Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Full Length Musical, Drama / 5m, 5f, 6m or f

An electropop opera ripped from a slice of Tolstoy's War & Peace.

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Photo Credit: Chad Batka

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Cast Size
5m, 5f, 6m or f
Duration
120 minutes (2 hours)
Subgenre
Adaptations (Literature), Period, Experimental
Accolades
Obie, From Off-Broadway
Target Audience
- Adult
- Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Additional Info

From the celebrated and award-winning composer Dave Malloy comes Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, an electropop opera based on a scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s War & Peace. Young and impulsive, Natasha Rostova arrives in Moscow to await the return of her fiancé from the front lines. When she falls under the spell of the roguish Anatole, it is up to Pierre, a family friend in the middle of an existential crisis, to pick up the pieces of her shattered reputation. Following a critically acclaimed premiere at Ars Nova in New York City, a subsequent Off Broadway transfer, and opening on Broadway – this award-winning musical expands the possibilities for the genre with its daring score and bold storytelling.

Accolades

Nominee! 2017 Tony® Award: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Orchestrations
Winner! 2014 Lucille Lortel Award: Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, Outstanding Scenic Design, Outstanding Costume Design
Winner! 2013 Off Broadway Alliance Award, Best New Musical
Winner! 2013 Obie Award, Special Citation
Winner! 2013 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater

Reviews

REVIEWS:

Critic's Pick! "A witty, inventive enchantment from rousing start to mournful finish. It is both the most innovative and the best new musical to open on Broadway since Hamilton!" - The New York Times, Read More

Critic's Pick! "A vibrant, transporting new musical [...] Mr. Malloy’s lyrical voice is blunt, funny and forthrightly contemporary [...]” - The New York Times, Read More

"5 Stars (out of 5) [...] Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 feels like a party from start to end: lively, intelligent and utterly engrossing [...] The dazzlingly variegated score - which covers musical terrain from folk songs through rock, R&B and house music - captures their story in stirring and surprising ways; [...] this is a rare and marvelous event: amid the din of New York, an oasis of artful illumination.” - Time Out New York, Read More

"Inventive, ravishing and full-on romantic! [...] Appearing out of nowhere to brighten the theatrical season, this thrilling new show relies on ambition, ingenuity, craft and heart.” - New York Post, Read More

"This astonishing new musical adapts a 70-page section of [War and Peace], mashing up imperialist Russia and an eclectic range of styles, turning Tolstoy into a swoon-worthy, vodka-soaked party. It's a sensual, wild ride: rollicking music, beautiful singing, a feast for the eye, ear and mouth." - NY1, Read More

“Dave Malloy may be a genius.” - New York Theatre Review, Read More

RELATED ARTICLES ON BREAKING CHARACTER

What About Pierre?: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Coment of 1812
Katie Coryell
February 4, 2019

Everything Old is New Again: Costume Design with Paloma Young
by Rebecca Schlossberg
January 12, 2016

A.R.T. Series: On All Sides, An Interview with Director Rachel Chavkin
by Tessa Nelson
December 16, 2015

A.R.T. Series: On the Set of GREAT COMET
by Tessa Nelson
December 16, 2015

A.R.T. Series: The Great Experiment
by Dave Malloy
December 16, 2015

Videos

What is the Comet - film about Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
A.R. T scenic and prop shops for Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
A.R. T direction and scene design of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812
Theatre Talk - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
"No One Else - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Brittain Ashford, "Sonya Alone - Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812
Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 - Trailer
Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 - Commercial

Keywords

Aging, Betrayal, Friendship, Illness/Health, Love, Marriage, Parenting/Family, War, Pan Asian Interest, Adolescence/Childhood

Considerations

Performing Groups

High School/Secondary
College Theatre / Student
Community Theatre
Dinner Theatre
Professional Theatre
Large Stage
Blackbox / Second Stage /Fringe Groups

Cautions

Alcohol
Gun Shots
Mild Adult Themes

License details

Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Production

Details

Time Period: 19th Century
Duration: 120 minutes (2 hours)
Setting:
Various locations in 19th-century Russia. The original production used immersive staging to create a Russian-Samovar-meets-New-York-City-Night-Club atmopshere.
Additional Features: Not Applicable
Features / Contains: Elaborate / High Volume Costumes, Period Costumes

Music

Musical Style: Pop/Rock, Folk, Operetta
Vocal Demands: Difficult
Orchestra Size: Medium
Chorus Size: Small

Song Samples

Prologue (Ensemble)