Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 begins in 3 weeks at the Royal Alexandra Theatre
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: John Karastamatis, Sue Toth, Erin Nantais – Mirvish Productions
VIDEO DROPBOX – First week of rehearsals
REHEARSALS ARE UNDERWAY FOR SMASH-HIT MUSICAL
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
PERFORMANCES BEGIN IN 3 WEEKS
JULY 15 – AUGUST 24, 2025
AT THE ROYAL ALEXANDRA THEATRE
STAGE SEATING NOW ON SALE
★★★★
“MUSICAL THEATRE AT ITS BEST” - Toronto Star
“Had me in tears with its bittersweet beauty. You won’t want to miss it.” - The Globe and Mail
"An exhilarating work of beauty, the production is expansive, immersive and raucous.” - Next Magazine
“STUNNING. Bold, daring and pulsing with emotion.” - The Slotkin Letter
The Crow’s Theatre and The Musical Stage Company’s co-production of Dave Malloy’s acclaimed contemporary musical masterpiece Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, directed by Chris Abraham, received critical raves and broke box office records when it played at Crow’s Theatre from December 2023 to March 2024.
Due to unprecedented demand, David and Hannah Mirvish are remounting the production for a summer run at the historic Royal Alexandra Theatre, as part of the Mirvish 2024-25 main subscription season. Performances begin in only three weeks, playing July 15 through August 24, 2025.
Director Chris Abraham, also the Artistic Director of Crow’s Theatre, says: “We can’t think of a more thrilling next step in the journey of our production, than to bring The Great Comet to the Royal Alex next summer. It’s truly Canada’s most iconic and beloved Edwardian theatre, where many theatrical legends have performed. It will give us a gorgeous playground to bring new life to the immersive charm and powerhouse performances that Toronto audiences have so passionately embraced at Crow’s Theatre. The opportunity to expand our ensemble, orchestra, and enhance Julie Fox and Josh Quinlan’s spectacularly immersive design, will bring new surprises for audiences, especially the fans that have been coming back multiple times to see the show in record numbers.”
“We are thrilled to bring The Great Comet to an even broader audience, giving thousands of people the chance to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime experience and for its most ardent fans to revisit it at its new home with Mirvish Productions.” says Ray Hogg, Artistic Director of The Musical Stage Company, who also choreographed this production. “This production is a testament to the power of Toronto's voracious theatre-lovers, and we look forward to bringing its beautiful chaos, magic and world-class talent back to the stage at the Royal Alex.”
For the Royal Alexandra production, there will be a limited number of stage seats, allowing the audience to become part of the action of this unique staging. Tickets to the stage seating are now available for sale at mirvish.com or by calling 1.800.461.3333.
The Cast for the Royal Alexandra Production
Most of the highly lauded original cast – a who’s who of Canadian musical theatre talent –returns. Hailey Gillis stars as Natasha and Evan Buliung as Pierre. They are joined by Divine Brown (Hélène), Rita Dottor (Ensemble, Maidservant, Roving Violin), Donna Garner (Ensemble, Roving Viola, Understudy Marya), George Krissa (Anatole, Roving Guitar), Lawrence Libor (Dolokhov, Roving Accordion, Ensemble, Understudy Anatole), Marcus Nance (Andrey / Old Prince Bolkonsky, Opera Singer, Roving Clarinet, Ensemble), Heeyun Park 박희윤 (Mary, Opera Singer), Andrew Penner (Balaga, Ensemble, Roving Guitar, Understudy Pierre), Louise Pitre (Marya), and Brendan Wall (Ensemble, Roving Bass, Roving Accordion, Understudy Balaga, Understudy Bolkonsky).
Vanessa Sears, who was recently announced in the starring role in the new Canadian production of & Juliet, (also playing at the Royal Alex later in the year), stars as Sonya.
Also new to the production are Tess Benger (Ensemble, Understudy Natasha, Understudy Sonya), Andrew Broderick (Ensemble, Understudy Andrey, Understudy Opera Singer), Janelle Cooper (Ensemble, Understudy Hélène) and Tyler Pearse (Ensemble, Understudy Dolokhov).
About The Musical
Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 is an electropop musical based on a scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Young and impulsive, Natasha arrives in Moscow to await the return of her fiancé, Prince Andrey, from the front lines of Napoleon’s attempt to invade Russia. When she falls under the spell of Moscow society’s notorious playboy, the dashing rogue Anatole, it is up to Pierre, a family friend in the middle of an existential crisis, to pick up the pieces of Natasha’s shattered reputation and offer her hope and redemption.
Praised as “both the most innovative and the best new musical to open on Broadway since Hamilton” by The New York Times and “one of the decade’s best musicals” by Time Out, The Great Comet premiered at Ars Nova in New York City, played a successful off-Broadway transfer and then an acclaimed run on Broadway. The winner of two Tony Awards, three Lucille Lortel Awards, the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Musical, a Special Obie Citation, and the Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theatre, this audacious work is recognized for expanding the possibilities of musical theatre with its daring score and bold storytelling.
The Crow’s Theatre and The Musical Stage Company co-production is directed by Chris Abraham, choreographed by Ray Hogg, with music direction by Ryan deSouza. Paolo Santalucia is the Assistant Director, and Julie Fox and Joshua Quinlan are the Set Designers. Ming Wong is the Costume Designer, Kimberly Purtell is the Lighting Designer and Ryan Borshuk is the Sound Designer.