Presenting a slice of ‘War and Peace’ in musical form
Actor Nick Rehberger, who plays Pierre in the Pittsburgh CLO production of 鈥淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.鈥�
Sandra Okuboyejo plays Natasha in the Pittsburgh CLO鈥檚 鈥淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.鈥�
Timothy Mackabee, the set designer for 鈥淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.鈥�
Dontee Kiehn, the director of 鈥淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.鈥�
When the musical 鈥淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812鈥� was on Broadway in the middle part of the last decade, it was a rare beast on the Great White Way.
It wasn鈥檛 a long-running hit, a revival, a jukebox musical stringing together beloved pop hits or an on-stage rendering of a beloved movie. But the musical was derived from one of the most revered artistic properties of the last couple of centuries.
鈥淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812鈥� is based on a 70-page slice of Leo Tolstoy鈥檚 mammoth 鈥淲ar and Peace,鈥� arguably the Mount Everest of literary achievement and time commitment. Boiling it down to its simplest terms, 鈥淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812鈥� tells the story of one character鈥檚 romantic travails and another character鈥檚 search for meaning. It was created by Cleveland-area native and Ohio University graduate David Malloy, and bowed off-Broadway in 2012. During its one-year Broadway run, 鈥淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812鈥� was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, and won two, for set design and lighting design.
Timothy Mackabee, the set designer for the Pittsburgh CLO production of 鈥淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,鈥� which will be opening Tuesday at the Benedum Center, offers assurances that no prior knowledge of 鈥淲ar and Peace鈥� is necessary to wrap your head around the musical, never mind having plowed through the whole novel.
鈥淵ou do not need to bring any information to it,鈥� he explained. 鈥淵ou do not need a rich history in Tolstoy to understand or enjoy the show.鈥�
鈥淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812鈥� was presented last year by Carnegie Mellon University鈥檚 drama school, but the Pittsburgh CLO production is the first time it has been presented in one of the city鈥檚 downtown theaters. It鈥檚 directed by Dontee Kiehn, who has helmed recent Pittsburgh CLO productions of 鈥淏rigadoon鈥� and 鈥淥klahoma!,鈥� and has most recently been the associate director of 鈥淢J: The Musical,鈥� about the life and music of Michael Jackson. She explained on the phone from Chicago last week that 鈥淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812鈥� is 鈥渟teeped in realism and steeped in the reality of what the story is.鈥�
But, she continued, 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 been crafted so beautifully, the story and everything that transpires within the piece. It鈥檚 just an extension of 鈥榃ar and Peace.鈥� Honestly, we couldn鈥檛 do the whole story, because that would be quite a long time for people to be in the theater.鈥�
鈥淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812鈥� has been characterized by Malloy as an 鈥渆lectropop opera,鈥� and it melds together a host of musical styles, from Russian folk to indie rock. It is 鈥渟ung-through,鈥� meaning that all the dialogue is sung from start to finish. This being the case, does it bear comparison to 鈥淟es Miserables,鈥� another sung-through musical based on a daunting literary classic?
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a very smart parallel,鈥� Kiehn said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a classic work of art, a classic piece of writing that鈥檚 been very artfully done, but also been made very accessible to audiences who may not know the foundational material, or maybe aren鈥檛 even familiar with theater, to be honest. I think鈥檚 really accessible to a broad spectrum of theatergoers.鈥�
She continued, 鈥淚t鈥檚 so breathtakingly beautiful. There鈥檚 a gorgeous love story, there鈥檚 a gorgeous tone of optimism and hope. 鈥� I also think the eclectic music styles, the orchestration, it just feels like there鈥檚 a little bit for everyone.鈥�
鈥淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812鈥� will be at the Benedum Center through Sunday, Aug. 27, and will close out the Pittsburgh CLO鈥檚 summer season. For showtimes and additional information, go online to pittsburghclo.org.