"Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812" - The Playhouse Theater review

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State Centre Stage’s production of “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812” had its opening night last night, and it was absolutely breathtaking. The show is on campus in The Playhouse Theatre and is running from Oct. 17 to Oct. 29.

Although the musical takes place in Russia in 1812, the music is electro-pop and is absolutely enthralling and encapsulating. It almost catches the audience off guard and engages you in the play, especially when there is a change in plot.

The musical was written by Dave Malloy and has won multiple Tony Awards for its time on Broadway with famous actors such as Josh Groban. The musical throws the audience into the middle of “War & Peace” by Leo Tolstoy, but is extremely successful in introducing all the characters in the song “Prologue.”

During the play, a naive young woman Natasha is betrothed to Prince Andrey, who is away fighting in the War of 1812. While Natasha is home and waiting for Andrey to come home, she is taking her place in society as the soon-to-be princess.

However, Natasha’s life takes a turn when scoundrel Anatole tickles her fancy and starts to pursue her. Natasha is wildly naive, and honestly upsets the audience, and decides to admit that she is in love with Anatole. This love began on the basis of a stolen kiss in the club, which was extremely scandalous in 1812 Russia.

During the resolution of the play, it is revealed that Anatole actually was married the entire time and was mischievously pursuing women. Anatole and Andrey both leave Natasha, and the play ends with Natasha standing alone in the drawing room, reflecting on her mistakes. There is no redemption arc for Natasha, and honestly, that’s what she deserves.

This musical is fully two and half hours of singing, and if any audience members have listened to or watched Hamilton then they are in a familiar area. Those audience members who have never been to a musical are definitely in for dramatic culture shock. There is no weaning in this performance, the audience is engrossed in the electro-rock of Russia immediately and there is no escaping.

Penn State Theater students did a breathtaking and phenomenal performance captivating the entire audience through their impressive musical talents and engaging audience mannerisms. That’s the special aspect of this play, it’s extremely audience-invasive and interactive.

Throughout the play, the ensemble runs throughout The Playhouse Theatre and even sits in the seats next to audience members. During portions of the performance, certain audience members near the stage requested to stand up and engage with the musical numbers, or even move seats entirely to allow the scenes to continue.

The characters of the musical that shined brighter than ever would be Natasha, Pierre, and Helene. During opening night, the actress playing Helene had a wardrobe malfunction with her dress strap, and the audience would’ve never known. She absolutely handled it like a professional and came out for Act 2 with the strap fixed.

The actor who played Pierre had his Penn State Theatre debut, and he absolutely blew the audience out of the water with his performance. The playing Pierra is Logan Glaze, and his voice is similar to Ben Platt, it was absolutely hypnotizing during the performances of “Pierre & Natasha” and “Pierre."

Penn State Theatre students made The Playhouse Theatre in 2023 feel like 1812 Russia, and the experience is equivalent to the Broadway production. Tickets are still available, this is a musical that must be experienced live.

Grace Bowman is a third-year majoring in biology and minoring in psychological sciences. To contact her, email gab5585@psu.edu.