The Hangar Theatre's upcoming production of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, featuring 14 actor-musicians, will begin previews July 21 prior to an official opening July 22 for a run through July 31.
The cast will include Chloe Castro-Santos as Natasha, Jong Sang Rheu as Anatole, Alan Mendez as Pierre, Zoe Dongas as Hélene, Trevor Lindley Craft as Prince Andrey and Old Prince Bolkonsky, Blair Alexis Brown as Marya, Madelaine Vandenberg as Sonya, Owen Harrison as Dolokhov, Liz Gilmartin as Princess Mary, and Darius Quinston Mullens as the Announcer with Camryn Rose Pillay, Brianna Puma, Daniel Mejil, Lily Elliott in the ensemble. Dariana Elise Pérez serves as the understudy.
Director Shirley Serotsky leads the creative team, which includes Chris “Red” Blissett as music supervisor, Fatima Sowe as choreographer, Andrew Coopman as assistant director, Blair Alexis Brown as associate musical director, Czerton Lim as set designer, Debra Sivigny as costume designer, Elizabeth M. Stewart as lighting designer, and Matthew M. Nielson as sound designer.
"I told the cast on the first day, 'I don't build orchestras; I build machines that solve problems,'" says music supervisor Blisset. "This team is so much more than that. You can watch one person sing a solo with an accordion, play a scene, and rush over to play drums in only the first five minutes of the piece. And that's only one of the 14 actor-musicians in the company."
"This musical is so unique, so special, I think that audiences are going to be really awed and enamored by the experience. The Hangar is honored to be the first theatre in upstate New York to have the chance to produce this incredible show," adds director Serotsky.
Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 had its premiere at Ars Nova before opening on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre November 14, 2016. The production, directed by Rachel Chavkin with choreography by Sam Pinkleton, played 32 previews and 336 performances before closing September 3, 2017. The musical earned 12 Tony nominations, including Best Musical, winning for Best Lighting Design of a Musical and Best Scenic Design of a Musical.
Adapted from Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, the electro-pop musical tells the story of a beautiful ingénue who visits Moscow while she waits for her fiancé Andrey to return from the war.
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