Posted: 10/29/16 at 12:40pm
Saw the show last weekend and was thrilled to see how brilliantly they adapted the theatre for this show. I was in the front mezz, fourth row, the furthest seat over on house left. I could see everything perfectly and, because the stage is lifted so high, and with the stairs on both sides, I felt just as much a part of the action. During intermission, I walked down the aisle in the orchestra to get a sense for that view, and I honestly would choose anywhere in the front mezz over orchestra. They were wonderful seats.
I had seen the show 3 times previous (once in the tent in the Meatpacking district, twice in Midtown) and was extremely happy to see how well it translated. This is one of my favorite shows I've ever experienced and the Broadway production did not disappoint.
I thought Groban was fantastic (and the new song is gorgeous and powerful). I saw many in the audience wearing Josh Groban t-shirts and I am so happy that people who may not have otherwise seen this show (or a show like it) are getting exposed to it.
For me, Benton was a little disappointing. While I thought her comedic moments were spot on, I thought Soo's balance between Natasha's naiveté and her desire to be seen by others in a certain way created a real genuineness and conflict within her that I was missing from Benton. Benton certainly was not bad, and I may not have known I was missing anything had she been the only one I had seen in the role, but her performance really solidified just how nuanced and full Soo's Natasha was.
The only complaint I have is that I hope, during preview periods, they find moments of stillness. I think, in an attempt to recreate the immersive quality of the original production(s), and to make sure the audience members onstage aren't left without a view of some action for too long (without craning their necks), Chavkin seems to have created almost non-stop movement that I thought took away some of the emotion of a few scenes, particularly the final scene between Pierre and Natasha. Their movement in that, for me, made that beautiful scene lose a little bit of the gravity it had before - where, before, the contrast of all of the movement throughout the show to the stillness of this scene made it feel grounded, weighted, and gave that moment the importance that it holds. I felt the same way a bit in the opera scene when Anatole comes into Natasha's box. I wish Natasha remained more in one place in that moment to enhance the tension of feeling cornered in that moment. In the same respect, I think they can find a couple more moments where two people who are in the same room together/speaking to each other, can be close to each other for a longer period of time.
However, the show is still wonderful. I am thrilled that a show of this style is currently playing in a commercial run on Broadway. It's exciting, to me, to see such non-traditional (in terms of Broadway) musicals getting produced on the Great White Way and makes me excited to see what kind of mix of styles "mainstream" musicals will be in the future. I will certainly be back to the show again!
