Speakeysie News Desk

Dazzling musical of passion and romance returns to the Inman Park theatre after a sold-out run in 2023

“A go-for-broke cast… crackling chemistry… What live theatre, at its best, can do.” – ArtsATL

ATLANTA (Jan 3, 2023) – Audiences will once again enter a mesmerizing world of passion, love and intrigue with Horizon Theatre’s encore presentation of the hit ground-breaking Broadway musical Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, opening Jan. 26 and booking through Feb. 18, with extension dates to be announced if demand warrants.

ArtsATL critics just honored Comet on their list of outstanding productions of 2023, calling the original Horizon production “Immersive, incandescent, funny and very, very sexy,” with audiences raving about the “thrilling, stunningly beautiful, amazing show.” This Tony Award-winning musical, inspired by a scandalous slice of Tolstoy’s War & Peace, is a theatrical experience like no other, bringing you just inches from the brash young lovers as they light up Moscow in a “heaven-sent fireball” (NY Times). With a thrilling immersive staging that swirls around the audience and the onstage bar, audiences are transported to a glamorous land of chandeliers and vodka in the salons and opera houses of Moscow— where passions ignite. Mixing pop, soul, folk and electronic dance music with classic Broadway, this innovative musical brings to life the heart of this epic tale of love and fate. “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 is a unique, electric and immersive experience unlike any other. If you missed it in the fall, you’ll want to make sure you see it this time around.

Audiences were thrilled with the intimacy, power and fun of the show, and we quickly sold out all the shows for the last run,” says Great Comet Director and Horizon Artistic Associate Heidi McKerley. “We transform the theatre into a multi-leveled supper club with an onstage bar, a few choice tables and a balcony area with cozy couches and chairs in addition to regular theatre seating. The cast performs on every level, right next to audience members, with the top of the bar as a central playing area. Our outstanding multi-talented cast are also the show’s musicians, playing cello, violin, bass, accordion, clarinet, piano, guitar and more.

You’ll be up close to soul-stirring music, life-changing love affairs, souls turned inside out, existential crises and high-stakes risks.”“The musical’s fusion of classic and contemporary in the music, characters, costumes, and staging are the pre-cursor to Hamilton in style, and remind us that some human truths are universal no matter the time or place,” McKerley continued. “We are so thrilled at the response we received in 2023. It’s such a joy to bring this award-winning musical back to life for more members of the community to experience. You can’t get what we will be offering on any screen you own.

”Natasha is a beautiful ingenue visiting Moscow while she waits for her beloved fiancé Andrey to return from the war. In a moment of indiscretion, she is seduced by the dashing (but already married) Anatole and her position in society is ruined. Her only hope lies with Pierre, the lonely outsider whose love and compassion for Natasha may be the key to her redemption— and to the renewal of her soul.

The original cast is back for this encore presentation with just one new cast member! Natasha (Alexandria Joy*, Alliance Theatre’s The Incredible Book Eating Boy and others; Actor’s Express’ Heathers) is a young innocent engaged to Andrey, whom she loves dearly. But with Andrey(Hayden Rowe, Horizon’s Once) off fighting in the war, she comes to visit relatives in Moscow and be introduced to wealthy society. She stays with herloving cousin Sonya (Anna Dvorak, star of Georgia Ensemble Theatre’s Pretty Pants Bandit) and her godmother Marya (Terry Burrell*, many shows on Broadway and at the Alliance Theatre, the lead in Horizon’s Da Kink in My Hair), an old-school, grand dame of Moscow, who is her guide and protector. Andrey’s good friend Pierre (Daniel Burns, Horizon’s Once) also keeps an eye on Natasha while Andrey is away. Pierre is wealthy, generous, awkward, and unhappily married to Hélène (Kendra Johnson, Mary in the original Horizon run of Comet) who married him for his money and now takes other lovers, including Dolokhov (Terrence J. Smith, upcoming movie musical The Color Purple). While at a society event, naïve Natasha is swept off her feet by Hélène’s hot brother and Dolokhov’s closest friend Anatole(Jordan Patrick, Jenny T. Anderson’s Spring Awakening, Aurora’s Beautiful), a wildly attractive young aristocrat and hedonist who seduces her, even though he is secretly married. Other key players are Andrey’s elderly, cruel father The Prince (Jeff McKerley*, Horizon’s Avenue Q, Actor’s Express’ Fun Home) and sister Mary (Brandy Bell, joining the cast for the remount, Jenny T. Anderson’s Spring Awakening, Actor’s Express’ Oh, To Be Pure Again), who resent Natasha’s care-free youth and beauty; and Balaga (Skyler Brown, Horizon’s Once, Aurora’s The Play That Goes Wrong), the fun-loving and wild troika driver. Rounding out the cast, the ensemble members include Alyssa Easterly (guitar, piano), Miro Gomez (cello), Ruth Mehari (cello, bass), Eric Nabeth (accordion, piano), Eden Mew(percussion), Marissa Romanoff (viola) and Molly Ann Tucker (clarinet).After the success of her hit Once at Horizon in 2020, director and Horizon Artistic

Associate Heidi McKerley is back with another intimate and amazing immersive musical experience with triple-threat actors/musicians. Heidi has directed most of Horizon’s musicals over the past three decades to great acclaim. She is joined by Bethany Irby (musicals at Atlanta Lyric, Jennie T. Anderson, and Georgia Ensemble Theatre) as co-music director and conductor along with Comet original music director Holt McCarley (Jennie T. Anderson’s Spring Awakening, Next to Normal and Assassins. McKerley’s design team creating the intimate supper club and salon environment includes Horizon resident scenic designers Moriah and Isabel Curley-Clay, resident lighting designer Mary Parker and long-time Horizon designer Dr. L. Nyrobi Moss – all of whom were just nominated for Suzi Awards for last season’s Designing Women 2020 at Horizon, which was directed by McKerley and is also nominated for Best Play. These designers also recently collaborated on the lusciously designed Horizon play The House That Will Not Stand. Sound design is created by Tyehimba Shabazz and Chris Lane of Multiband Studios, and props are sourced by Leah Thomas.

Performances begin Jan. 26. Booking tickets through Feb. 18, with extension dates to be announced if demand warrants. Performances are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.

General admission theatre seating starts at $50 on weekdays and $55 on weekends (plus sales taxes and fee), with limited seats available at the bar, tables and couches Prices rise as performances fill up, so patrons are encouraged to order early for the best prices and availability. Students under 25 can get $5 off tickets with valid student ID by calling the box office or purchase $20 Student Rush Tickets thirty minutes before show time if seats are available. Single ticket seating is general admission, with a reserved seating section for season subscribers. There is limited accessible seating for those needing mobility accommodations, and it must be reserved by phone. For tickets and more information, visit horizontheatre.com or call the Box Office at 404.584.7450.