Background on the Show

Script, Score, and Directing

• War and Peace "was a trashy romance novel, a family drama, a hilarious farce, a military thriller, a philosophical scripture, a treatise on history, all wrapped into one giant, messy, nearly unmanageable tome" (10).

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• “The experiment was to put a novel onstage, melodicizing Tolstoy’s incredible narrative style…I also knew that I wanted to embrace both the old and the new, to be both sincere and reverent yet knowing and sharp, communing with but also commenting on the classicism of the novel without ever lapsing into irony or parody” (12).

  • Wanted to keep Tolstoy's voice, which is why so many lyrics are word-for-word from the book.​

  • Particularly notes the microprocessing of every small gesture, glance, interaction, etc.

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• “Mixes rock, pop, soul, folk, and electronic dance music with classic Broadway, all set inside a decadent, opulent Russian salon.”

  • “pop/rock/folk/soul/classical opera/experimental/electronic dance music/traditional Russian folk/classic Broadway score”

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• This piece is the result of a collaboration between Rachel Chavkin, Mimi Lien, Sam Pinkleton, and Dave Malloy: all young artists with nontraditional backgrounds and non-commercial artistic lives.

  • “removed from the pressures of the dominant culture.”

  • None of them had ever been on Broadway

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• “Because nothing about the idea of this show would seem to be commercial in any way, nothing about it feels cynical or shopworn. The boldness, the fearlessness of approach, is as refreshing as it is rare.”

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• “Dave Malloy takes perhaps the greatest novel in world literature, certainly the most revered, and treats it with an offhand carelessness that is also, paradoxically, infused with enormous respect. He translates the heart of what Tolstoy was grappling with, without the least reverence for his form. The boldness rewards all of us with a piece that captures both the magnificent sweep of the novel and the tenderest, most intimate heart of the story.”

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• “Rachel is like Dave in her combination of seriousness of purpose and playfulness of presentation.”

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• “Both of them are deeply American artists, and it is that very quality that allows them to bring early 19th century Russia to stunning life in The Great Comet. Never have I felt more powerfully the way our two countries are alike: the raw expanse and enormous heart of the Russian people feel more connected to the American imagination than anything from England or Western Europe.”

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• "One of my favorite things about reading classics is finding those moments that feels startlingly contemporary, that remind you that human emotions have been the same for centuries; it's that connection that makes these stories timeless and cathartic" (12).

• Malloy summarizes each subplot through the following:

  • Pierre's spiritual search, Natasha and Anatole's melodrama, the Bolkonskys' domestic nightmare, Balaga's supernatural exuberance, and all the rest.​

    • "the full spectrum of humanity," "paints a profound picture of what it is to be human, with every outlook complementing and influencing the others" (13).​

    • Characters as a "beautiful and sublime interconnected constellation of stars" (13)

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• Anachronism (something existing in a time period it doesn't belong in) to find humor in the bizarre and subtle differences in the time periods, as well as highlighting the similarities between the periods. 

  • the combination of musical genres helped with this, as it created a space for characters to breathe fully as existing in two simultaneous periods.​

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• Original productions

• • Served food, literally functioned as a restaurant

  • Playing space entwined around the room, musicians sprinkled among audience

  • Early productions took place in in a 199 seat tent (named Kazino) placed in vacant lots in NYC

  • Cast would play scenes to certain tables, slip notes to certain tables, share glasses of vodka with audience

  • ​“mix of concert, party, and theater” 

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• “Sonya Alone” is equally the heart of the show as the exuberant group numbers, the quiet, soulful number about family holds the show’s DNA and appeals to the emotions in a way that seals the deal of falling in love with the show.

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• "Staging is about creating a culture" (15)

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• Performer-audience relationship important because of the complete lack of a fourth wall. 

  • "Good touch" vs. "bad touch." Bad touch doesn't allow audience to meet the show on their own terms and in their own time. Good touch is where the created culture allows audience to instinctively know how to interact with it.​

  • Must also meet characters at their own terms, which is why principles have period costumes, and we see their hyperstructured aristocratic behavior as well as their internal thoughts. Why is it essential to see social behavior vs. internal thought at any given point? Why is it essential to meet them in that state at that moment?

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• Malloy's experience at Café Margarita (See Scenic) inspires directing to be deeply personal and individualized, and like you just stumbled into this place where people are partying.

  • ​The staging is a lot like NYC and parties, welcoming old friends, “creating an environment where a diverse group of people can sit together and enjoy one another’s company.” ​

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• Writer, director, and scenic designer all came from "downtown" New York theater, which emphasized creating an "authentic" event, where actors actually eat or play a sport or read rather than "playing" it.

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• Ensemble should reflect blend of aesthetics -- some being trained classical actors, others being experimental singers, etc.

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Sources:

• Oskar Eustis. "Foreword." Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway (p. viii-ix)

• Dave Malloy. "Creating A Comet." Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway (p. 9-13)

• Rachel Chavkin (director). "Order from Chaos." Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway (p. 15-17)

• Jason Eagan (Artistic Director, Ars Nova). "A Crazy Commission." Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway (p. 19-22).

• Howard Kagan (Producer). "Way Off-Broadway." Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway (p. 25-29).

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Overarching Design

• Simplicity gained power in later productions because rather than being a product of limited space, it was intentional: the single column of snow rather than full stage in “No One Else,” the single costumes rather than quick changes, the lack of large props like the sleigh. 

• Things Rachel defines as “essential design elements” the production is grounded in: lightbulbs and chandeliers and illuminated paintings, iconic costume pieces, red velvet walls, surround-sound.” The simplicity of this complements the complexity and chaos of the actors, score, and audience. She calls it a “convergence of fiction and reality,” and embraces the chaos of audience members putting a chair in the actors’ way, or the actors moving set pieces aside during fights. Basically, embrace the unexpected, the uncontrollable, and the practical.

 

Sources:

• Jason Eagan (Artistic Director, Ars Nova). "A Crazy Commission." Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway (p. 19-22).

• Mimi Lien (Scenic Director). "A Total Environment." Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway (p. 31-39)

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Costume​

• Generally principles in period dress and ensemble in modern high fashion. 

• Main characters in period garb to ground them in the text, and separate us so we don't judge from a contemporary lens 

• "Character definition took precedence over historical accuracy" - for example, Marya D. in Victorian-style corset to give posture of a "strict, morally superior schoolmarm," Hélène given corset from an earlier time period because she wouldn't care for 1812 neoclassicism, Sonya in period clothing because she follows the rules.

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Sources:

• Jason Eagan (Artistic Director, Ars Nova). "A Crazy Commission." Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway (p. 19-22).

• Paloma Young (Costume Designer). "A Costume Tournament. Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway (p. 41-45)

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Scenic

• Inspired by Café Margarita in Moscow, where Malloy visited. "We had to wait in the doorway until there was room for us at one of the many small wooden tables, each packed with pelmeni (Russian dumplings) and vodka, and these bizarre, hand-made musical shakers, which everyone was shaking along to the incredible trio (piano, violin, viola) as they played classical pop hits... When we finally got a seat, I ended up inches from the viola player; hearing her counterpoint in my ear, watching all the laughing, joyous faces as people drank and shook and ate and laughed and shook and drank some more, I realized this is where Comet needed to be set: not at a stuffy aristocratic dinner club, but at a raucous democratic tavern, with everyone playing along" (12). 

• As they went from the tent to ART to the Imperial, meaning theaters were bigger and resources were greater, a big concern was keeping the intimacy and simplicity that made the original production so successful, keeping the microanalysis of these characters amidst grander resources. However, more material opportunity allowed the show to really find itself, as the stories of all these small characters now existed amidst a bigger picture of society, as Tolstoy intended. 

• The immersive aspect of the show originated in early productions of the show as well as Malloy's Beowulf, where the stage was so small the action spilled out into the audience. (11).

• Opulence combined with punk aesthetics, referred to as a "dream of Russia," juxtaposing extremes.

• Mimi Lien - started career in architecture, came to theatre later than most. “the huge advantage that gives her is manifested in her continual thinking outside the narrow frames of the theater and into the larger world of ideas, space, performance, and construction.”​

• “not a stage, but an environment.” 

• Lots of twisting or curved paths for actors to walk through, representing the twists, turns, and complexities of Russian high society, also embraces and envelopes the audience. 

• Often design the lobby display or rooms outside of theater as the "other" less wealthy Russian aesthetics, bunker-like with fluorescent lights and punk rock posters, the czarist, post-Cold War, Pussy Riot and Perestroika sides of culture. ⁶

  • ​The bunker space is the "war" outside, while the theater is the "peace" where the war can't touch us.​

  • Inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright (architect) having doorways or outside be dimly lit to create a dramatic entrance into a brighter theater space. 

• Mimi Lien emphasizes the full environment, stimulating all senses including spatial awareness, auditory, even olfactory ⁶

• "There's a sense that maybe this is the last party, at the end of the world." 

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Sources:

• Dave Malloy. "Creating A Comet." Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway (p. 9-13)

• Order From Chaos, Rachel Chavkin, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway (p. 15-17)

• A Total Environment, Mimi Lien (Scenic Director), Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway (p. 31-39)

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TO BE CONTINUED

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