Theatre Review - Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812
 |
| Chumisa Dornford-May and Jamie Muscato [Johan Persson] |
A HIT on Broadway, Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812 is fresh and invigorating.
Inspired by 70 pages of Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel, War and Peace, Malloy’s bold adaptation (music, lyrics, book and orchestrations) is thrilling from start to finish.
The musical opens with a sung introduction to the characters. Initially this feels glib, but the prologue serves to convey a vivid sense of a close-knit aristocracy.
Countess Natasha Rostova (Chumisa Dornford-May) has come to Moscow to await the return of her fiancé Andrey (Eugene McCoy) from the front lines. Her reputation is compromised after she is seduced by dangerous libertine Anatole (Jamie Muscato).
Pierre (Declan Bennett), an unlikely hero, bored and unhappily married to Helene (Cat Simmons) hangs out with various dissolute acquaintances including Anatole, his wife’s brother. It is Pierre who intervenes, rescuing Natasha from further scandal and providing comfort.
The musical is sung-through by a first-rate cast – the vocals are terrific and each character get the opportunity to shine, including Maimuna Memon who plays Natasha’s cousin Sonya. Ellen Kane’s choreography, Leslie Travers’s set and Howard Hudson’s lighting also dazzle.
Most of the men are dressed extravagantly, some of Evie Gurney’s costumes evoking the New Romantics’ flamboyant style. The women fare less well.
Despite Natasha’s drab outfits, Dornford-May is effervescent, combining naivety and nobility with a voice that soars.
Having left Regent’s Park Open Air theatre, Tim Sheader is the new artistic director at the Donmar.
This triumphant directorial debut augurs well for the venue.
Until February 8