Review: NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 at Horizon Theatre Company

Based on a select 70-pages of Tolstoy's “War and Peace,” the Tony Award-winning musical NATASHA, PIERRE, AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 by Dave Malloy was remounted at Inman Park’s Horizon Theatre and ran until early March 2024. Directed by Heidi McKerley, this immersive show allowed audience members to "step into a glamorous, romantic world of chandeliers, vodka and caviar in the salons and opera houses of 19th century Moscow, where passions ignite as Napoleon’s war rages outside the city. With the cast and musicians swirling among audience members, this new musical brings to life the heart of literature’s most epic tale of love and fate." When the house lights go out, as is Horizon Theatre Company's usual commitment to their attentive and loyal audiences, this production of NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 and it's remount was exceptionally special for one of their usual transendent, theatrical experiences.

Rather than battlefields, the musical focuses on the social lives of a select family in the Moscow elite. Young Natasha, (played with palpable connectivity and experise by Alexandria Joy with more depth than expected for a farcical take on a famous Russian brat,) is betrothed to good-guy Andrey (multitalented Hayden Rowe), who spends most of his time risking his life in his other passion: The War. While the cat's away, mouse Natasha becomes prey to sneaky love bombs from bad-guy Anatole (hilarious and vibrant Jordan Patrick.) Unfortunately for all, naive Natasha becomes infatuated with adventuring away from all she knows in order to elope with her hot, new crush. Just as in the novel, the only honest person in this projected societal set is Pierre (evocative and present Daniel Burns) in his consistent and constant proper Russian dispairity for the desperate flaws of his country and the people in it. By the story's end, The Great Comet of 1812 quite literally does it's deus ex machina's best to tidy up all of the plot's heartbreak and misfortune, and thus emerges a catalystic hope for the vulnerable few and fortunate who are able to find love after disaster—by the song's finish, of course.

The rest of the engrossing, exciting, and expert cast featured the joyous and captivating Anna Dvorak, Terry Burrell, Kendra Johnson, Terrence J. Smith, Hayden Rowe, Skyler Brown, Jeff McKerley, Brandy Bell, Bethany Irby, Holt McCarley, Jen Hodges, Alyssa Easterly, Miro Gomez, Ruth Mehari, Eden Mew, Eric Nabeth, Marissa Romanoff, and Molly Ann Tucker. 

Kudos to the design team that transformed a black box in the middle of Atlanta into a 19th century Tolstoyc melodic Russian fever-dream. The music was directed and conducted by Holt McCarley and Bethany Irby; Choregraphy was made by Heidi McKerley and Jeff McKerley; Costumes were designed by Dr. L. Nyrobi N. Moss; Lighting, Mary Parker; Sound Design by Tyehimba Shabazz; Scene Designer was Isabel Curley-Clay and Moriah Curley-Clay; and Props Master was Leah Thomas.

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