Natasha Pierre and The Great Comet Of 1812

Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet Of 1812 is playing at the Imperial Theatre located at 249 West 45th Street. It runs two hours twenty five minutes with one intermission. It is open ended musical. Josh Groban is leaving July 2, 2017.

The musical is an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy War and Peace. It is based on volume two, part five of War and Peace.

The show premiere in the Theatre District in September 2013.

In 2013 it won an Obie “Special Citations” for David Molloy and Rachael Chavkin. It was nominated for five Drama Desk Awards for Distinguished Performance Phillipa Soo, Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Production, Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Music and Lyrics David Malloy and Outstanding Director of a Musical Rachael Chavkin.

Paloma Young is the costume designer. She won a Tony Award for Peter and the Starcatcher (2013).

The musical takes place in Moscow 1812.

We meet Pierre (Josh Groban), a rich aristocrat. He is not happy being married.

Natasha (Denee Benton) arrives in Moscow with her cousin Sonya (Brittain Ashford). She is staying at her godmothers Marya D (Grace McLean) home. Natasha is newly engaged to Audrey (Nicholas Belton). Marya suggest she visit her future in laws. She tells her if she can win over Audrey sister Mary (Gelsey Bell) she will be in good standing with her father. He is a mean nasty man, especially to Mary who is at his beck and call.

Natasha, Sonya and Marya D go to the opera the next night. At the opera party she catches the eye of Anatole (Lucas Steele). He is a cad and brother to Helene (Amber Steele). Helene is married to Pierre. Anatole is married. He is smitten with Natasha, she with him. They make plans to run away and get married.

To see what happens in the rest of the musical go see this cleverly done show.

The audience and cast mingle. We are informed at the beginning of the show to look in the playbill to see who is who in the cast; in case you get confused there is a family tree. The audience is given a box that is randomly thrown at you. Inside the small box is a potato puff. There are other things given to the audience.

The acting, music and choreography are superb.

But be warned if you are squeamish if someone gets close to you this may not be your kind of show. At times depending on where you are sitting you may be part of the cast.

Don’t miss out on a great musical experience.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich

Photos by Annazor.

To read a candid interview with the cast, scroll down to left for recent photos. Click on a photo, then click to back album and then back to gallery for this and other shows.