Review: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812 (Donmar Warehouse)

Review by Daz Gale

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It can be said that Donmar Warehouse have had a pretty incredible 2024. The changing of Artistic Directors didn’t lose any of the high quality programming they pride themselves on with Tim Sheader’s inaugural production The Fear Of 13 garnering critical acclaim. Meanwhile, the last musical staged at the Donmar, Next To Normal, enjoyed a West End transfer so it;s safe to say hopes have been high for the next musical to appear there. Wait no more as the long awaited UK premiere of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812 is now playing a completely sold out season. Would this end the year on a high for the Donmar?

Inspired by Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812 (to be referred to as Great Comet for the remainder of this review to save it reading as long as the novel itself), Dave Malloy has taken a 70 page segment of the 1869 novel, focusing on Natasha’s complications with romance and Pierre struggling with existential angst. The musical premiered in New York in 2012, enjoying a run on Broadway from 2016 - 2017.

With Great Comet, Dave Malloy has described something quite difficult to describe - not ideal for a reviewer. Defying genres, it is unlike anything you will have seen before and are likely to see again, completely standing alone from its counterparts. Brash at times and complex, it may not be immediately accessible to all, especially those who are not familiar with the original text, but it has a way of intriguing you and capturing attention from the beginning, ensuring you fall under its spell. I can’t be certain I was always following everything that was going on but I was certainly enjoying it with Malloy’s book creating something rather unique.

While Great Comet may be a hard show to categorise, the same cannot be said about Tim Sheader’s direction of this production. Faultless, inspired and awe-inspiring, his exquisite choices create a stylish and visually exciting production that always had me on the edge of my seat wondering where it was going to go next. Though it is a comparatively small space, the versatility of Donmar Warehouse has always impressed me, with each production using the space in a markedly different way to that of its predecessor, with the one consistent being the incredibly high quality. Sheader’s direction of Great Comet is the best example of this, utilising Leslie Travers’ glorious set design to create a bold and pulsing production, playing in to the intimacy of the space with audience interaction and using the space and stage in outstanding ways.

Ellen Kane’s choreography is utilised wonderfully, particularly on the larger numbers, defying the limits of what can be achieved in such a small space. One highlight is the opening number ‘Prologue’ with inspired direction and choreography coming together to create pure magic. In a show that is always visually thrilling, Evie Gurney’s costumes are always glorious to witness with more style and sophistication than you’d see at shows with fashion as its main theme. These costumes are particularly striking in Jamie Muscato’s Anatole and Cat Simmons’ Hélène.

The real star of this production is the lighting, with Howard Hudson’s design implementing a versatile and always impressive array of effects. Bold colours completely transfer the stage, moving lights make the stage feel grander than it is, and a striking closing sequence has one of the best uses of lighting I’ve ever seen in my years of theatre-going. Great Comet is a beautiful production all around, but Hudson’s lighting here is the level all should aspire to,

The lighting isn’t the only star, of course. The stage is full of them. Declan Bennett’s Pierre is an understated presence, sporadically appearing and just as quickly settling into the background again. Bennett delivers a nuanced portrayal, coming into his own for the standout musical number ‘Dust and Ashes’. The always sensational Cedric Neal makes his present felt with a wonderfully charismatic turn as Balaga with his self-titled musical number providing one of the more joyous highlights, while Cat Simmons’ gives a powerful portrayal albeit underused as Hélène.

Chumisa Dornford-May delivers a standout performance as Countess Natasha Rostova with a portrayal that veers from sweet to sassy, all the while bursting with star quality. Dornford-may has the kind of presence on stage that demands eyes are always on her with gorgeous vocals and an authenticity in her performance style. Maimuna Memon is similarly wonderful as Sonya particularly in act two solo number ‘Sonya Alone’., The scenes she shares with Dornford-May’s Natasha provides electricity on stage thanks to their changeable yet always captivating dynamic.

While many of the cast impress with their undeniable skills, there is one performance that provided the ultimate knockout for me. Step forward the always reliable Jamie Muscato who is not only on top form as Anatole but has quite possibly delivered a career best in a role that plays to his strengths. At times dark and brooding, at others playful and over-the-top, Muscato has a lot to grapple with in his portrayal and hits every note perfectly… in more ways than one, thanks to his incredible vocal ability. Anatole feels like the role Muscato was born to play and he certainly didn’t disappoint, delivering a performance for the ages and once again proving how ridiculously talented he really is.

Completely sung-through, the musical numbers in Great Comet have a habit of merging into one, not always defining one ending and another beginning. To that end, some of them do get a bit lost and not all managed to land for me personally, though there are some incredible numbers peppered throughout including the aforementioned ‘Dust and Ashes’ and the closing number ‘The Great Number Of 1812’. Perhaps not a show where you’ll come out humming the songs but that doesn’t detract from their quality, with their genre-defying and eclectic mix providing an always unpredictable and exciting soundtrack. Sam Young’s musical direction brings these numbers to life beautifully leading a band surrounding the stage on multiple levels , providing an even more intimate experience.

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 is certainly an interesting production and one unlike anything I have seen before. While I was not always completely won over by the show itself, the production itself was faultless and elevated material that didn’t always manage to connect with me. Sheader’s direction and the incredible production value make this one of the most visually exciting and stimulating shows of the year, while the exceptional cast bring this to another level entirely. Not completely perfect, but refreshingly different and always impressive, Great Comet really is a great piece of theatre.

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 plays at Donmar Warehouse until 8th  February 2025. Tickets from https://www.donmarwarehouse.com/

Photos by Johan Persson