This past weekend, I had the absolute pleasure of attending a performance of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, and it was the most masterful work of art I have ever witnessed.
I was initially drawn to the show by the incredibly lovely and talented Phillipa Soo, who used to play Natasha. I was immediately hooked on the story, the melody, the voices, the words, the orchestrations. All of it. It quickly became the soundtrack to my life, as I began to play it on repeat as I went about my days. At around the same time, the Great Comet reached Broadway, starting previews a few months after I first heard the soundtrack. Long story short, I knew I had to see it and, with the help of my wonderful Aunt Lynne (shout out to you for being the absolute BEST), I got tickets to the January 29th matinee performance.
Flash forward to that glorious day, my best friend, Izzy, and I took the bus into the city and made our way to the theater. I burst into tears the minute they let us in. Now that may sound a little over the top, but I swear it is the most stunning theater in existence. Golden chandeliers, red curtains, paintings, and pictures hung on the walls, and stages EVERYWHERE. When we found our seats, we noted that there was even a stage a few feet away from us. As one would assume we were perfectly civil and super chill, we didn't freak out or anything (lol).
Sure enough, the perfection of the theater was matched by the performance. Josh Groban, as one would assume, was absolutely brilliant; he went from singing, to playing the accordion, to playing the piano, and back a million times without a single fault. Denée Benton was a bright and gleaming human being, and the world is absolutely graced to have her in it. Brittain Ashford, whose name I had to re-type a million times because it autocorrects to all caps now, filled the theater with her passion and elegance. Lucas Steele, whose acting made my life, was outstanding and stunning and so ridiculously charming. I could go on for days listing each person, continuing on about how amazing In My House sounded and how passionate Sonya Alone was and how they gave us dumplings and they were delicious and how each member of the cast was aglow and talented beyond comprehension and how the instrumentals and lighting and blocking and acting and singing were so outstanding that words fail to explain them. I could spend my whole life discussing how so many of the cast members came to the stage door and treated each person they met with kindness and respect and how they transformed the space around them into something so bright and stunning that I left feeling as though I had lived a life through them. I could spend forever talking about how unique and beautiful and different this show is. And, to be quite honest, I probably will. But, for now, I will leave you with a phrase I heard Denée Benton say at the stage door: different is so beautiful, isn't it?
It truly is.
Goodbye, my gypsy lovers. And thank you.
