Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 completely surpassed all of my expectations. I had never heard of the play before, I had never read Tolstoy’s War and Peace, and I had no idea what I was in store for. I knew the Horizon Theatre Company was renowned for its intimate sets and eclectic productions, but this truly was an experience like no other.
Admittedly, at first, I thought I was in the wrong place. The entrance isn’t grand with a bright marquis out front, the building itself is modest but rather charming. I walked through the corridor, sparkling with blue lights on the ceiling, blindly accepting whatever it was I was about to experience. Before going in, I stopped at the concessions stand. I got a huge oatmeal raisin cookie and a cup of coffee all for five dollars (and the coffee had free refills)! Once I had my refreshments, I went in to find my seat. Assuming this was your typical play, I figured there was a seat already reserved for me and it would just be a matter of me finding it. Instead, they told us to sit wherever we’d like. There were table seats in the center, stools at the bar, couches tucked away in the balcony, there were literally seats everywhere. I found a cozy seat on the balcony next to the Costume Designer.
Looking around from my seat all I could think was, where were they going to be performing? And then, the show started, and we were transported into a new world entirely. Our seats were no longer just seats in a theatre but park benches along the sidewalks in Moscow, they became the living room in Natasha’s home, the bar the characters would drink, dance and gossip at. I was captivated. It felt like these characters were my friends and my neighbors. I felt so immersed, I didn’t want it to ever end.
The show centers a naïve young girl who is engaged to a man who has gone away to war, Natasha, and a bitter old man who is recently divorced, Pierre. And although they walk within the same circles, they never cross paths until a phenomenon happens and everything changes. The plot weaves itself into a thick, silky web and it leaves you stuck in its trap, anticipating where this will all end up.
There were many surprises and delights, the most delightful being the music. I was curious, maybe even slightly concerned, when they said that there is only a single line of prose in the entire play, the narrative is told entirely through song. I wondered if it would get annoying, or if it would be difficult to keep up, or if the music would even be good enough. But oh, my God all my worries flew right out the window the moment Alexandria Joy, who plays Natasha, began singing. Her voice literally sent chills up my spine. The entire cast sounded amazing together. Since the entire theatre was a stage, they would be dispersed all over, there were times where I thought I would cry solely because of how beautiful they sounded. Pierre’s big solo in the second act completely blew me away. Not only was he singing, but he was acting. There was so much passion in his voice, the voice cracks and growls added so much texture and rawness to the song, it really felt as though he was performing for his life.
And not only did the cast sing and act but they were also playing instruments while acting and singing. I cannot stress enough how immensely talented the cast is. I was in awe of how they were able to manage so many things and still do all three of them so well.
After the show ended, I was able to speak to Jordan Patrick, who played one of Natasha’s love interests, Anatole. I was so amazed by the show and how much detail was put in, I asked him how long it took to prepare for the show, and he said, “Only four weeks… typically you only get about two weeks to rehearse so four weeks is like a luxury.” And I was curious, of course with such a short amount of time to prepare, there had to be some setbacks. “The biggest obstacle was creating the set.” Patrick told me. And I believe it! It was so detailed and immersive; I could only imagine the mistakes and arguments and setbacks creating a set like this would cause.
There is so much I want to say about this production, and I highly encourage everyone to visit the theatre company during their next show by buying tickets at horizontheatre.com. And a huge thank you to the Horizon Theatre Company for allowing me to see such a moving production.
