Donmar Warehouse's U.K. premiere of Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 officially opened December 16 after beginning previews December 9, and the reviews are rolling in!
The production, which marks new Artistic Director Tim Sheader’s directorial debut at the venue, will continue its limited engagement through February 8, 2025. This production is not a replica of the Broadway production, but wholly reimagined by Sheader.
The musical follows Natasha Rostova, who arrives in the opulent world of Moscow High Society, awaiting the return of her fiancé from the front lines. When she falls under the spell of an unscrupulous aristocrat, throwing her family into a whirlwind of chaos, it is up to the unlikely hero, Pierre, to pick up the pieces of her reputation.
Read the reviews below.
The Independent (Alice Saville)
London Theatre (Marianka Swain)
The Telegraph (Claire Allfree)
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Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
The Donmar production stars Declan Bennett as Pierre, Chumisa Dornford-May as Countess Natasha Rostova, Daniel Krikler as Fedya Dolokhov, Eugene McCoy as Prince Bolkonsky/Andrey, Annette McLaughlin as Marya Dimitriyevna, Maimuna Memon as Sonya Rostova, Jamie Muscato as Anatole, Cedric Neal as Balaga, Chloe Saracco as Mary, and Cat Simmons as Helene Kuragina Bezukhova with Andrew Berlin, Kimberly Blake, Ali Goldsmith, Chihiro Kawasaki, Nitai Levi, and Annie Majin.
The musical, adapted from a portion of Tolstoy's War and Peace (with a book, music, and lyrics all by Malloy), features choreography by Ellen Kane, musical supervision by Nicholas Skilbeck, set design by Leslie Travers, costume design by Evie Gurney, lighting design by Howard Hudson, sound design by Nick Lidster and Gareth Tucker for Autograph, musical direction by Sam Young, casting by Pippa Ailion for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting, intimacy direction by Ingrid Mackinnon, and vocal coaching by Barbara Houseman.
Ali Goldsmith and Chihiro Kawasaki in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Cat Simmons in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Cedric Neal and company of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Chloe Saracco and Chumisa Dornford-May in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Chumisa Dornford-May and Jamie Muscato in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Chumisa Dornford-May in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Declan Bennett and company of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Declan Bennett and company of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Declan Bennett in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Eugene McCoy in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Jamie Muscato and Daniel Krikler in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Jamie Muscato and company of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Kimberly Blake, Chumisa Dornford-May and Cedric Neal in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Maimuna Memon in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Maimuna Memon, Chumisa Dornford-May and Annette McLaughlin in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
