JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — SUNY Jamestown Community College’s fall musical, “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” will transform Scharmann Theatre into a vibrant, immersive performance space when it opens Nov. 7 on the Jamestown Campus.
The production, led by JCC arts programming administrator Mark Sasse, runs for two weekends — Nov. 7-9 and Nov. 14-16 — and promises to be a unique show that brings spectators close to the action.
“It’s a slice of Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace,’ and it’s ripped out of like a 70-page excerpt,” Sasse said. “It tells the story of Pierre, who’s kind of this middle-aged man who has no purpose, sits around with his wine every day and doesn’t really know what to do with his life. And then a young Natasha, who’s engaged to Andrey, but Andrey’s off in the war. She kind of gets involved with this scoundrel.”
When Pierre discovers Natasha’s situation, he awakens from his “comatose kind of life” and tries to help her redeem herself, Sasse explained.
Although set in 1812 Russia, “The Great Comet” is far from traditional.
“It’s written in an interesting way,” Sasse said. “It’s kind of like this electro-pop feel, so it doesn’t fit the time period at all.”
Christine Panebianco (Natasha), Kaden Weber (Andrey), Cinthia Sanchez (Sonya),
Colin Drayer (Anatole), Aryi Brady (Helene), and Caleb Roller (Dolokhov).
The show’s creator, Dave Malloy, “kind of set it up almost like this nightclub-type setting that’s very immersive, with the musicians moving in and out of the audience, the audience really close to the action, kind of like they’re part of this unfolding scene,” Sasse added.
To capture that spirit, limited on-stage seating will be available, and the production features a rotating stage that serves as the show’s centerpiece.
“Everything is surrounding the stage,” Sasse said. “We have platforms that are above and around, and it’s all kind of pointing down to this rotating stage in the middle. The actors will actually rotate it while they’re shifting into different scenes.”
The cast features a live orchestra that’s a big part of the action. The musical is entirely sung through with no spoken dialogue.
“We have the orchestra right on the stage underneath the structure that we built,” Sasse said. “So, it kind of has that feel of you’re in this club with this live band, and everything is happening all around.”
Excitement for the show locally has been high from the start. Sasse noted that the musical gained wide attention on Broadway when Josh Groban played the role of Pierre.
Sasse first encountered “The Great Comet” when he attended the national touring production in Pittsburgh.
“Through the first act, it was kind of perplexing and puzzling to me as to where they were going,” he said. “And then act two came around, and I kind of saw the arc of the story and what’s happening with Pierre and Natasha. They finally meet at the end, and it was kind of a poignant scene. I thought that might be a fun one to produce sometime.”
For audiences, Sasse promises an unforgettable theater experience.
“It’s a show that will stick with you a little bit,” he said. “It gives you things to think about. You’ll walk away thinking, ‘Wait, what was that? What was the comet for? What was the meaning of that?’ And so, it has some depth to it, which I really enjoy.”
The cast brings together a blend of JCC students, alumni, and community members.
Major parts are played by Brandon Milanowski (Pierre), Kaden Weber (Andrey), Christine Panebianco (Natasha), Cinthia Sanchez (Sonya), Colin Drayer (Anatole), Ayri Brady (Helene) and Caleb Roller (Dolokhov).
Keaton Noller (Bolkonsky), Sunnhi Suber (Mary), Jonathan Young and Camden Drayer (Balaga), Kenneth Marsh (servant), and Samantha Scalise (maidservant) round out the main cast.
The orchestra ensemble includes Noah Benjamin, Desiree Dear, Daniel Gage, Mike Giambelluca, Zach Lanphere, Karma Rafalski and Samantha Scalise. The ballet features Giambelluca, Jennie Caruso, Sarah DiDomenico, Damon Holland, Mackenzi Zuech, Madi Lent and Audri Lent.
Gage and Marika Koch serve as opera singers.
The production is directed by Julie Costantini, with Christopher Wakefield as pit orchestra conductor, Jennie Caruso as choreographer, Sebastian Tilaro as stage manager and Julie Livengood as rehearsal pianist. Erin Saxton-Filkins oversees costumes, while Sasse, Landen Cramer, Jayla Klein and Bob Volpe handle audio and lighting technology. Sasse, Klein, Cramer, Jerry Constantini, Scott Constantini, Summer Jones and Aubrey MacDonald lead the design and construction of the set.
The Friday and Saturday shows are scheduled for 7 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Sunday. Visit sunyjcc.edu/ScharmannTheatre for tickets and more information.