I was struck by “The Great Comet of 1812”

Throughout this entire semester, I’ve been listening to the musical: “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel War and Peace. During endless nights of studying, I’ve found comfort in the dynamic nature of each and every song — all reminding me of a Disney villain’s entrance. Almost every character is unapologetically themselves (we’ll get to the strange one soon) and determined to reach their goals by any means necessary — even if it leaves others in despair. Without further ado, I’ll explain my favorite points of the musical.

To set the scene, it's 1812 in Moscow, Russia, and we are focused on two major characters: Pierre and Natasha. Pierre is a depressed man who feels as if he’s wasting his life, and his one friend he could confide in is away at war—and Natasha is engaged to that friend. When flirtations come by her door from Pierre’s brother-in-law Anatole, she’s faced with feelings she never felt before and wonders if she should stay faithful to a man she hardly knows or pursue this relationship?

One of the first songs in this musical is dubbed “Pierre,” in which we are introduced to the state of the man in the first part of the musical. You quickly discover that he is extraordinarily self-aware of his dissatisfaction with life. The lines “It's dawned on me suddenly / And for no obvious reason / That I can't go on /Living as I am” re-enforce such thinking. Despite these feelings, the song is boisterous in nature with an entourage of singers cheering for his existence in the chorus. I personally love the introduction, as you can see the internal conflict within the man in both his lines and the duality of the instrumental. It’s evident that Pierre is fighting between melancholy and frustration over his current situation.

Another favorite of mine is the song “Charming” sung by Helene, Pierre’s unfaithful wife. She is intrigued by the prospect of Natasha and Anatole getting together, not for marriage but for entertainment. After all, she’s had her fair share of affairs, and in her eyes it's the only way to avoid being bored to death. The chorus of the song is catchy and soothing, you almost don’t realize the exact words Helene is saying. With further analysis, you can tell she’s describing Anatole’s feelings to Natasha continuously, until Natasha finally considers pursuing the affair. The singer, Amber Gray, executes this conniving nature beautifully throughout the song, making even the audience understand Helene’s perspective.

Overall, this musical has amazing character-centric songs, appealing to anyone who loves seeing their development play out. Despite how complex the plot is at times, each of the songs can be enjoyed without knowing any of it. Even more, the performers themselves give it their all to represent each character’s motivations.

P.S. “Dust and Ashes” is one of the most beautiful musical songs I’ve ever listened to. If you are interested in seeing the growth of Pierre as he was described here, I recommend experiencing The Great Comet's stunning music and complex characters for yourself!