Monday, June 19, 2017

Cast recording of Comet cc @joshgroban

I got the cast recording of "Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812" ("Comet")  I saw this show twice already, and blogged about it

April 2017 viewing
October 2016 viewing

This is the very first time I have ever seen a Broadway show twice.  When I was there, one Grobanite told me she had seen it 12 times -- or maybe it was more.

It's really an amazing show and Josh is amazing in it.  I was thinking of going again on July 2 -- his last day, but I see that there are only premium seats available that day.  I guess I'll pass.

But listening to the cast album allows me to re-experience it.  Listening has also clarified the show a great deal for me.  I notice a lot of new details: subtleties of plot, exactly how each performer is using his or her voice to achieve mood, how the complex instrumental arrangements supports the plot.

I read the wikipedia excerpt of War and Peace and was surprised to see that Natasha and Pierre eventually end up together, which I didn't expect.  I've been fantasizing that maybe after the book she outlives Pierre and ends up going to look up Anatole, who I think is younger.  I want to believe that eventually he is reformed, regrets his mistakes, and really loves her.  But that's, I think, a reflection of the power of the performances, that they capture my imagination like that.

I feel Josh has learned to bring more acting into his singing, over time, with this performance. Another Grobie remarked to me that she thought he had really grown in this role.  Listening to his voice, I feel that I hear the Josh who I think I know, or at least the Josh that I hope he really is.  Pierre has become a much more lovable character than I felt he was during the previews.

There are some exceptions to the similarities of the real Josh to Pierre; Josh is thin; Josh doesn't have big hands; I don't think Josh would duel -- and, especially, I don't think the real Josh is so free at giving away his money, except to kids who need musical instruments.

Maybe people don't understand Grobanites. I believe we are people who like musical innovation and complexity, but not of the loud rock variety, more of the modern classical variety.  I just adore the way discord is used to create conflict and suspense in this musical == and also how really strange sounds are used to create mood.  I feel this is done masterfully.

I was thinking I really should go see the "Dear Evan Hanson" thing, because it won so many Tonys.  On the other hand, I looked at the Tonys performance.  Yeah, this guy act and sings well.  On the other hand, musically, this work seems pedestrian compared with "Comet." It's more like business as usual for Broadway.  I saw another song from the show, and it was of the same ilk.  The Tonys went with the more formulaic, traditional show. Bah humbug.

Do non-Grobanites understand that Josh has always been musically innovative? There is this stereotype of these goofy older fans who have crushes on him, but, IMHO, these fans are actually looking for something musically new more than younger fans are.  We've heard a lot of music in our lives.  We want intellectual stimulation.

Personally, I have never really liked most of the music that I've heard in my life.  I'm really grateful to Josh that he has led me to so much music that I do like.

The remarkable thing here is that there are so many fans who want to hear this complicated, exotic music.

Another thing I'm noticing is the rich female characters in this play.  I have had a concern about discrimination in the context of Josh's music: blog about discrimination When Josh performed in "Coffeetown," I was very critical (blog about this movie) of the character breakdown there.  The female was a love interest.  Most of the action was about the interactions between the guys. When he was in "The Hollars," (blog about this movie) there were still more male characters than female, though at least there were two female characters including one who was -- miracle of miracles -- older, though, predictably, dying.  It was nevertheless a step up from Coffee Town in that respect.  Here in "Comet," the female characters seem equal. There are lots of them.  They interact with each other in interesting ways.  I don't know if Tolstoy was really feminist, but there is much to celebrate here in the context of feminism.  There is even an older female character (Marya) who is even not dying; tho, rather predictably, she is played by a woman who seems a lot younger than the character.

Josh said he waited a long time to find the right show for him.  I was wondering, while listening to the album, whether perhaps the rich female characters had any influence on his choice -- and whether, perhaps, my blog might have influenced his thinking. Meh. Probably not. Probably just the amazing music -- and the fact that the Pierre character is well suited to his type.




Spoiler alert: Don'r read the following if you haven't seen the show

I'm also intrigued how there are plot twists that keep looking as there will be tragedy. Someone might die in a duel.  An innocent virgin might be destroyed by a cynical cad.  A heartbroken young girl might succeed in committing suicide. Yet, ultimately, they all seem to be tempests in a teapot.  I like that.

Addendum:

The wikipedia article also had some interesting points about Pierre that aren't clear from the play

First, Pierre was allegedly really dying because of a series of strokes. This brings some clarity to the song "Dust & Ashes," but the play doesn't really tell us about the string of strokes.


Second, Pierre was the bastard son of a nobleman, yet he was able to recover some inheritance from his father's estate, prior to our segment -- which is why he has so much money.  This is a difference with the law of England, which I'm more useful to reading/hearing about. In English law, the bastard son of a nobleman would not necessarily get anything in inheritance.

I'm used to the topic of bastard sons coming up in Shakespeare, where they are mostly depicted as Biller and jealous because their 1/2 sibs have so much more money, power and status.  Here Pierre is depicted as the nice guy, which is not the trope I'm usually expecting to see.





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