“Gonna have to study up a little bit if you wanna keep up with the plot ‘cause it’s a complicated Russian novel,” so says the prologue in Writers Theatre’s Chicago premiere of ‘Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812’. Don’t let the complicated Russian novel part scare you off because Dave Malloy’s unique take on Leo Tolstoy’s classic ‘War & Peace’ is anything but a living book report. It’s a serious breath of fresh air for musical theatre as a genre.

Nominated for an impressive amount of Tony Awards in 2017, including Best Musical and Best Musical Score, ‘The Great Comet’ was a smash hit to say the least. It’s not often you see a line queued up for a musical adaptation of a very long book, the other most notable being ‘Les Miserables’ in the 1980s. And just like ‘Les Miz’, the playwright has done a lot of trimming to ensure a normal two and a half hour running time. Instead of utmost faithfulness to the source material (as is the case with ‘Les Miz’), Malloy turns the period piece musical on its head. 

‘The Great Comet’ is a chamber opera, in that every line of dialogue is sung-through and the songs further the plot, hence the prologue. What’s really interesting about this particular adaptation is that for one, you do not need to have any familiarity with Tolstoy’s behemoth novel in order to be dropped into the middle of the book. ‘The Great Comet’ is but a small section of the book, but it is arguably one of the most interesting parts of the novel. Dripping with juicy soap opera subplots as well as the richly drawn interior lives of the characters, something Tolstoy was quite adept at. This show also wouldn’t spoil the overall plot of the novel as it leaves some plot points open-ended that are later solved in the novel.

Natasha (Aurora Penepacker) is engaged to Andrey (Matthew C. Yee) who is at the front fighting in the Napoleonic war. For safety’s sake she’s living with her soon-to-be in-laws in Moscow and for the first time in her life seeing the big world and all its temptations. When she meets dashing, but wicked Anatole (Joseph Anthony Byrd), she begins a risky affair that could threaten her future.

Writer’s Theatre’s production is one of the first major revivals since the original Broadway production and under Katie Spelman’s direction, it’s an absolute delight from beginning to end. When the curtain comes down on the first act, you’ll be immediately craving more. More of the music, more of the incredible voices and more of the heartrending music that cuts to the core of what it means to love.

This production culls together some of Chicago’s most formidable singers and actors including Bethany Thomas in the role of Marya (Natasha’s guardian) who gives one of the most electrifying performances of the evening. Not to be outdone, playing Nathasha’s best friend Sonya, Maya Rowe has likely the evening’s best solo with the song ‘Sonya Alone’. Aurora Penepacker does Tolstoy’s vision of the innocent Natasha more than justice, her song ‘No One Else’ provides the first pang of emotion. Though, don’t count Bri Sudia out as Pierre’s philandering wife Helen. She’s delivering pure musical theater magic all night. 

Spelman’s aesthetic for this production moves this musical from the black box to the opera house. Grand in scale, but still intimate. There’s a certain Baz Luhrmann quality to the costumes and the staging, and along with the modern pop soundtrack creates a very satisfying product. It just feels cool.

What will make this niche show continue to prosper in revivals is the music itself. Sophia Copola might be the godmother of putting modern music into period pieces, but Dave Malloy is doing more than just borrowing familiar tunes from his youth. The soundtrack feels like the first truly relistenable soundtrack in decades. Not a bit of the saccharine jukebox music with throw-away lyrics here. And though there is a musical through-line, what this show really benefits from is the unexpected diversity of unique sounding songs. Each song becomes its own world in a way that most modern musicals fail at. It feels like a harken back to the Sondheim era of musical theatre.

‘The Great Comet’ is the perfect musical for people who say they hate musical theatre. At the risk of saying “steampunk”, it’s a refreshing take on both musicals and adaptation. The creativity of both the cast and direction at Writers Theatre makes for an enchanting night at the opera.

Through October 27 at Writers Theatre. 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, IL. 847-242-6000  

*Extended through November 3rd