Sumptuous, engrossing, intelligent and properly immersive, the Australian debut of electro pop-opera Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 is a stunning accomplishment of creative collaboration. (You can find our explainer for this production over here, and read on for our four-star review.)
Darlinghurst Theatre Company’s cathedral-esque Eternity Playhouse has been transformed into an otherworldly atmosphere where the cast of quadruple threats (they also play instruments live as well as singing, dancing and acting) weave through the audience and around the circular stage. Tyler Hawkins’ imaginative yet functional set design marries with Veronique Benett’s lighting design to create a space with echoes of neon-spliced Spiegeltent chic (which is only heightened by the audience interaction woven into the performance). You’ll find yourself wrapped in moments of awe as someone playing a full-size double bass skips past you, or as a sea of splintered light rains down from an enormous disco ball, or as the entire audience is urged out of their seats to clap and stomp along to a Russian folk song.
Inspired by a scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s epic War and Peace, The Great Comet follows the loves, lusts and losses of wealthy socialites living a decadent life in early 19th-century Moscow while a far-off war wages on. (The all-too-current parallels of tension in the Russian region should not be lost on you, as well as the Hunger Games-esque juxtaposition of half of society living and pleasure-seeking while global troubles are brewing just out of sight.) Making its off-Broadway debut in 2012 before a critically acclaimed Broadway run, The Great Comet actually predates the likes of both Hamilton and Six the Musical, paving the way for a wave of musicals that cast a modern lens on a period piece while blending various music genres. The way that this show’s score plucks and blends elements from folk, techno and traditional Russian ballads is exhilarating. Simply put, the music just works.
...what makes this production even more exciting is the way that it has been totally transformed by the local cast and creative team
It's exciting enough to see this landmark show finally hit the Australian stage, but what makes this production even more exciting is the way that it has been totally transformed by the local cast and creative team. Under the direction of Dean Drieberg (resident director of Hamilton), this sung-through musical is almost constantly in a flurry of movement, with the diverse cast kept busy with the physicality of Brendan Yeates’ choreography (resident dance supervisor for Hamilton) and the integration of the seamless musical direction of Claire Healy (resident musical director for Six the Musical). The gorgeous costume design from Newtown’s demi-couture duo Nicol & Ford perfectly places us in the fantastical world of The Great Comet. Much like the unlikely marrying of musical genres, the styling threads together high fashion sensibilities with historical references, and dramatic camp flourishes are found in elements like oversized puff sleeves and tassel trims. These looks would be just as at home on the runway (and in this writer’s dream wardrobe, to be honest).
The casting is perfection, with an eclectic line-up of local performers from across the entertainment spectrum turning out well-oiled performances that will only get tighter as the season progresses. As the titular Natasha, a young ingénue who is tempted by a roguish lothario, Anatole (Jules Pendrith), while her beloved fiancé Andrey (P. Tucker Worley) is off fighting in the war, Grace Driscoll (Beautiful: The Carol King Musical, West Side Story) sweetly shines with a thousand-watt smile that sells the endearing innocence of her character. As Pierre, Zoy Frangos (Les Misérables, My Fair Lady) invokes both empathy for this melancholy man who is stuck in a loveless marriage, and reverence for his hearty baritone (it’s not hard to see why Josh Groban was cast in this role on Broadway).
The whole cast really brings it, with other notable highlights including Marissa Sarcoa as Hélène, the unabashed “slut”, wife to Pierre and sister to Anatole. Sarcoa really comes into their own in Hélène’s jazzy villain song ‘Charming’, wringing every ounce of enchantment from every loaded syllable and slinky movement. Another unexpected musical highlight is Kala Gare’s (Anne Boleyn in Six) Act Two solo ‘Sonya Alone’. As Natasha’s cousin and closest friend Sonya, the pain that Gare pulls from lines like “I will protect your name and your heart / Because I miss my friend” speaks to the agony of wishing to save someone from their own bad decisions. As Anatole, Jules Pendrith imbues the role with a steamy, androgynous appeal that makes you buy into Natasha’s reluctant infatuation. (If you’ve ever been drawn to David Bowie’s anti-hero in The Labyrinth, you’ll get it.) A multifaceted performer, it’s fair to assume there are echoes of Pendrith’s drag king persona in the swagger they bring to Anatole.
Natasha and Anatole’s trieste evokes timeless elements of the “fuckboi” and the “manic pixie dream girl” dynamics. There is something very Romeo and Juliet to this comet-crossed story of forbidden love, and the casting choice for Anatole also adds a dimension of queer longing that heightens the story. (After all, there's nothing more sapphic than making plans to elope and flee the country when you’re just three days into a relationship.)
In The Great Comet, the various threads of this slice of epic storytelling are spun through a visually and sonically sophisticated fever dream. And while it is a spectacle to behold, there is a prickly issue with this show, and that is the apparent absence of a hook to get the viewer emotionally invested through to the end. With no pause for spoken dialogue, there isn’t a moment to collect ourselves between the parade of songs. The dialogue embedded into the musical numbers contains essential information, but that is not always easy to take in amongst all the action.
It’s not hard to see all the reasons why The Great Comet was lauded as “the next Hamilton”, a show to invigorate Broadway (before it abruptly closed its run in 2017 due to some complicated reasons). But this reviewer does wonder if the culture really needs another story that idolises the idea of romantic love as a need more important to seek than anything else in life; and where the central female character is traded around as the property of (and inspiration-porn to) assorted men, seemingly never coming to stand on her own two feet.
This show is best enjoyed if you leave all expectations of a traditional narrative structure at the door and enjoy it for the themes it does touch on (the show’s handling of religion or belief is considered particularly poignant), the rich musical tapestry, visual spectacle, and just witnessing the supremely talented cast do their thing.
Hot tip: seating is unreserved at the Darlo. Our suggestion is to snag a spot just behind the catwalk platform that cuts through the middle the tiered audience seating, or sidle up on one of the on-stage bar stools and join the action.
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 plays at Eternity Playhouse, Darlinghurst, until August 27. Tickets start at $79 and you can snap yours up over here.
