The hit off-Broadway musical Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, which ended its downtown run on September 2, will continue to burn brightly in a new engagement in the Theater District. Kazino, a custom-built Russian supper club built especially for the electropop opera, will move from the Meatpacking District to midtown, taking up residence at West 45th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, where Comet will play a 14-week limited run beginning September 24.
Based on a most scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s Russian masterpiece War and Peace, Comet tells the story of a young girl named Natasha, who is betrothed to Andrey though he’s off at war. In his absence, Natasha strikes up a relationship with the attractive Anatole, whose rebellious nature causes Andrey’s best friend Pierre to be on alert to the budding romance. Casting for the new engagement will be announced at a later date.
The downtown off-Broadway cast featured David Abeles, Brittain Ashford, Gelsey Bell, Catherine Brookman, Nick Choksi, Ken Clark, Ashkon Davaran, Blake DeLong, Amber Gray, Luke Holloway, Dave Malloy, Grace McLean, Azudi Onyejekwe, Paul Pinto, Phillipa Soo, Lucas Steele, Shaina Taub, Mariand Torres and Lauren Zakrin.
Directed by Rachel Chavkin, Comet played an acclaimed run at Ars Nova before it transferred to the Meatpacking District for an extended, expanded off-Broadway engagement. A two-disc original cast recording will be released in the fall of 2013.