NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 Previews — Page 14

neonlightsxo said: ""Natasha is a naive, idiotic child and I kept waiting to see how they could possibly make her into a sympathetic protagonist, but they never did."

I hate to say it, but I think that's just Denee's portrayal. I saw Lauren Zakrin downtown and didn't feel that way at all, but I definitely agree that Denee plays Natasha that way.



It's also embedded in the text. Lines like, "But I love you, of that there is no doubt. How else could all of this have happened?" Or, "Yes, I love him, how else could I have his letter in my hand?" Not a big thinker, Natasha.

I went on Wednesday night. Stupidly, I hadn't realized that I bought a ticket for the day after the election, so I certainly was in a pretty somber mood when I got to the theatre. I'm very glad I ended up going, because it was a beautiful night and the final moments felt particularly cathartic. I had more or less held myself together all day, but when those piano chords for Natasha and Pierre began, I lost it and bawled until the end of the show. On such a nasty day with so much hate flying around, it was so helpful to bask in a moment of stillness, kindness, and beauty.

If Rachel Chavkin doesn't win a Tony for this, I'll be shocked. The way she's directed this show for a large theatre is masterful- the big energetic moments are excellent, of course, but just as good are the moments where the staging slows down and is all about simplicity. The last two songs are the perfect example of this- the staging is very sparse, but it's just right. Sam Pinkleton's choreography compliments her work very well. There's not much, but it all works- and the Balaga sequence is absolutely thrilling and totally delightful.

The design work is also stunning. Mimi Lien is a McArthur Genius for a reason, and it certainly shows in the way she's completely transformed the Imperial. Bradley King's lighting design is equally gorgeous, and while some may have found the comet underwhelming, I though the simplicity made it all the more powerful. Paloma Young's costumes and Nicholas Pope's sound design are equally as well-done.

I was very surprised by Josh Groban- he sounds great, which I expected, but I thought he really tapped into Pierre's pathetic nature, which paid off emotionally by the show's end. I was slightly less taken with Denee Benton. Her portrayal of Natasha nails the innocence and foolishness, but I didn't quite get a sense of danger from her during her scenes with Anatole. Still, I liked her quite a bit, and No One Else was a definite highlight. The whole cast is worth mention, but I'll single out Lucas Steele, very effective (and very sexy...those pants) as Anatole, and Amber Gray, who makes a meal of Charming as Helene.

I get that this show might not be for everyone, but I thought it was a magical night with one of the best and most interesting scores to reach Broadway in the past decade. And after such an awful night for the country, it was really so great to be transported away for a few hours and have a perfect place to let everything out.

I have tickets for December 15, and Josh Groban will not be there. Any idea what I can expect from his alternate?

He played the role in Boston, he's great.

Caught this last night.

The piece is staged fabulously. so much originality. the theatre looks truly sumptuous. I echo what deltatee says- I was specifically wowed by the sound design. lyrics were concise and harmonies were clear and tight.

i thankfully saw natasha pierre in the tent a couple years ago and was bowled over by it. i thought it was spectacular in every sense. i was a bit disenchanted at last nights viewing. the thinness of the plot was glaring, and although denee's performace was admirable, phillipa soo's was a force of nature off broadway.

all of that being said, i still had an amazing time. so curious to see how its received by the papers.

Again just judging from the album and dim memories of the novel, I don't think Natasha necessarily has to be dumb per se; she could just be young, naive and hormonal. As the show says, little girls "lose their heads at once". She's probably been forever surrounded by people who would never outright discuss the possibility that a decent person might be attracted to more than one other person at a time. So not much chance of getting common-sense advice on what she's experiencing, or of being able to ask for such advice without harsh judgement. 'No One Else' is a lovely song, but parts of it (appropriately) do sound like teen poetry. (I mean, angels?) I wonder how reception of the character might change, if at all, if they cast an actual 16-17-year-old (or thereabouts) in the part. Not that the cast actors have been over the hill, but they haven't looked quite that young.

It's still in. The only major changes (at least as I can tell from the album) is cutting Natasha Lost and some rewriting/additions during The Private and Intimate Life of the House, The Duel/Sunday Morning, Letters, and Balaga. And of course the addition of Dust and Ashes.

Does anyone know of any dates in January where Josh Groban isn't performing?

icecreambenjamin said: "Does anyone know of any dates in January where Josh Groban isn't performing?"

He has no scheduled absences for January.

Updated On: 11/15/16 at 08:59 PM

Has anyone tried the Rush this week? My friend is in town and she really wants to see this tomorrow night. I haven't rushed it since the first week of previews. Any reccomendations on when to get there?

Checking out the digital lottery, and I see that it requires me to use a social network, which for me would be twitter as I don't do the others and it means I must sign off with permission for Social Toaster to do things on my Twitter account like "update your profile" and "post tweets for you".

I am leery of this. I know other shows use this (but not Hamilton, and others), and I've then just scrapped entering their lotteries. But this one I want to see...am I totally paranoid in thinking twice before clicking on to giving Social Toaster power over my tweets?