Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 puts an electropop spin on Tolstoy

Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, an electropop opera adaptation of 70 pages of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, offers a lavish escape to the upper echelons of tsarist Russian society. Pittsburgh CLO brings the show — which originally premiered off-Broadway in 2012 — to local audiences as the final hurrah of its summer season.

The most memorable aspects of CLO’s production are its artful staging by director Dontee Kiehn, with its vivid, highly-saturated design elements, and stunning vocal performances. A romantic drama doused in existential angst about a group of aristocrats in 19th-century Russia, the musical follows Natasha (Sandra Okuboyejo), who has come to Moscow to await the return of her finance, Andrey (Billy Cohen), from the Napoleonic Wars, only to have a disastrous run-in with the beautiful and treacherous socialites Anatole (Jason Gotay) and his sister Hélène (Lili Thomas). The titular Pierre (Nick Rehberger), unhappily married to Hélène, struggles to take stock of his life, sitting at home drinking and reading while other men distinguish themselves in battle or romance.
The combination of minimalist scenic design by Tim Mackabee and impressionist projections by Akhila Krishnan offers sweeping interior and exterior views of classic Russian architecture. It serves to frame Charlie Sutton’s choreography, an amalgamation of ballroom and hip-hop typical of 21st-century renditions of post-Hamilton period musicals.

Matching the fluid movement from one projected backdrop to the next, set pieces and furniture — including the two upstage platforms on which the orchestra sits — seamlessly roll in and out, powered by a combination of automation and the well-coordinated ensemble, who don punkish peasant attire by Christine Meyers. Striking lighting design by Paul Miller ably underscores the characters’ sweeping and all-encompassing emotions.

The production’s shortcomings are largely attributable to the source material and writer Dave Malloy's adaptive choices, among them the bizarre, disorienting choice of adding modern aesthetic sensibilities to a plot so deeply premised on traditional values. In a nod to Tolstoy’s descriptive prose, characters narrate themselves in song, describing their feelings and reactions, sometimes, seemingly in lieu of actually affecting them (“My face, already pale, becomes distorted with fury”). This, paired with the score’s somewhat unpredictable and recitative melodic structure, can feel tedious, despite the presence of some memorable melodies.

Still, the performers’ vocal chops are excellent across the board, especially Okuboyejo and Rehberger. As with most CLO shows, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 showcases great local talent, both on stage and behind the scenes.

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Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. Continues through Sun., Aug. 27. Benedum Center. Seventh St. and Penn Ave., Downtown. $29-81. pittsburghclo.culturaldistrict.org