{"id":5198,"date":"2026-05-19T02:49:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T02:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/smtds-natasha-pierre-the-great-comet-of-1812-buries-its-leads\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T02:49:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T02:49:17","slug":"smtds-natasha-pierre-the-great-comet-of-1812-buries-its-leads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/smtds-natasha-pierre-the-great-comet-of-1812-buries-its-leads\/","title":{"rendered":"SMTD\u2019s \u2018Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812\u2019 buries its leads"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cNatasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812\u201d is a musical almost overflowing with information. Like its name, its contents spill out awkwardly. Through anachronistic ragers, accordions, duels and references to imperial Russian culture \u2014 both explained and not\u00a0\u2014 it\u2019s a ride of a show. Put on once before during my time at the University of Michigan in fall 2023 \u2014 the last musical staged by the vanished \u201cIn the Round\u201d<\/a> production organization \u2014 the School of Music, Theatre & Dance was the latest to tackle the musical April 16-19 at the Power Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When \u201cThe Great Comet\u201d was on Broadway in the Imperial Theater, set designer Mimi Lien\u2019s renovation<\/a> seeked to \u201cdisorient\u201d the audience. It\u2019s a boisterous show, an electropop opera based on a 67-page excerpt of the Russian classic \u201cWar and Peace,\u201d depicting its characters toiling and drinking in the shadow of the Napoleonic Wars. It\u2019s a show with fourth wall breaks starting at the first number. The original Broadway set reflects this \u2014 catwalks weave throughout seating arrangements, where ensemble and central performers<\/a> alike enter the audience, or never leave it. It seems an ensemble member could spill their drink on you at any time. Part of the show\u2019s charm is this overwhelming feeling of potential mishap, and the staging is an essential part of this. It\u2019s hard to replicate without a Broadway budget, and one reason why you don\u2019t find it in community theater. <\/p>\n

All this to say, I was nervous when I walked into the Power center and saw a massive black ramp stretching across the back of the stage. There were a few doorways splattered with white paint built into its base, a crescent-shaped catwalk in front of the open orchestra pit and a sparking, spiraled rendition of the titular comet painted into the curve of the floor. Like a shell, the stage seemed to retreat into itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Luckily, I can\u2019t say the performances followed in kind. As should be with any \u201cThe Great Comet\u201d production, the ensemble was a highlight, even if their attempts at audience immersion were limited to entrances and one half-hearted number in the back half of the show. (Pierre, played steadfastly by Music, Theatre & Dance senior Kevin Ludwig, also appears reading his book in the audience at one point, but the <\/strong>efforts <\/strong>end there.)\u00a0<\/p>\n