Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, which ended its Broadway run at the Imperial Theatre in September last year, will find a new life in Tokyo.
The Japanese entertainment company Toho will produce the staging at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, according to Forbes. Performances will begin in January 2019.
The musically eclectic take on a snippet of War and Peace opened in November 2016. Upon closing, the production played 32 previews and 336 regular performances.
The unconventional production completely transformed the Imperial into an opulent Russian salon that engulfed the audience. It earned 12 Tony nominations—the most of any production of its season. The musical ended up winning Outstanding Scenic Design (Mimi Lien) and Outstanding Lighting Design (Bradley King).
Written by Dave Malloy (Ghost Quartet, Preludes) and directed by Rachel Chavkin, the production marked the Broadway debut for internationally acclaimed vocalist Josh Groban, who received a Tony nomination for his work in the role of Pierre. Groban departed the cast July 2, 2017, and following an interim stint from Malloy, Hamilton alum Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan assumed the role.
The show's shutter followed a casting controversy that resulted in Tony winner Mandy Patinkin, who had been scheduled to step into the role of Pierre, withdrawing from the production. On July 26, Great Comet producers had announced that Patinkin would play a three-week run in the production through September 3. The announcement meant that Onaodowan would leave the production earlier than expected.
The Great Comet was commissioned and developed at Ars Nova in NYC, where it had its world premiere in fall 2012 and was soon after transferred to a custom-built venue in the Meatpacking District for the summer of 2013. The show became a hit, and the entire venue was transferred to the theatre district, where it continued its run into the spring of 2014. The musical subsequently played a limited engagement at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, where its innovative design was expanded to bring the show’s signature staging to a traditional proscenium-style theatre.
The Japanese production would mark the first international staging.
