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

I managed to get a seat but I’m expecting a fairly poor view as the one I got is one seat away from the wall at the end of the row. Not reflected in the price though.

Absolutely loved this in NYC. The onstage immersive seating took the show to a whole new level.

Very intrigued to see how it plays in a small venue.

Cannot wait!

i don’t think every character is portrayed as an imbecile… Natasha is basically a child so is naive, yes. Anatole reeks of privilege but is not an imbecile. Sonya again not an imbecile but maybe blighted by her good heart. Many of the characters are caricatures for sure which I suppose could read as them being stupid but that’s not how it read to me… and I think the music is so interesting. The way it blends electronica with an almost operatic classical score. The way it boldly crashes from one genre to another. It’s discombobulating for sure and that’s why I’ve no doubt some people will hate it but I found it very interesting.

On Restricted views etc, my circle ticket is next to the wall - and, though it's marked 'restricted view at times' I'm expecting it to be pretty good.

Tim Sheader has come straight from years at Regents Park Open Air theatre where actors have to play to a wide enveloping auditorium, I doubt he's lost the habit of sitting in all areas of the house. I enjoy extreme angles anyway - the show often looks really interesting, and they're a good test of whether the director can....direct.

I'll clock any production shots though, as rear stage set/light probably won't be visible to me.  If I can't see the 'O' of Moscow doing whatever it does I'll probably be okay with that.

I managed to get tickets for the second preview of this much-anticipated show, and I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the director's approach and vision for the project overall. I genuinely think that much of the original material was misinterpreted, and I hope that is rectified before it opens properly because in its current form, it's not looking great. And I say this as someone who loves the show and Malloy's work, and also works in theatre too.

I don't want to spoil things too much, but the actor playing Pierre was simply miscast. His performance was flat, often robotic. The character's philosophical outbursts felt too dignified. He and Natasha (who was also a very talented singer/actor, but portrayed as extremely petulant and brattish - weird interpretation of the character, but I'll put it down to the director rather than the actor) had little chemistry, and the ending also felt flat.

As incredible as the rest of the ensemble were, it was very hard to sympathise with the two leads as everything really revolves around them. Maimuna Memon was outstanding and her interpretation of Sonya is one of my favourite theatre performances I've seen recently. She's so talented. Chloe Saracco was Princess Mary was also fantastic, what a fantastic voice and so many lovely acting choices every time she was on stage. Jamie Muscato stole the show, having seen him in many other shows before I knew he would be amazing but he really did offer a very fresh take on the character, while being undeniably charming - a multi-dimensional take on the rake archetype while having a blast on stage. Cedric Neal as Balaga was SO fun - I'm not spoiling his scenes but he really was a breath of fresh air. And the rest of the cast were really just brilliant, the harmonies were lush.

In terms of costume/set design, I'm not a fan. I'm sorry but it doesn't work at all.

This interpretation goes beyond petulant, however - she is downright mean at times, even in the first act. It's reasonable to point out how childish Natasha might really be, but considering in the context of the novel she's meant to be 19-20 at this time, making her childish in the sense of a 15-16 year old felt like a strange choice that went a little bit too far in some places. In act 2, her portrayal worked much better, as by that point Natasha is actively indulging in her most selfish impulses. In act 1, we see little of the "innocence" that Anatole is meant to be spoiling.

Very disappointed in this tonight. After all the hype surrounding the Broadway production I expected so much more. The music never really captivated me, and I found the story quite hard to follow (although my attention span was definitely waning). The act two opener was the best part, but other than that Cedric Neal was wasted in this show. Paired with some weak performances, and an incredibly un-stylish set and costume design, I’d rate this production ⭐⭐ overall.