Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 - Donmar Warehouse

I recall struggling with the score on first hearing it. Booked (as a Donmar Friend) but now on a second listen, might be returning tickets! It's not very good - can someone convince me otherwise??

I found the score mostly impenetrable when I saw it off-Broadway in the tent on 45th Street, but thought the work done on it between then and the Broadway mounting (combined with the staging of it on Broadway) was a great improvement. Just small cuts and added music to make it a little less challenging on the ears. Now it’s one of my all-time favorite scores.

I will say that my enjoyment of it increased after seeing it on Broadway, so if you’re not sure how you’re feeling just based on a listen, the production could still win you over. The direction and performances may make all the difference.

They could put Dame Judi and Johnny Bailey in the show and I wouldn’t go see it lol

I think this is the type of show that requires a second viewing to get your head around it. Or, that is, the first time you will probably be quite confused but the second will give you a better understanding while you are able to focus more on comprehending everything already being familiar with the show. At least, thats how it was for me when I saw it in Sydney

I think the point is - being based on a section of War & Peace - that they're all very flawed humans and none of them of all that likely. I think the one character you are supposed to like (or feel bad for) is Natasha and maybe Sonya? I really did with the aussie cast, but that may be my fondness for them as actors and people more than the show itself lol

Because as much as I don’t like the show, I’m interested to hear people’s reactions to the casting. But you make a valid point lol

Hardly. I only comment on shows that I have an interest in of some kind.

Barnaby, Bear and the Great Thread of 2024.

I'm not sure if it's a matter of "stardust", but I trust he has seen something in both that will allow them to shine in these roles and in this production.  Personally, I am excited that we get to see this material come to life on a London stage, and very curious to see how that will look and sound like. 

I think both Declan Bennett and Maimuna Memon bring experience and an important set of skills to this, as they're both good musicians with a penchant for folksy / acoustic style of performing, which should be well suited in this context. 

I remember seeing Maimuna in Ghost Quartet (also by Dave Malloy, also heavily actor-musician) and thinking that she was perfectly cast in that sonic and emotional world.  She has a very recognisable tone and style of vocal delivery, which can communicate emotion very well.  I did feel that her Winehouse-esque touches were verging into gimmick territory when she was in Standing at the Sky's Edge.  And yet, when she sang 'Open up your door' she very much held the whole audience in the palm of her hand, and so to me it's clear she can create something pretty special.  I'd bet this is what Tim Sheader has seen in her.  

The first time I saw Declan on stage I had never heard of him, he was playing Roger in Rent on Broadway back in those prehistoric times called 2008.  His attempts at masking his native accent behind a general American accent weren't really that successful, but boy did he pour his heart into the role.  I had seen Rent several times before, and yet to me it felt I was actually seeing and feeling Roger's pain for the very first time. 

Ever since, I have kept an eye on his career, I've listened to his own music, etc.  He may not always have been the most obvious/traditional choice for certain roles, and of course personal taste comes into play with judging that too, but I think he has always brought that heart-on-his-sleeve quality to his performances.  There's a raw, unfiltered intensity in his vocals and acting.  I believe this ability to be truthful coupled with his musicianship is what Tim Sheader has seen in him.  

Tickets already on sale for 23 Dec matinee performance

Click on the date before 23 Dec and then click the forward arrow to the next date. It will take you to the 23rd matinee