of the House”), to win their affection in advance of the marriage, which is critical to the Rostova's status and fortune. However, Natasha's visit with Mary and Bolkonsky ends in disaster (“Natasha & Bolkonskys”), as Mary finds Natasha vain, Natasha finds Mary cold, and Bolkonsky behaves bizarrely. Natasha leaves their home missing Andrey more than ever (“No One Else”).

The next night Natasha is introduced to decadent Moscow society after an extravagant performance at the Opera ("The Opera"); there she meets Prince Anatole, a young and handsome officer and, it turns out, a notorious rogue (“Natasha & Anatole”); he is Pierre's brother-in-law. Anatole's aggressive flirtations leave Natasha feeling confused.

Anatole, his friend Dolokhov, and Pierre go out drinking; they are met by Pierre's unpleasant wife, Hélène (Anatole's sister), who taunts Pierre and flirts with Dolokhov. Anatole declares his intention to have the young woman he just met, although he is already married (Pierre is not aware to whom Anatole is referring). Pierre finds his wife's familiarity with Dolokhov offensive and drunkenly challenges him to a duel, risking his life ("The Duel"). Fortunately, and luckily, Pierre wounds Dolokhov, and Dolokhov misses Pierre; no one dies. Afterwards, Pierre reflects on his life ("Dust and Ashes"). Natasha and her family go to church ("Sunday Morning"). Hélène finds it amusing to encourage her brother's Anatole's conquest of the young countess Natasha, which she knows would lead to Natasha's ruin. Hélène flatters Natasha and invites her to the ball that night ("Charming"), where Anatole seduces Natasha ("The Ball").

Act 2

Anatole and Natasha make plans to elope (she still does not know that he is married), and Natasha tearfully breaks off her engagement with Andrey (“Letters”). Sonya finds out about the plan and realizes it will mean Natasha's ruin (“Sonya & Natasha”); Sonya determines to stop the elopement at any cost (“Sonya Alone”). That evening Anatole and Dolokhov plan for the elopement (“Preparations”) and call on their trusted famous troika driver ("Balaga"), to take them to Natasha's house. However, they are thwarted at the last moment by Marya D. ("The Abuduction").

Natasha finally learns the truth about Anatole's marital status. After scolding a grief-stricken Natasha (“In My House”), Marya D. sends out a letter to Pierre ("A Call to Pierre") asking him to come and help handle the crisis. Pierre finally learns that the object of Anatole's conquest is Natasha. Pierre gives Anatole money and orders him to leave Moscow (“Find Anatole”/”Pierre & Anatole”); Natasha poisons herself with arsenic (“Natasha Very Ill”) but lives; Andrey returns. Pierre explains the scandal to him and asks him to be compassionate, but Andrey is unable to forgive Natasha (“Pierre & Andrey”). Finally, Pierre visits Natasha (“Pierre & Natasha”), who is distraught. He tells her that, bleak as matters look, her young life is only beginning, and that if he were younger, more handsome and free, he would propose to her himself. After their meeting, Pierre experiences a moment of enlightenment while seeing the Great Comet of 1812 in the night sky ("The Great Comet of 1812").

Music

Malloy's original score (orchestrated by the composer) merges Russian folk and classical music with indie rock and EDM influences. The piece is described by the composer as an "electropop opera" and is through-composed, with exactly one line of spoken dialogue, in Pierre and Natasha's only scene together. On stage, nearly all of the actors play musical instruments augmenting the show's orchestra. Groban plays the accordian briefly, and plays large sections of the score on the orchestra's piano.

The libretto features many musicalized sections of word-for-word Tolstoy, taken from Aylmer and Louise Maude’s 1922 translation.

Musical numbers

A Natasha aria, "Natasha Lost", was cut from the Broadway production but appears on the original cast recording between number 8 ("Natasha & Anatole") and number 9 ("The Duel").

Productions

The musical premiered on October 16, 2012 at Ars Nova; directed by Rachel Chavkin the show was staged as an immersive production, with action happening around and among the audience. The set designed by Mimi Lien and lights by Bradley King transformed Ars Nova into a Russian Club. The creative team were completed by Paloma Young, costume designer, Matt Hubbs as sound designer, and Dave Malloy as musical director. The cast included Malloy as Pierre, Phillipa Soo as Natasha, Lucas Steele as Anatole, Amber Gray as Hélène, Brittain Ashford as Sonya, Nick Choksi as Dolokhov, Gelsey Bell as Mary, Blake DeLong as Andrei/Prince Bolkonsky, Amelia Workman as Marya D. and Paul Pinto (who also served as associate music director) as Balaga. The show was the first production of Ars Nova to ever transfer to Broadway.

In May 16, 2013 the show opened in the meat-packing district at Kazino, a temporary structure designed as an opulent Russian club, where the immersive production was staged, again by the same creative team. The cast reprised their roles, except Choksi, now replaced by Ian Lassiter, and Workman, replaced by Grace McLean. David Abeles took over the role of Pierre on July 9, 2013. The show closed on September 01, 2013.

The show opened for a 14-week limited engagement in September 2013, at the Kazino, now moved to the Theater District, with the final cast of the previous production. On December 10, 2013 the two-disc cast recording was released. The show was extended and ran until March 2, 2014

In September 2014, the show had its South American premiere, at Teatro Parapluie in Quito, Ecuador, in a Spanish language production.

The team behind the original production remounted the show at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts with performances beginning December 1, 2015 to January 2016. Now expanded to a proscenium stage, the set put audience onstage, with unique seating options, with banquette and dining tables added. Scott Stangland took over the role of Pierre, Denée Benton starred as Natasha, Lili Cooper as Hélène, Nicholas Belton as Andrei/Prince Bolkonsky and the rest of the cast reprised their roles.

The Broadway at the Imperial Theatre began previews on October 18, 2016 and opened on November 14, 2016, starring Josh Groban as Pierre and Denée Benton as Natasha, both making their Broadway debuts, with choreography by Sam Pinkleton, sets by Mimi Lien, costumes by Paloma Young, lights by Bradley King, sound by Nicholas Pope and music direction by Or Matias. With sets similar to A.R.T., the production took the proscenium stage, but removed almost 200 seats from the audience to accommodate the design. Again, the options of stage seats, in banquettes or dining tables is available. It was announced on February 15, 2017 that following Groban's departure on July 2, 2017, Okieriete Onaodowan would assume the role of Pierre.

Characters

(Lines in quotations are lyrics from the opening song, "Prologue," which introduces the characters

Critical response

The piece was highly well-received by the New York press; Charles Isherwood in the New York Times called it “a vibrant, transporting new musical," and both Times critics included the show on their Best of the Year lists. The Times' classical critic, Anthony Tommasini, called it "a breathless, roughish and ravishing quasi-opera. This is a pastiche score of a cavalier sort. Mr. Malloy lifts styles with such abandon, making willful shifts — from punk riffs to agitated Broadway ballads, mock-pompous recitative to gritty Russian folk songs or drinking choruses with klezmer clarinets — that you lose track of what is being appropriated and really don’t care." Time Out New York gave the piece five out of five stars, and also included it on both critics' Best of lists, stating "this is theater like no other in New York. It grounds you and transports you at once, and leaves you beaming with pleasure.”

Original Off-Broadway production

Sources: TheaterMania Internet Off-Broadway DatabaseVillage Voice

Recordings

In December 10, 2013 Ghostlight Records released a two-disc original cast album of the entire score.

Book

On November 22, 2016 the book Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway was released. The book, edited and compiled by Steven Suskin, includes interviews with many of the original cast members, as well as the annotated script and photos of both the Kazino and Broadway casts. The book also includes a CD with five songs from the show: three from the original cast recording, and two featuring Josh Groban and a 25 piece orchestra.