Cast Announced for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Darlinghurst Theatre Company has announced the cast of the Australian premiere of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, which opens at Eternity Playhouse on 9th July, running until 20th August. Directed by Dean Drieberg (Hamilton) Tony Award nominated electro-pop opera is based on a scandalous slice of Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

Following a critically exalted premiere at Ars Nova in New York City, a subsequent Off-Broadway transfer, and an acclaimed run-on Broadway, this exhilarating musical theatre production follows the young and spontaneous Natasha. She is awaiting the return of Andrey who is her beloved fiancé on the front lines. One dizzying night at the Opera, in a city exploding with hedonism and opulent excess, Natasha falls passionately in love with the dashing, roguish, (and already married) Anatole. To solve her love conundrum, she turns to her lonely friend Pierre (in the middle of an existential crisis) who makes it his mission to extricate her from risk of ruin and in doing so, renew his own soul.

The cast of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 will feature an dactor / musician ensemble who will also be playing instruments live on stage. The synonymous harmony of the performance concept combining the cast as orchestra is paired with the production’s brave score, choreography, and staging.

Drieberg has curated an impressive cast to bring this reimagined story to life. Grace Driscoll, a proud biracial woman who celebrates both her African American and Australian heritage, is thrilled to be joining the company as the character of Natasha. With a penchant for shows with long titles, Grace’s professional credits include Shirley in Beautiful: The Carol King Musical (Matt Ward Productions), Eileen Evergreen in Nice Work If You Can Get It (Michelle Guthrie Presents / Hayes Theatre) and Rosalia U/S Maria in West Side Story (Opera Australia / GWB Entertainment).

On the character of Natasha, Grace Driscoll says, “Natasha is such a compelling character because she feels everything so deeply. She is described as young and naive, but I see this as her being bold and courageous; to feel so deeply and so honestly - the way children do. At some point in adulthood, we lose that, so I’m excited to play into that.”

Joining Grace as Pierre is Zoy Frangos, a proud Greek and Gourmjanyuk Wemba Wamba man, who brings his love for the theatre world and experience to the production. Whilst studying and subsequently graduating with a degree in Music Theatre from the Victorian College of Arts, Zoy made his professional opera debut in the world premiere of Pecan Summer. His other theatre credits include Les Misérables (Cameron MacIntosh / Michael Cassel), My Fair Lady (OA / GFO) and Rat Pack Reloaded (SMA Productions).

Frangos says, “Comet nails the 21st century opera, just like Les Mis was in the 80/90s. Comet along with Hamilton represents the Music Theatre Opera of now! The eclectic musical score is full of light and shade, it’ll smack you right in the face one moment, have you dancing the next and then leave you breathless with a stunning ballad. It’s exciting, surprising, and beautiful!”

Theatre and drag artist Jules Pendrith will play the role of the love interest Anatole. Pendrith graduated with a Bachelor of Musical Theatre from Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. Following this and after moving to Sydney, Pendrith discovered their affinity for drag artistry and created the character Johnny Gash in 20.0, touring the act nationally since. Outside of drag and theatre, Jules is a multi-instrumentalist and will bring this expertise to the Eternity Playhouse stage.

The lead characters will be joined by Kala Gare as Sonya (Rent, SIX), Marissa Saroca as Helene (Lizzie, Rent), Jillian O’Dowd as Marya (The Witches of Eastwick), Lillian Hearne as Mary (The Aqualuna Singers), P Tucker Worley as Andrey / Bolkonsky (A Chorus Line, Legally Blonde), Anton Berezin (Evita) and Cameron Bajraktarevic-Hayward as Dolokohv (A Christmas Carol), with Tom New and Skye Beker engaged as swings.

Director Dean Drieberg said of the cast, “These 12 unique artists have their own sound and style to add different textures to the world of Comet. We’ve gathered a dynamic cast (from within and outside of the music theatre realm) who are individually thrilling and together, represent the intersectionality of a community. We’re approaching roles in ways that haven’t been seen before, to truly put our own stamp on this production.”

Darlinghurst Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Amylia Harris also notes, “Our Creative Team have assembled Australia’s finest quadruple threats to bring this world to life. These humans bring to the stage a range of performance styles that when woven together will create a bespoke experience audiences will remember for a lifetime.”

The Australian debut of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, presented by Darlinghurst Theatre Company, will open to the public at the Eternity Playhouse from Sunday 9th July and run until Sunday 20th August.

For more information and bookings please visit: https://www.darlinghursttheatre.com/thegreatcomet