I saw the 12-time Tony nominated (and 2-time winning) Broadway musical
Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, based on one small section of Tolstoy's epic novel
War and Peace with music, book, and lyrics by Dave Malloy,
in March of 2017. Just two months later,
I witnessed the debut of a promising new #TCTheater company called Theatre Elision. Now, in a full circle moment, Elision (which has since become
one of my favorite theater companies, filling the much-needed niche of small cast, one act, rarely done musicals, often with mostly female creative teams and/or casts) is producing the regional premiere of
Great Comet, and it's stunning. In those intervening years I have also seen multiple productions of Elision's take on Dave Malloy's one act song cycle
Ghost Quartet, and that familiarity with his work, along with Elision's all-star local cast and their intimate immersive staging, meant that I loved this show much more than the Broadway version, and even more than I expected to in the months of buildup. They have virtually sold out the entire run, which is unprecedented for Elision. For eight-plus years they have been an underrated hidden gem of #TCTheater, but that ends with this show. The larger community is finally discovering what I've known for a long time, that Theatre Elision produces work you just cannot see elsewhere, that's musically and aesthetically gorgeous, in an intimate setting.
Great Comet continues through November 22, and if you can beg, borrow, or steal your way into the show - do it! Follow them on social media for potential available tickets, or contact the box office to get on the waitlist.
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Pierre (Phinehas Bynum,
photo by Jolie Morehouse Olson) |
Don't worry if you don't know anything about
War and Peace, you don't need to. Even though "it's a complicated Russian novel, everyone's got nine different names," the plot of
Great Comet is fairly straight-forward and easy to follow (unlike
Ghost Quartet). The program provides a handy chart of character relationships, and the opening number introduces them all in the most charming way (
watch the Elision cast performing it here). The story involves several interrelated families in the Russian aristocracies and their complicated love lives. Love triangles, affairs, unhappy marriages, friendships, betrayals, it's all very dramatic, and very Russian, and entirely sung through.
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Anatole and Natasha
(Bradley Johnson and Anna Beth Baker,
photo by Jolie Morehouse Olson) |
The score is a mix of Russian folk music with modern pop and rock, ranging from ballads to party music, and brilliantly captures the emotions of the story. One example of this is when two characters meet and don't like each other, they sing in ear-splitting dissonance that exactly matches their contentious meeting. But mostly the music a joy to listen to, gorgeously performed by this 14-person cast - about half the size of the Broadway cast, but about three times the size of the typical Elision show. This creates a really lush and full sound, with thrilling layered harmonies. Much of the cast also plays instruments, augmenting the six-piece orchestra led by resident music director Harrison Wade. This is not an easy show to do, and this teams pulls it off flawlessly. The music combined with the modern lyrics make the story feel fresh and relatable, not like a dusty old Russian novel.
Lindsay Fitzgerald directs and design's all of Elision's shows, and does some of her best work here. The immersive staging is really something special. The middle section of the rows of audience seating has been removed, and cabaret tables have been added in all four corners of the stage (I was lucky enough so sit on stage right next to the band), with the cast milling all over the space - up and down the aisles, through the tables, in the audience, on raised platforms on either side of the stage. It's such a thrill to hear the music coming from all sides, you're really in the middle of it. There's not much in the way of set pieces, but lots of atmospheric decor and evocative lighting (designed by Laine Grendle), and a really cool circular design painted on the floor that I had an up close view of. Characters are dressed in gorgeous 19th century period costumes, all empire waist gowns and jackets with tails. They perform some fantastic choreography (by Janessa Iverson, who also plays bass) that's both modern and traditional, with some party dancing that literally shakes the floor.
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| photo by Jolie Morehouse Olson |
Everyone in this cast is so fantastic and perfect in their roles, I can't even call anyone out, other than to note the radiant Anna Beth Baker and always wonderful Phinehas Bynum in the title roles. See the tags at the bottom of this post for more of this dream team.
Theatre Elision has been bringing us unique little musical gems for eight years now, and they've really stretched themselves with this undertaking - a full-length Tony-winning large cast musical - and proved they can do big things as well as lovely small things. Even though I love their smaller shows, I really can't think of a better #TCTheater company to bring us the regional premiere of the epic Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, it's like all of their work of the last eight years has been building to this. I'm thrilled for their success, and I hope that many of this new audience returns to see some of their lesser-known shows, because they're all worthy of this kind of attention.
