At the Writers Theatre, audiences are transported to 19th century Russia by director and choreographer Katie Spelman’s (Communication ’09) production of “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.”
Within the intimate, rounded theatre space, cast members enter from aisles, exits and staircases as the audience watching from above is immersed in this musical based on a 70-page excerpt from Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.”
The show, with its many Russian names and overlapping storylines, is self-aware of its complexity. The show’s prologue introduces each character along with the acknowledgment, “It’s a complicated Russian novel / Everyone’s got nine different names / So look it up in your program / We’d appreciate it, thanks a lot.”
The plot follows two characters: Natasha and Pierre. Natasha is a lovesick ingenue betrothed to Andrey, who is fighting in the Napoleonic wars. She has come to stay in Moscow to get accustomed to society before her marriage. Pierre, a long-time friend of Andrey, lives in Moscow with his wife Hélène. His brother-in-law Anatole attempts to seduce Natasha with Hélène’s help.
Music director Matt Deitchman (Communication ’12) said one of the crew’s favorite parts of the show was the opera sequence due to the complexity of the music and length of the scene, which culminates in “a manifestation of Natasha’s story in weird bird opera form.”
Deitchman met Spelman at Northwestern during his freshman year where they worked on a show together that summer, and both spoke very highly of their experiences in NU theatre program.
“I don’t think there’s a program like it, where you can both get a great foundational training in your major, but then also have all of these opportunities to learn and learn by failing and then learn by sometimes succeeding,” Deitchman said.
In a traditional theater, actors only have to worry about one audience perspective, but at Writers, the show was staged with the audience seated surrounding the cast. Spelman and her performer’s ability to consistently portray the emotions and plot present in the show to every seat in the house was an impressive feat.
The show was originally set to run from Sept. 5 to Oct. 27 but was extended until Nov. 3 due to popular demand.
Later this season, NU alum Karina Patel, (Communication ’22) who was in the audience, is set to dramaturge a production of “Dhaba on Devon Avenue” at the Writers Theatre.
“It was so, so great,” Patel said. “I think the actors are so talented. I think the production is so good. We were discussing how smart and how well done the arrangements are. I think overall, (it was) a really fantastic production.”
The curtain closes on Pierre, looking up at the show’s titular comet as the ensemble joins him, creating a choral sound that echoes throughout the theater.
Spelman said Pierre witnessing the comet was her favorite part of the show to develop. The original production on Broadway used light fixtures to create the image of the comet, but due to space and budget constraints, this wasn’t possible at Writers.
Spelman described the creative process, detailing the many ideas she and the designers worked through including a moment where the ensemble wore capes to create the constellations, which ended up being scrapped. Spelman said they eventually decided to rely on Evan Tyrone Martin (who played Pierre) to convey the experience of seeing the comet.
“That actor is fantastic, and that moment can actually be really simple, and that was kind of cool to watch that evolve,” Spelman said.
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