History Theatre / NatashaPierreAndTheGreatCometOf1812

** Inverted. [[spoiler:Andrey acknowledges that it would be generous and noble to forgive Natasha and take her back, but he's not that good a man]].

-->'''Pierre''' They say we are asleep\\

** -->'''Pierre''' They say we are asleep\\

* BigSisterInstinct: Orphaned as a baby and raised since by the Rostovs, Sonya and Natasha's relationship is more akin to sisters than cousins. Sonya especially is shown to go out of her way to comfort Natasha when the latter is upset, and vows to keep Natasha from going through with a disastrous elopement to Anatole even though Natasha treated her harshly in "Sonya Alone".

-->'''Marya D''': Natasha and ''Anatole Kuragin''!

-->'''Marya D''': [To Pierre] You must go see your brother-in-law\\

-->'''Marya D''': You must go see your brother-in-law\\
And tell him that he must leave Moscow\\
And not dare to let me set my eyes on him ''again''!

** Likely more out of social humiliation than actual concern for a husband she loathes, but Helene is vocally displeased with her husband recklessly igniting a duel between him and Dolohov. She does let out a BigNo when Dolohov seemingly kills him, implying that, while she hates Pierre, she doesn't want him to ''die''.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: {{Averted}}. Hélène and her brother Anatole are both seen by others as very attractive, but that just hides the wicked hearts they hold beneath. Andrey is also portrayed as handsome but in his only appearance with another character is shown to be rather cold and jaded. Meanwhile, "plain" Mary and sad, stout Pierre are both good-intentioned and kind.

* CometOfDoom: Discussed but otherwise averted. Pierre notes in the finale that the comet, which usual portends the end of the world, instead helps bring him to a new sense of life. Also, a bit of historical inaccuracy, as the "Great Comet" of the title was mostly prevalent in 1811, not 1812.

[[caption-width-right:350:L-R: [[HandsomeLech Anatole]] (hot), [[YourCheatingHeart Hélène]] (slut), [[TheIngenue Natasha]] (young), Andrey (who ''is'' here, for once), dear, bewildered and awkward [[NiceGuy Pierre]].]]

* YourCheatingHeart: This forms the entire basis of the plot -- Natasha is cheating on Andrey and Anatole is cheating on his unnamed Polish wife. Meanwhile, Hélène makes no secret of the fact she's sleeping around on Pierre.

* InnocentSoprano: Ingenue heroine Natasha (introduced as "Natasha is young; she loves Andrey with all her heart") is fittingly a soprano. Her more realistic cousin Sonya is a mezzo, while the villainous Helene and the strict, older Marya are altos.

* VoiceTypes: Ingenue heroine Natasha is fittingly a soprano. Her more realistic cousin Sonya is a mezzo. The villainous Hélène and the strict, older Marya are altos.

* RaceLift: Hélène (presumably white in the novel) was played by Amber Gray, and Phillipa Soo, who played Natasha off-Broadway, is mixed-race. Denee Benton, who plays Natasha in the Broadway production, is black (and one of her understudies, Shoba Narayan, is South Asian). Marya D.'s role was also originated by a mixed-race actress.

* PostModernism: In addition to all the anachronisms mentioned above, there's the fact that so much of the libretto is ''directly'' taken from ''War and Peace'', which means that in many cases the characters are singing Tolstoy's narration about themselves as they act it out, just with the pronouns changed (resulting in a kind of TropesAreNotBad version of ThatMakesMeFeelAngry).

* OneHundredPercentAdorationRating:
** Natasha. "Everyone's always liked me!" Subverted as the show goes on -- Mary doesn't like her at first, and Helene doesn't at ''all''. [[spoiler:And the incident with Anatole nearly wrecks her reputation in the eyes of everyone in Moscow.]]
** Everyone seems to like Pierre. Besides Helene.
* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Natasha waits for Andrey to return home from the war, but gradually forgets about him as she gets more and more involved with Anatole.
* AbusiveParents: Old Prince Bolkonsky towards Princess Mary, of the emotional/psychological and possibly physical variety.

* {{Adorkable}}: Dear, bewildered and awkward Pierre.
* AffectionateGestureToTheHead: From "Moscow":
-->'''Marya''': My goddaughter, my favorite Natasha...I will touch you on the cheek!

* AltoVillainess: Played straight with Hélène, but averted with Marya, who, though she has her moments of anger, is far from a bad person.

* AngerBornOfWorry: "In My House" is Marya D. shouting at Natasha and calling her a hussy -- because she's justifiably concerned about her and what would have happened if they'd managed [[spoiler: to elope]].
* ArtisticLicenseLinguistics: Averted: all characters use the correct Russian pronunciation of Marya (MAHR-ee-ya) instead of the English pronunciation. Played straight in "Natasha and Pierre" when Natasha says Peter instead of the Russian Pyotr.

* AuthorAvatar: Pierre is a weird example. Dave Malloy didn't create the [[Literature/WarAndPeace original character]], but for the first run of the show, he played the part himself, and it feels written for him in many ways.

* BadassBookworm: Pierre prefers reading at home than going to social events. That said, he [[spoiler: wounds Dolokhov in duel and terrifies Anatole into leaving Moscow for good]].

* BewareTheNiceOnes: "Dear, bewildered and awkward Pierre" is a force to be reckoned with once you've finally managed to make him mad.
-->'''Pierre''': "My face, already pale, becomes distorted by fury/I take you by the collar with my big, big hands/and I shake you back and forth until your face shows a sufficient degree of terror."
* BigDamnHeroes: Pierre, after learning from Marya what happened, tracks down Anatole and threatens him into a) giving up all the love letters Natasha sent him, and b) leaving Moscow at once. [[spoiler: In doing so he saves Natasha's reputation and quite possibly Andrey's life, since otherwise Andrey would surely have challenged Anatole to a duel.]]

* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler: Andrey]], of all people, is implied to be this. [[spoiler: Not being able to forgive Natasha for her infidelity isn't necessarily wrong, but even he himself admits a good man would forgive her. Pierre notices that "he smiled like [[EvilOldFolks his father]], coldly, maliciously". Those who've read the book know he does eventually forgive her, however.]]

* BreakTheCutie: What happens to Natasha, courtesy of Anatole's loose affections. She starts the musical as TheIngenue, ends it [[spoiler: recuperating from a suicide attempt]].

* TheCasanova: Anatole, who seduces another man's fiancee despite being married himself. He's even introduced as spending his money on "women and wine."
* TheCassandra: Dolokhov ''tries'' to tell Anatole that the elopement is a stupid idea.

* CompositeCharacter: In the novel, Pierre's second during his duel with Dolokhov is Nikolai, Natasha's brother. This role is given to Anatole in the musical.

* DeclarationOfProtection: "Sonya Alone", in which Sonya vows to do whatever she can to save Natasha from ruin and heartbreak.
-->''"I will stand in the dark for you\\
I will hold you back by force\\
I will stand here right outside your door\\
I won’t see you disgraced"''
* DefiledForever: Sonya and Marya D. are extremely concerned about what will happen to Natasha's reputation if her affair with Anatole is discovered. [[spoiler: And they were right to be worried. Pierre has to do some damage control in the middle of his search for Anatole, reassuring gossipers that nothing happened, Andrey refuses to forgive her, and Natasha becomes convinced that her life is over -- though Pierre comforts her by saying he'd marry her if he weren't already married]].
* DidNotGetTheGirl: An unusual example. [[spoiler:Toward the end of the show, Pierre awkwardly confesses that if he weren't married to Hélène -- and if he felt that he were good enough -- he would propose to Natasha himself. Natasha is intensely touched and grateful, but nothing further happens between them. However, if you've read the book, you know that they will eventually be HappilyMarried.]]

* DissonantSerenity: Marya D. (as played by Grace [=McLean=]) begins her scolding of Natasha during "In My House" with a smile on her face, albeit one that looks like she's speaking through [[SlasherSmile clenched teeth]].
* DramaticNecklaceRemoval: Hélène removes Natasha's necklace (a parting gift from Andrey) during "Charming".

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Poor Natasha, after losing both of her lovers, swallows some arsenic. She survives, though, and by the end of the show she's regained a little hope for the future.]]
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Balaga, the famous troika driver. He drives his passengers while drunk, has his horses run at full gallop through crowded streets, and boasts that he'll run down anyone who doesn't get out of the way when they see him coming.
* DrowningMySorrows: Pierre at the rave.
* DysfunctionalFamily: The Bolkonskys, comprising a senile father, a put-upon sister, and Andrey himself. Lampshaded at the start of the musical by the character introductions.
-->Andrey's family, totally messed up.

* EvilOldFolks: Old Prince Bolkonsky may not be strictly speaking ''evil'', but he is nasty, unpleasant, and abusive towards his daughter.

* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Pierre, from time to time.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Andrey, who is one of the major protagonists in ''War and Peace,'' yet is quite [[OutOfFocus out of focus]] here, given the setting of the story.
* IAmSong: "Pierre," which establishes how Pierre is at a crossroads in his life and feels lost in the shallow complacency of the Moscow elite.
-->'''Pierre''': I'm different from you! I still want to do something...!

* TheIngenue: Natasha, like in the novel. She's hopelessly in love with Andrey and easily believes Anatole and Helene have her best intentions in mind.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Anatole. When Pierre lays down his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, pointing out how badly he hurt Natasha for the sake of a fling, Anatole's only reaction is to say that it wasn't his fault and demand Pierre apologize for calling him a scoundrel.
* ItAmusedMe: Helene enables Anatole's seduction of Natasha despite knowing that he's married and she's engaged, because it's fun.

* LoveAtFirstSight: Natasha falls ''hard'' for Anatole the moment she sees him. It doesn't end well.
* LoveEpiphany: During "Pierre and Natasha", [[spoiler: Pierre realises that he is in love with Natasha, and confesses that if he weren't already married ''and'' worthy of her, he'd gladly marry her. The whole thing is emphasised by the music ceasing and Pierre speaking, not singing, the words.]]
* LoveMakesYouDumb: Natasha catches a major case of this. Not once does she think that perhaps there's a shady reason for a young man in reasonably good social standing to want to [[spoiler: elope with her, rather than courting her legitimately]]. Sonya and Marya D. both point out that something must be up, but she insists that Anatole has good reasons. She doesn't know what they are, but they're good! (Anatole, for his part, only escapes this by virtue of [[InLoveWithLove not actually being in love with her]].)
* MeetTheInLaws: "Natasha & Bolkonskys" is all about this, and the meeting doesn't go very well. Natasha and Mary dislike each other on sight, and Old Prince Bolkonsky is incredibly rude and nasty to his future daughter-in-law.
* MemeticBadass: In-universe, Dolokhov. At the opera, he's called "The Assassin".
* MusicalisInterruptus: In The Abuduction:

* MinorCharacterMajorSong: Indeed, Balaga's just for fun, and gets a whole song to himself. The Bolkonskys too, as they only really play a large part in the beginning but an entire song is devoted to the family dynamic.

* NiceGuy: Pierre is a total sweetheart, especially when he shows desperately-needed compassion and kindness to Natasha in "Pierre and Natasha".

* ObliviouslyEvil: Anatole doesn't actually ''mean'' to hurt any of the people that he injures -- he's just so completely thoughtless he doesn't consider how his actions impact other people. However, played with in that he is ''deliberately'' thoughtless. "Don't speak to me of that!" is practically his catchphrase whenever someone tries to tell him about the consequences of his actions.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: They're not technically in-laws yet, but Natasha's first meeting with her fiance's family goes very poorly. Their nasty treatment of her is one of the reasons she grows more attracted to Anatole. However, to Mary's credit, she does try to patch things up. [[spoiler:By the end of the show, Natasha's engagement to Andrey is broken, meaning they won't be her in-laws anyway.]][[note]]In the book, Mary and Natasha do make the jump to BestFriendsInLaw, but far past the events covered in the musical.[[/note]]

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The only lines in the musical which aren't sung are when [[spoiler: Pierre confesses his love for Natasha.]] Even the music stops.

* PlayingCyrano: Played with. Anatole is no shrinking violet, but he does have Dolokhov write his love-letters for him.

* QuizzicalTilt: Sonya's reaction after the first act of "The Opera".

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Pierre to Anatole during [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Pierre and Anatole"]]. However, Anatole being Anatole, it doesn't stick, and Pierre forgoes pressing the point in favor of getting Anatole to comply with his damage control plan.
-->'''Pierre:''' After all, you must understand/that besides your pleasure/there's such a thing as other people/and their happiness and peace/and that you are ruining a whole life/for the sake of amusing yourself!

* ShotgunWedding: Anatole wouldn't even have a wife if not for a certain Polish heiress's father finding out about their dalliance.

* SlutShaming: Natasha gets a lot of this in the second act, but eventually the other characters realize that Anatole lied to her and led her on, and shift the blame to him. [[spoiler: Though Andrey can't bring himself to forgive a "fallen woman" -- after all, he never claimed that he himself would be able to absolve such a lady.]]

* UndyingLoyalty: Sonya to Natasha, even when Natasha scorns her for not approving of her relationship with Anatole.
* VillainSong: "Charming", for Hélène.

-->'''Marya'''': My goddaughter, my favorite Natasha...I will touch you on the cheek!

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Natasha is still languishing from her suicide attempt and has had to break off her engagement to Andrey, along with realizing that Anatole was only using her. But Pierre helps her to regain a sense of self-worth, reassures her that she deserves to be loved and admits that he himself would propose to her on the spot if he weren't married to Hélène -- and, in his recognition of that love, comes to find new joy and meaning in his own life, symbolised by the brightness of the comet. Plus those who have read the book know that Natasha and Pierre will eventually be HappilyMarried.]]

* CometOfDoom: Averted. Pierre notes in the finale that the comet, which usual portends the end of the world, instead helps bring him to a new sense of life. Also, a bit of historical inaccuracy, as the "Great Comet" of the title was mostly prevalent in 1811, not 1812.

* TheGhost: Andrey for most of the play, [[spoiler:though he does finally turn up after Natasha's attempted suicide]].
** Slightly averted in the staging, as Andrey makes several minor appearances throughout the show; reading Natasha's letter in "No One Else", appearing as one of the actors in "The Opera" (and getting disemboweled in the process), and showing up to the party in "The Abduction".

* RaceLift: Hélène (presumably white in the novel) was played by Amber Gray, and Phillipa Soo, who played Natasha off-Broadway, is mixed-race. Denee Benton, who plays Natasha in the Broadway production, is black (and one of her understudies, Shoba Narayan, is South Asian). Marya D.'s role was also originated by a mixed-race actress. More likely a case of AbilityOverAppearance ColorblindCasting.
* RefrainFromAssuming: Most of the songs in the show are named after the principle characters that sing them, rather than after any lyric. Audience members even call one of the few that is ("Charming") by its non-title, "How She Blushes."

* StrongFamilyResemblance: See ActingForTwo, above.

* ThatRussianSquatDance: An ensemble member engages in this in the middle of The Abduction.