Presenting a slice of ‘War and Peace’ in musical form
Actor Nick Rehberger, who plays Pierre in the Pittsburgh CLO production of 无毛视频淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.无毛视频�
Sandra Okuboyejo plays Natasha in the Pittsburgh CLO无毛视频檚 无毛视频淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.无毛视频�
Timothy Mackabee, the set designer for 无毛视频淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.无毛视频�
Dontee Kiehn, the director of 无毛视频淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.无毛视频�
When the musical 无毛视频淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812无毛视频� was on Broadway in the middle part of the last decade, it was a rare beast on the Great White Way.
It wasn无毛视频檛 a long-running hit, a revival, a jukebox musical stringing together beloved pop hits or an on-stage rendering of a beloved movie. But the musical was derived from one of the most revered artistic properties of the last couple of centuries.
无毛视频淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812无毛视频� is based on a 70-page slice of Leo Tolstoy无毛视频檚 mammoth 无毛视频淲ar and Peace,无毛视频� arguably the Mount Everest of literary achievement and time commitment. Boiling it down to its simplest terms, 无毛视频淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812无毛视频� tells the story of one character无毛视频檚 romantic travails and another character无毛视频檚 search for meaning. It was created by Cleveland-area native and Ohio University graduate David Malloy, and bowed off-Broadway in 2012. During its one-year Broadway run, 无毛视频淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812无毛视频� was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, and won two, for set design and lighting design.
Timothy Mackabee, the set designer for the Pittsburgh CLO production of 无毛视频淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,无毛视频� which will be opening Tuesday at the Benedum Center, offers assurances that no prior knowledge of 无毛视频淲ar and Peace无毛视频� is necessary to wrap your head around the musical, never mind having plowed through the whole novel.
无毛视频淵ou do not need to bring any information to it,无毛视频� he explained. 无毛视频淵ou do not need a rich history in Tolstoy to understand or enjoy the show.无毛视频�
无毛视频淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812无毛视频� was presented last year by Carnegie Mellon University无毛视频檚 drama school, but the Pittsburgh CLO production is the first time it has been presented in one of the city无毛视频檚 downtown theaters. It无毛视频檚 directed by Dontee Kiehn, who has helmed recent Pittsburgh CLO productions of 无毛视频淏rigadoon无毛视频� and 无毛视频淥klahoma!,无毛视频� and has most recently been the associate director of 无毛视频淢J: The Musical,无毛视频� about the life and music of Michael Jackson. She explained on the phone from Chicago last week that 无毛视频淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812无毛视频� is 无毛视频渟teeped in realism and steeped in the reality of what the story is.无毛视频�
But, she continued, 无毛视频淚 think it无毛视频檚 been crafted so beautifully, the story and everything that transpires within the piece. It无毛视频檚 just an extension of 无毛视频榃ar and Peace.无毛视频� Honestly, we couldn无毛视频檛 do the whole story, because that would be quite a long time for people to be in the theater.无毛视频�
无毛视频淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812无毛视频� has been characterized by Malloy as an 无毛视频渆lectropop opera,无毛视频� and it melds together a host of musical styles, from Russian folk to indie rock. It is 无毛视频渟ung-through,无毛视频� meaning that all the dialogue is sung from start to finish. This being the case, does it bear comparison to 无毛视频淟es Miserables,无毛视频� another sung-through musical based on a daunting literary classic?
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 a very smart parallel,无毛视频� Kiehn said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a classic work of art, a classic piece of writing that无毛视频檚 been very artfully done, but also been made very accessible to audiences who may not know the foundational material, or maybe aren无毛视频檛 even familiar with theater, to be honest. I think无毛视频檚 really accessible to a broad spectrum of theatergoers.无毛视频�
She continued, 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 so breathtakingly beautiful. There无毛视频檚 a gorgeous love story, there无毛视频檚 a gorgeous tone of optimism and hope. 无毛视频� I also think the eclectic music styles, the orchestration, it just feels like there无毛视频檚 a little bit for everyone.无毛视频�
无毛视频淣atasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812无毛视频� will be at the Benedum Center through Sunday, Aug. 27, and will close out the Pittsburgh CLO无毛视频檚 summer season. For showtimes and additional information, go online to pittsburghclo.org.