Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 lights up the Toronto stage

While Toronto is a city known for many things, one facet that I particularly enjoy is the theatre scene, thanks to Mirvish Productions, Canada’s largest commercial theatre production company. 

 Last week, I was fortunate to be present at the official opening night performance of The Crow’s Theatre and The Musical Stage Company’s co-production of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (or, in short form, known as The Great Comet). The Great Comet was written by composer, lyricist, playwright, and orchestrator Dave Malloy and played off- and then on Broadway in 2012 and 2016, where it was nominated for the most Tony Awards that season. Brought back to life with renewed purpose as a co-production between Crow’s Theatre and The Musical Stage Company, this production initially played in 2023-2024 to sold-out crowds for a record-breaking 16-week run at Streetcar Crowsnest. Now, the production is back and better than ever at the Royal Alexandra Theatre (260 King Street West) through ‘til August 24^th.

 This electropop musical draws inspiration from a 70-page segment from Leo Tolstoy’s famous 1869 novel, War and Peace. Natasha, the first of our titular characters, is filled to the brim with optimism and naivete as she arrives in Moscow alongside her cousin Sonya. Played by actress Hailey Gillis in a beautiful voice, Natasha is newly engaged to Prince Andrey but falls under the spell of Moscow’s most notorious playboy, Anatole. What transpires between them risks leaving her and her family in ruin. Our second titular character, on the other hand, is Pierre, played originally by Josh Groban in the Broadway production but performed with just as much vigor by Evan Buliung in the Toronto production. Pierre is Natasha’s family friend and is in the midst of a profound existential crisis. We follow him both as he tries to support Natasha and as he seeks enlightenment.

 Now, what could be quite a dramatic piece turns into something else entirely thanks to the creative and witty writing of Dave Malloy. The comedic elements of the show are evident from the opening number, when the characters introduce themselves one by one, telling the audience, “It’s a complicated Russian novel. everyone’s got nine different names. So look it up in your program” (with the program books offering a helpful diagram detailing the relationships between characters).

 The production is interactive as well – choose aisle seats to have the cast members run past you as they sing and dance, engaging you in the performance. Sit near the front, and you may just be handed some shakers to add to the percussion of the song. If you’re feeling brave, buy tickets, placing your seats directly on the stage, where you become part of the action itself and might even take in a featured moment center stage.

 What was Malloy's inspiration for this work? He told Time Out in 2013, "About six or seven years ago
[circa 2006/2007], I was playing piano on a cruise ship. And I had a girlfriend on land, and the way we stayed together was we read War and Peace together. You know, there’d be an e-mail subject line, 'Page 372,' so there’d be no spoilers. And when both of us got to this section of the novel, we were swept away by it. It’s this tight, compact, 70-page melodrama at the center of the book. This is before I wrote any musicals, but when I read it, I was like ‘wow, this is a perfect musical’. The structure of it is peculiarly traditional, almost in a Rodgers and Hammerstein way. There’s an A story, a B story; at the end of Act I, everyone’s in jeopardy."

 To find out how it all ends, tickets can be purchased at mirvish.com or by calling 1.800.461.3333.. Performances run Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm as well as Wednesday at 1:30 pm and both Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm. The duration of the show is two hours and 30 minutes, including intermission. 

 As for accessibility services, there is stair access only to the Dress Circle and Balcony levels. For assistance in booking special access seats or for information about Accessibility Services, please call 1.800.461.3333.

 For more information, log on to: www.mirvish.com