THE HANGOVER REPORT – THE GREAT COMET miraculously stays intact on Broadway, and it’s better than ever

Josh Groban and the company of "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812" at the Imperial Theatre

Josh Groban and the company of “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812” at the Imperial Theatre

I was deeply skeptical that it would work. Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 was one of the seminal musical theater experiences in my theatergoing in recent years. In its Off-Broadway incarnations (first at the tiny Ars Nova, then at a custom-designed tent in the Meat Packing District), it was an immersive spectacle that stimulated all the senses. In its Broadway transfer, I was concerned that in a much larger proscenium theater, the piece – a musical adaptation of a relatively small, romantically-charged detour within Tolstoy’s panoramic War and Peace – would lose the visceral theatrical qualities that made it so special for me.

Then there’s the casting. Dave Malloy, who wrote the eclectic score and book, also originated the role of the mediocre Pierre in the Off-Broadway runs of the show, and I thought he couldn’t be bettered in the role. Those productions also featured the luminous Phillipa Soo as Natasha (now famously known for creating the role of Eliza Hamilton in that little-known show Hamilton). In these two central roles, the Broadway production brings together two unknown commodities in New York theater, recording superstar Josh Groban and newcomer Denée Benton, respectively.

Well, I needn’t have worried.

Miraculously, director Rachel Chavkin’s staging, thanks in no small part to Mimi Lien’s expanded reconfiguration of her original visionary designs, retains the immersive elements of the previous mountings. This achievement is particularly astonishing within the confines of a traditionally proportioned Broadway theater. Indeed, I saw the production at the Imperial twice, sitting in the orchestra, as well as the mezzanine; I had no problems each time. Although the musical has been “super-sized” for the Great White Way, the show’s intimate moments still affect the heart with piercing authenticity. And the larger moments thump with giddy excess (you are paying Broadway prices, after all). The plaintive and hopeful ending still remains one of the most transporting couple of minutes I’ve had in the theater.

Josh Groban is a revelation. Unsurprisingly, he sounds spectacular (he kills “Dust and Ashes”, Pierre’s new song added for the Broadway production). But it’s Mr. Groban’s acting that caught me off guard – he disappears into the role of Pierre, giving a completely convincing portrayal of a dejected, resigned man fast fading into middle age. Ms. Benton is the perfect ingénue; her Natasha is effortlessly guileless, sweet-sounding, but her performance never veers into saccharine territory. The rest of the supporting cast are holdovers from the Off-Broadway runs, and they’re better than ever. Brittain Ashford still quietly breaks my heart. Amber Gray is more compulsively watchable than ever. Grace McLean still makes the hairs on my neck stand. Lucas Steele now brings more playfulness and depth to his role cardboard cutout of a role.

Now that it’s been proven that immersive theater can not only work, but thrive, on the Great White Way, can we get producers to bring in Here Lies Love?

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812
Broadway, Musical
Imperial Theatre
2 hours, 35 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run

Categories: Broadway, Theater

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