The impactful and topical Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 has made its way to the Center Stage Theater. The charming and energetic cast from Out of the Box Theatre bring depth to each character with top-notch vocal performances throughout the show.
This musical perfectly encapsulates the struggles in society during a time of war and unrest. Though inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace (1867), the dissonance of each character within their role of high society is perfectly relevant to today.
Between bright and fragile scenes of hope and deep, impactful ones of knowledge and drama, the air of the society presented reflects a willing ignorance to the world outside of their own. The power of each actor marries the poignancy of each song’s message. Through glitz and glamour, this story is a reminder of the strength that love can bring through hard times.
Maile Kai Merrick played Natasha with a perfect naive innocence and expressed her earnest need for love and attention with a stellar emotional performance. She was light and airy, but also a perfectly pristine young girl facing real heartbreak for the first time. Brian Hoyson perfectly countered her as Pierre, a character with too great of an understanding of the world outside of their high society. He matched Merrick’s vocals and passion in songs such as “Dust and Ashes” and leaned into his character’s anger and wishes to protect innocence in the world.
Siblings Helene and Anatole, played by Marisol Miller-Wave and Michael Lao, brought the perfect amount of rich chaos, decadent and committed to causing trouble wherever they go. Countering them were complexly emotional characters Sonya (Samantha Eve) and Mary (Quinn Halgrimson) who brought depth and realism into the flashy world of Russian High Society. Each character shows the struggle to find purpose and how they distract themselves in the meantime. As director, Eve noted that “after we’ve exhausted all attempts to escape our present reality, we are then left with confronting the complexity within ourselves.”
It’s not just the topical commentary and top-notch performances that make this an exciting show — the score and interactive element bring the audience into the world of Great Comet. The music is a mix of classical and Russian folk interwoven with modern indie rock and EDM — Music Directors Jezreel Real and Sio Tepper seamlessly move from a Bridgerton drama into the club and back out again, throwing in a funny twist when called for. And their chemistry with the cast flows into the audience tables up front; get ready to shake hands and drink with Russian high society. One of the fun offerings of this show is a few VIP onstage tables which feature Ventura Spirits and small bites.
Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 runs through Sunday, April 13 at Center Stage Theater. Click here for tickets and information.
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