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nataliasquote · 9 months ago

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Mustang | cowgirl nat au

Summary: The mayor’s daughter. A bounty hunter. One has freedom, the other does not. But will one fleeting night be enough to convince Natasha to leave everything she’s ever known behind?

Warnings: Natasha is a hot cowgirl, cowboy slang

wc: 4.3k

note: this is for all the cowgirl Nat simps out there (yes you know who you are @katyaromanoffpetrova ). And also for @milfs69420 who drew the inspiration for cowgirl Nat in this scene (i’m obsessed with that drawing no joke). I hope this lives up to expectations!

-⧗-

A loud yell echoed across the grassy plain, rising above the sound of thundering hooves and the distant shriek of a stream train whistle. One lone rider, racing across fields she knew like the back of her hand. Strong thighs squeezed the flanks of the midnight horse beneath her as she raised her arms above her head and tilted her face up to the sky, letting the golden rays of the sun soak into her skin. Not once did her balance falter, years of riding making her feel like an extension of the steed beneath her. Her cheeks started to burn with how hard she was smiling, so she placed both hands back on the reins and kicked her horse to speed up.

There really was nothing that Natasha loved more than riding. It was her escape, her outlet, her way of breaking away from her usual daily duties. Was she out on her horse a bit too often? Her father would say yes. But if there was one thing Natasha Romanoff hated, it was being told what to do.

She’d caught up with the train rolling steadily along the tracks and Natasha leaned forwards, scarlet hair, tied in a single braid, flying behind her from under her hat as she raced beside it, trying to keep up. She could feel the muscles of her horse flexing with every stride they took and the rusted green walls of the carriage were almost in reach of her fingertips if she stretched out towards it. The smoke puffing out of the chimney tainted the air that she breathed in, but she barely noticed it through her euphoria. She knew where this train was headed, towards the larger cities, so she broke away and turned back to her hometown, slowing up as they trotted under the town’s welcome sign.

Most walked their horses through the streets on foot, but Natasha stayed seated, guiding her horse through the swarms of townspeople and down to the large house at the end of the main street. She hopped down and tied him to the fence temporarily, making sure he had enough hay and water before she strolled into the house.

Not even bothering to take her boots off, Natasha waltzed into the kitchen and flopped down on a chair. She tossed her hat onto the table and let out a sigh, staring at the small red symbol on the front of her hat.

“Natasha,” a gruff voice called after her. She rolled her eyes. “Where the hell were you?”

“Out,” was all she replied. She didn’t turn around but could feel her father’s eyes boring into the back of her skull. And his disapproving tone was nothing she wasn’t familiar with.

“You were supposed to be home two hours ago, for the opening ceremony.” Without looking at him, she knew how he was standing. Arms folded across his chest as he took up almost the entire doorway. “Yelena was upset you weren’t there.”

Natasha scoffed. “No she wasn’t, she couldn’t care less.”

“I felt betrayed, actually.” Great, now her sister had joined in. “You’re always choosing Liho over me, don’t you feel my pain?”

“I’m sure you’ll live,” Natasha deadpanned, wanting nothing more than some peace and quiet.

But that was a rarity as the mayor’s daughter. Her whole life was scrutinized, and many people disapproved of her non-traditional ways. “Is there anything else required of me? Or can I leave now?”

Yelena appeared in the corner of her vision, leaning against the kitchen countertop. “Well, I was going to ask if you would come by the range, seeing as you-“

“Ok, so that’s a no.”

“Natasha, be nice to her please. It’s Yelena’s big day!” Alexei’s voice seemed to be in constant ‘public speaker’ mode, which was fine for pretty much everything except quiet conversations in the kitchen. He was too close, and Natasha scraped her chair back and reached for a glass to fill up from the pitcher of sweet tea on the table. Reluctantly, she offered one to Yelena, who accepted with a soft smile. Alexei took their ignorance of his statement to disappear back to his office, and Natasha breathed a small sigh of relief.

“I knew you liked me really.” Natasha deadpanned her comment but Yelena only stifled her giggle behind a sip, the sweet beverage coating her tastebuds deliciously. “I’m not mad, it’s fine. But promise me you’ll shoot this week?”

“I was planning to anyway,” Natasha admitted. “Do you have riding targets too?”

Yelena let out a ‘ha’ and leaned back in her chair, chin tilted towards the window. “What do you take me for, an amateur? That’s like asking if Barton sells beer.”

“Speaking of, fancy a drink?” Yelena gestured to her half full glass with an eyebrow raised. “I was going to go down to Barton’s if you want to join me?”

Yelena thought for a moment, watching a lone ice cube float around her glass. “I would, but I promised Kate I’d meet her at the stables and you know what she’s like if I cancel on her.”

“Suit yourself,” said Natasha. Ok, so maybe she did feel a little remorse over missing the ceremony, but never would she admit that out loud. “I’ll see you later. Oh, and tell Ma to not wait up for me at dinner. I’ll sort myself out.”

“Roger that,” Yelena gave a mock salute and Natasha just rolled her eyes in jest. She grabbed her hat, slipped it on her head and wandered back out of the door, but not before she slipped a few snacks for her horse. Liho was still waiting patiently for her and he swished his tail as he approached, rather fed up of just standing around in the sun.

As Natasha brushed him down and gave the stable a quick tidy, her mind wandered back to the open grassland. What she’d give to never return home, just riding to her heart's content and staying in whatever town she came across. Or just sleeping under the stars, listening to the howls of the coyotes and the thundering hooves of wild horses echoing behind the mountains on the horizon. She craved the freedom that the cowboys had and the small taste she could get would never suffice; she lusted for more.

With a small threat to Peter, the stablehand, to not hurt Liho, Natasha wandered back into the town centre, stopping off at the ammunition store on her way for a magazine refill. She shot the test targets to pieces purely for the fun of it, knowing her aim was impeccable. The owner just rolled his eyes but let her continue; this behaviour was expected. After all, Alexei was a well respected and slightly feared man, which rubbed off onto his daughters too. And Natasha’s fiery temperament was almost as famous as her father was. No one with any brains would ever challenge her to a duel if they wanted to keep their life.

The redhead’s eyes cast over the centre-most building, the brim of her hat concealing the sign on the front. But she didn’t need words to tell her what it was- she knew her second favourite place like the back of her hand. The heels of her boots clicked against the tiled floor as she pushed the wooden saloon doors to swing open, hitting the walls beside them with a crack.

With her hat still dipped low, she paused, surveying the entirety of the room in one fast sweep. Partially content with what she saw, Natasha tipped her hat from her head and tucked it under her arm, feeling strands from her messy braid to fall and frame her face. Green eyes darted across every familiar face, occasionally leading to the subtle tug of a smile to play on her lips if she felt particularly fond of someone, but not many had that blessing. She didn’t pay two minds to the rest of the townspeople once she’d locked on the one person who didn’t think she was completely crazy.

Wild yet utterly desirable, Natasha somehow held every single person captive within her presence. The general chattering subsided as she moved between the tables, even the men who spent their days airing their lungs over bottles of brandy and rum paused their drinking to take a good look at her. If Natasha even cared, she’d be repulsed, but noticing the way the men of the town looked at her had become a thing of the past. She would never settle down so why bother?

The red velvet-topped bar stools were smooth under her jeans as Natasha slid onto one, her hat coming to rest atop the wooden bar. She unbuttoned the cuffs of her green plaid shirt and rolled her sleeves up to her elbows, exposing her forearms with a sigh.

“Didn’t see you at Yelena’s gun range opening today,” the bartender commented as he slid an open bottle of beer in Natasha’s direction. He knew her well, and he should, as her childhood best friend. And Natasha may be unpredictable but her beer choices never wavered.

“Oh don’t tell me you were there too. I swear, if one more person asks me about that I’m going to put a bullet in someone’s head.” Her hand fell to her holster for effect, making the bartender step back, hands raised in surrender. Natasha rolled her eyes and smirked before taking a sip of her beer. “My Pa gave me an earful when I was barely through the door. I don’t see why it matters, Barton, it’s just an opening.”

Clint threw the tea towel he was holding into the sink over his shoulder. “I’m just talking, but she’s your sister, so isn’t it in your duties to go to that kind of thing?”

Natasha shot him an unimpressed look, her brow bone casting a shadow across her eyes in the dim light. “You mean that as her sister, or as the mayor’s daughter? I plan on using the range anyway, so why do I need to show my face now? It’s not even about me.” She puffed out her cheeks and rested her chin on the hand that was placed on the beer bottle rim. “If I was Lena, I’d be happy my sister didn’t show up. She can have the spotlight for a change.”

“Where did you go, exactly?” Clint was the only one who would listen to Natasha’s tales, so he just let her talk whilst he worked. Gave him something refreshing to think about instead of his unruly customers.

“I caught wind of a new group riding out by the Ridge yesterday, so I wanted to check it out. Saw nothing but Ol’ Joe moving his cattle. Swear that man digs for his cannon ev’ry chance he gets.”

“Well, he’s not the best with people,” said Clint, only realising afterwards that he’d just stated the obvious. “Is that what you want though? A group like that?”

Natasha pursed her lips. She hadn’t thought through the logistics of what her future looked like, she knew it involved a lot more open space and a lot less… people. “Not a group, I couldn’t handle that.”

“Nat, you know it’s not safe out there on your own. You need your home, a family.” Clint was family orientated to the core, but the same couldn’t be said for Natasha. “You know it’s even worse for women.”

“I can handle myself,” Natasha scoffed, feeling rather put out by his insinuation. “I don’t need a bunch of asshat guys telling me what to do!

“I know, but-“

“If I wanted an argument, I would have stayed at home,” she pointed out. Clint’s mouth opened before he closed it with a huff, thinking better than to protest again. Natasha’s hands tugged her hair out of her braid, reveling in the feeling of it falling loose around her shoulders.

She chewed on her lip, trying to suppress the anxious feeling bubbling low in her stomach. With each passing day, the small town life rattled her and the walls of the village seemed to close in. It had taken root in her chest since she was a child, that feeling of longing never quite subsiding.

Clint moved off to serve customers further down the bar, leaving the redhead lost in her own mind. Slender fingers tapped rhythmically on the glass bottle.

What did she want? Natasha knew how her dreams played out, but Clint was right; where was her stability? The thought of being alone was heavenly, but that was coming from someone who had never truly experienced it. She’d been surrounded by people since the day she was born, and those fleeting moments of freedom with just Liho for company were the best she’d felt.

But what did a future full of that entail? She’d idealised it to the point where she was biased, getting defensive whenever anyone tried to make her see sense. She may not see eye to eye with her father anymore, but the stubbornness she inherited from him was a clear determiner of her roots and more importantly, her home.

A cacophony of whistles erupted from the tables behind her, snapping her out of her spiral and Natasha turned on her stool to take a look at the source of the commotion. A woman stood in the doorway, dressed similarly to Natasha, which was rather uncommon in this town. Most of the women wore skirts, so seeing another in jeans that wasn’t Natasha, Yelena or Kate had heads turning.

Natasha watched the way the stranger’s hand instinctively flew to her holster as her eyes adjusted to the darkened room, a bitter contrast to the sun blazed street just outside. The saloon was always kept dark, just the way Natasha liked it, but it did look a bit intimidating from an outsider’s perspective.

Ignoring the outstretched hands of drunk men that grabbed at her from their seats at the closest tables, the woman picked her way through the crowd, her hips swaying in her jeans and brown fringed chaps as she rounded the final table and slumped down onto a stool. Natasha peered at Clint out of the corner of her eye and tried to hide her smile, taking a long sip of her beer bottle as the stranger sat four seats over.

“What’s the strongest stuff you’ve got?” The stranger asked Clint, her hat still sat squarely on her head. A strange move in Natasha’s eyes, but it added to the air of mystery around her and the redhead couldn’t help but watch her reflection in the glass opposite.

“I’ve got a couple bottles of whiskey if that’s what you’re after?”

“I’ll get a glass of that, thanks.”

Natasha pulled a face, impressed. “Going for the hard stuff, I see.”

The stranger didn’t turn her head, keeping her eyes down and focussed on her hands that rested atop the bar. “Something like that.”

There was something different about her, something refreshing. Natasha stood up, grabbed her beer bottle and wandered down the bar, now appearing on the seat beside the stranger. She leaned on the bar, one leg crossed over the other, accentuating the curve of her hips in her jeans. The stranger’s head moved slightly, trying to get the best view of Natasha that she could.

Clint read his friend’s body language like he was fluent, and quickly swapped her bottles so she was presented with a fresh drink. Natasha waited a couple of seconds before striking up conversation again, not put out by the stranger’s lack of enthusiasm.

“Is this seat taken?”

The stranger shook her head and scooted over, nursing her glass of whiskey with both hands. She was nervous and guarded and Natasha saw the twitch of her fingers that seemed uncontrollable.

“I’ve not seen you before. You not from around here?” Her southern drawl was laid on thick, emphasising the rasp in her voice that came out when she spoke properly. Natasha’s skill set didn’t stop at shooting. She was incredibly proficient at flirting and Clint loved to just stand back and watch her pick her next target that wandered into his bar.

The stranger finally turned to Natasha and lifted her hat from her head, revealing her face and piercing eyes that bore into Natasha’s. “Is it that obvious I’m not from around here?”

Natasha laughed around the rim of her bottle and readjusted her stance, using her movement as a way to take in the woman with a quick flick up and down. “I know my people,” she replied, gesturing to the full tables behind them. Her eyes fell to the stranger’s lips. “And I’d remember a face like yours, darlin’.”

The mysterious woman’s cheeks flushed red and she took a swig of whiskey, welcoming the burn that flooded her chest. The hot feeling racing through her body was purely alcohol induced… wasn’t it?

The brunette ducked her head down, embarrassed. “I’m only passing through. Had to stop off at the stables to get my horse’s hooves checked. Ran across a thorn patch, she did.”

“Well, Bishops’ will take good care of her. And in the meantime, does the gorgeous woman have a pretty name to match?”

Whiskey was by far the best choice she could have made- it could account for the now permanent flush that took residence in her cheeks. The woman turned on her stool and let her knees fall open loosely, her body language much less guarded.

“I’m Y/n. And you are..?”

“Natasha Romanoff, at your service.” The redhead quickly put her hat on and tipped it forwards, eliciting a laugh from the woman opposite. Clint eyed their interaction as he dried some glasses, grinning to himself at how effective Natasha’s charm truly was. She turned it on with the tip of her hat and a flash of her smile, making men and women alike stop dread in their tracks.

“You’re the mayor’s daughter?” Something flashed across Y/n’s eyes but it was gone as quickly as it came and Natasha couldn’t decipher it.

“Yeah,” she trailed off, frowning slightly. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all,” Y/n gave her a smile, nodding to the stool beside her. Natasha sat far too quickly, like an obedient dog. One glance from a gorgeous woman had turned her to mush- what was happening?

A couple of loud thuds resonated from the back of the room and Natasha rolled her eyes, knowing exactly who sat there regularly. “Hey, Romanoff, give us a dance, will ya?” A leering voice echoed above the general hum of conversation and Y/n watched as Natasha rolled her eyes and adjusted her gun that sat in a holster on her hip.

“Give it up, Stark, you’re barking at a knot.” The man in question jeered at her and banged his beer bottle on the barrel table, several men around him doing the same. “If you wanna watch me dance, you better pay me for it.” This only gained her more nonsensical yelling and a man on Stark’s table threw a dollar bill in her direction.

But Natasha just stood up, squared her shoulders and fired her handgun in their direction, the bullet slamming into the wall mere inches above Stark’s head. She blew the smoke off her gun with a cocky smirk and shoved it back in the holster. The entire saloon fell silent, aside from Clint’s mutterings about yet another hole to fix thanks to his fiery friend.

Natasha waited a second longer, almost daring Stark and his guys to test her again. But they didn’t, now only watching her warily as she turned back to her new woman who was watching with a slack jaw. Natasha felt a burst of pride surge through her chest and she puffed it out slightly, sinking down into her seat with one foot up on the footrest, her legs manspreading.

“I’m sorry about that, that was no way to treat a new lady.”

Y/n snickered, shaking her head. “Oh please, I ain’t a lady. I’ve seen worse men than that in towns over, they really never change.”

Natasha’s gaze had drifted to the way the brunette’s hair fell over her shoulder, and how soft it looked despite being so exposed to the elements. But at the mention of different towns she snapped, eyes wide.

“You’ve visited other towns?” She tried to keep her cool, but there was truly no hiding her excitement. This woman had everything Natasha wanted and more.

“I’m a bounty hunter,” she admitted, watching Natasha’s face change. “But I ain’t got much work at the moment. There’s not many people that trust a woman to do what a man can do.”

“So you’re just… floating between towns?”

Y/n nodded, taking a sip of her whiskey. “Yup, it’s just me and my girl. And the occasional over-friendly landlord who tries to get up in my business.”

Natasha’s mind was racing like a mustang. She felt almost childish, wanting to hear stories of her travels and what the world was really like. Y/n could see her curiosity, it was too apparent to mask, and it was like a breath of fresh air. All too often she was met with disapproving glances and was often the butt of circulating gossip, housewives and prostitutes judging her uncommon way of life. But she was happy, and no one was about to take that away from her.

“Where are you from?”

Y/n’s smile faltered and she traced the rim of her now empty whisky glass. “I don’t think about that. Doesn’t matter where I’m from, I’m never going back. There’s nothing for me there. My life is out here now.”

“I wish,” Natasha muttered, more to herself than anyone else. Y/n heard it but didn’t comment. After all, they were just two strangers in a bar, nothing more.

“So, if you’re the mayor’s girl, you must know what there is to do around here.” Her words had an element of teasing to them, which didn’t go unnoticed by Natasha.

Natasha shook her head with a laugh. Ten minutes in and already poking fun at who she was. Why was that so attractive? “There’s a barn dance later if you want to come?” Natasha suggested. “That is, if you’re sticking around for that long.”

“I’ve got a compelling reason to now,” Y/n teased, toying with the hints Natasha had been sending her way.

Natasha quirked her brow and raised an arm behind her head, her bicep flexing slightly under her scrunched up shirt sleeves. “Well, I never turn down the chance to take a pretty girl to a dance.”

“Sounds like you have experience.”

Natasha narrowed her eyes in playful accusation “Is that a problem to you?”

“Not at all. I like a woman who knows what she’s doing.” Her words were heavy and even Clint raised his eyebrows, having been listening in to their conversation whilst he polished glasses.

“Then you’re in for a real treat, darlin’.” Natasha held eye contact and took a swig of her beer, licking her lip as a drop escaped. Y/n stared back at her and then coughed, using that as her excuse to look away. Anyone could feel the air shift and Clint walked away, shaking his head with a smile. God, Natasha certainly knew how to play this game.

“Where did you say you were staying?” Natasha continued, probing yet more information out of the poor woman.

“Here, actually,” Y/n answered, gesturing towards the door that led to the small assortment of lodgings that the saloon housed “ ‘S the only place willing to take someone like me.”

“Barton!” The man in question looked around guiltily. “Keeping things from me now, are we?”

“You were out! When was I gonna tell ya?”

Natasha grunted and jutted her chin out at him, furious that he’d watched their interaction knowing exactly who this woman was. And Y/n found the whole ordeal rather funny, having made the connection that they knew each other a little while ago.

“Well, if you’re stayin’ here, I know where to pick you up later.”

“Inviting me to a dance and picking me up? Do all foreign girls get this treatment from you?”

Natasha winked coyly, sliding her hat along the bar where she’d left it. “Only the special ones.”

“Oh you’re flannel-mouthed!” Y/n exclaimed, to which Natasha only shrugged cockily. “I’ll be waitin’. Right here, so don’t be late.”

“Roger that,” Natasha responded, mimicking Yelena from earlier. She stood up with a flourish, placed her hat on her head and took Y/n’s hand to place a kiss on the back of it, treating her like a proper lady. Clint wolf whistled her, receiving an insult thrown his way before Natasha had disappeared back through the doors she’d come through, leaving them swinging back and forth with the momentum.

“She’s a wild one, watch out.” Clint nodded after the redhead, silently laughing to himself at her dramatics. Always one for the exits, she was.

But Y/n didn’t even notice his amusement. She was gazing at the gunshot hole left in the wall across the room, and more specifically, thinking about the woman that put it there.

“The wilder the better, I always say,” was all she replied, her mind now miles away. Sure, she said that about horses, but Y/n was starting to think that applied to the women she surrounded herself with too.

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irreplaceable-ecstasyy · 11 days ago

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31 December 2024

I've just seen the London production of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. I have never cried as much as I did. And here was my experience.

My bestie & I were sat literally a row away from the stage. It was a religious experience.

Spoilers below!!!!!

Act 1.

- The set is like a more modern take on a nightclub. There are huge letters that spell out M S C O W. The second O is on the ground, smack in the middle of the stage, like it's fallen out. Some of the lettering looks broken.

- There's Russian rave music playing while you wait for the show to start, and you can see the band slowly get into their places. They're so lovely.

- Important info. There is a pole on the (audience's) right of the balcony.

PROLOGUE:

- There is no announcement that the show is about to begin. Pierre literally just walks onto the balcony alone with the accordion player. Balcony thing. Then I burst into sobs when the ensemble joined in with "THERE'S A WAR GOING ON OUT THERE SOMEWHERE," walking down the aisles on either side of us. POWER WALKS.

- THE POWER IN THE VOCALS GOT ME SOBBING MY EYES OUT. I CAN'T BELIEVE I CRIED THAT MUCH AT THE START. NOT EVEN LIKE A MINUTE IN.

- Marya D is gorgeous. H��lène is gorgeous. Mary is gorgeous. Natasha is gorgeous. Sonya is gorgeous. holy fuck you guys.

- They were all sat on the bigass O in the middle, and they had silly little choreo to go with each character intro that i absolutely loved

- The amount of eye contact and character interactions that I had in this singular number was enough to kill me.

- Soon as they were sat, Fedya mf Dolokhov was sat in front of us. His makes eye contact with me and gives me this cheeky little smirk and a small head tip, flirty flirty, while i'm out here crying my eyes out.

- Then they scooted along, and I had direct eye contact with Mary. She is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life (and apparently one of my friend's know her which is crazy.)

- Then they scooted, I had Natasha eye contact and she gave me the loveliest smile and a small wave. She knew for a fact I was already having the time of my life in that show. And she didn't break eye contact until the next scoot.

- Then they scooted, I had Prince Bolkonsky trying to hit on me. 💀💀

- Then they scooted, and oh my god. ANATOLE mf Kuragin stole my soul with eye contact and the little brow waggle. JAMIE MUSCATO HIMSELF?!?!?!? I am a gay gal, but I totally get it when it's Anatole.

- "Andrey's family, totally messed up." Anatole gives me a look and shakes his head in disapproval while pointing at Mary and Bolkonsky, and I nodded at him in agreement, to which he gave me a cheeky little wink, and an approving nod.

- Cat Simmons as Hélène Kuragin, oh my gods. Her voice is so sultry and deep, and it has this natural grit in places. So so delicious.

- Jamie Muscato sounds exactly like Lucas Steele holy shit.

- I was crying so much throughout 'Prologue'. Because it made me realize how much this show means to me.

PIERRE:

- Declan Bennett, the man that you are.

- It has the simplicity of the Bway production, minus the ladies twirling during 'Il est charmante, il n'a pas de sex."

- They surround him, sing at him. Sometimes they sit and watch him from where they're sat behind him.

- Man, Pierre chugs so much vodka in one go. Straight from the bottle.

- But you guys, the VOCALS. The ensembles 'aaahhhhhhsss' are so so so so so beautiful live!!!!

MOSCOW:

- Marya D. on that balcony, looming over everyone, got me feeling things. She greets her goddaughters, absolutely doesn't give a shit about Sonya.

- A lot of touching Natasha's cheeks fr. - For some reason, the house servants are Anatole & Dolohov but honestly, werk it. -

- Oh my god, you guys. There are these two performers, a more metaphorical telling of Natasha & Andrey's love in Natasha's mind, in china doll masks. One is dressed as the Bride & the other the Soldier. You can imagine who's who. They are honestly my favorite addition ever?!?!?!!?

- They walked down the aisle closest to us, & I was elbowing my bestie to look.

- Natasha would gaze at them, like we're seeing at her fantasies & dreams.

- "I love him,/ I know him." The Bride & Soldier waltz together while Natasha watches dreamily with Sonya.

- I believe it is during Moscow when this happens, because I distinctly remember it when Natasha is humming the little bit in the song. Natasha literally rips the Bride away to dance with the Soldier but the Bride still dances in the waltz on her own.

- I swear, I love it everytime Marya D. comes walking down the aisles. Her power walk is everything.

- "Gossips & crybabies." We were the crybabies she motioned to. Damn.

- Sonya leaves after, "she will touch you on the cheek," and when Natasha goes to follow, Marya stops her with the, "Well, now we'll talk!"

- "The old fellow's crotchety." Prince Bolkonsky literally flips Marya D. off from the balcony.

PRIVATE & INTIMATE LIFE:

- Mary walks down the left aisle with a tray of incense, and lays them out on the benches upstage. The auditorium soon just smelled of incense, but it was very nice.

- Bolkonsky walks funny.

- Mary is counting her rosary beads as she sings her bit "but besides the couple of hours..."

- But she starts to get more frantic while counting until she drops the rosary entirely, then smiles at the audience awkwardly.

- Mary's voice is so so so powerful, like oh my lawd!!!!!!

- You would think that Bolkonsky is enjoying life with how much he's just jiggying & jiving on the balcony as Mary sings about her suffering.

- "A young suitor, yes!" There is a performer who comes to give Mary a bouquet of roses, posing as the suitor, until Bolkonsky chases him away. Literally snatches the bouquet and flees. My heart broke for Mary.

- Also, such important information, Bolkonsky literally slides down THE POLE from the balcony to go to his 'cheap french thing'.

- "WHERE ARE MY GLASSES????" Bolkonsky is having a full freak out. The lights are flashing and EVERYTHING.

- Bolkonsky literally collapses after he's gives up trying to look for his glasses. Such an uncomfortable scene.

- A pause. "They are there upon his head." Very defeated delivery. There's so much regret in her voice, my heart just keeps breaking. Then Mary goes to cradle him.

NATASHA & THE BOLKONSKYS:

- Natasha literally walks in on Mary and Bolkonsky on the floor, and she's like 'eugh', shuffling awkwardly.

- (Edit!) A very kind cometeer reminded me that during this song, Natasha looks to the audience and moutha "what the fuck?" as she's watching the Bolkonskys interact.

- Mary scrambles to her feet so awkwardly, she's so cute, bless her, and she's like "Oh, hello - won't you come in."

- Pause. "hello.."

- Side eyes all around. "And from the first glance, I do not like Natasha." The SASS from Mary!!!!!!!!

- "i'm sorry the prince is still ailing." motioning to bolkonsky on the floor. the amount of disgust and concern in this delivery is so funny.

- Bolkonsky is still on the floor throughout this entire interaction, very much awake, but just like a sad blob on the ground all curled up.

- More side eyes!!! "And from the first glance, I do not like Princess Mary." Hair flips, the sass walk as Natasha goes to sit down with Mary upstage.

- "CONSTRAAAAAIIIIIINNNNEEEDDD and STTRAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIINNNNNNEEEEDDD." This harmony in person was INCREDIBLE?!?!?! It's literally my bestie's & my favorite harmonies, & we were CLUTCHING onto each other.

- The audible reactions of the audience to the disharmony was honestly so funny. There was a series of "oH?!" and "uuH??"

- Bolkonsky finally moves but he doesn't scream like in the album, he just groans and Mary runs to him.

- His robe was undone and i feared what my eyes would see. He was just wearing matching silk pajamas that just did not fit him, and he's scratching where he shouldn't be in public.

- He kinda just vibrates away with his funny walk, mumbling to himself.

NO ONE ELSE:

- It is so so so so pink.

- The snow is pink heart confetti under a pink spotlight, and it's just so cute and pretty.

- This big ass pink teddy bear falling from the ceiling before No One Else was a jumpscare. It's actually so symbolic, and a reminder of how young and naive Natasha really is.

- Chumisa, you gorgeous, talented, incredible soul. She was incredible and her voice was so so so beautiful. It was everything.

THE OPERA

- Marya D. and her fur coat give me life. She struts across the balcony and says them iconic lines, "THE OPERA, THE OPERA!!!" and Natasha scrambles to her feet to get ready.

- Hélène creeps into the scene as Sonya and Natasha are admiring the opera, and she goes "and is that Natasha." before she sort of disappears again.

- Out comes Dolokhov, finger guns ablaze & so so so much energy for his intro.

- No one gave Dolokhov hi-5s when he ran across the row in front of us with his hand extended, but one person at the end :(((((( Our section was quite shy with the interactions.

- But when he got to another section, someone tried to give him a hi-5 and he just siked them. Poor girl.

- For Hélène's intro, she comes over and swishes her leopard print coat at us and struts around. Love her so much.

- "No i'm enjoying myself at home this evening." Pierre stumbles from our left of the balcony, bottle of vodka in one hand and what I think might be a copy of War & Peace but I could be so wrong.

- The affair between Dolokhov and Hélène is sussy. They're so open about it rather than just hand-in-hand.

- "So beautiful/ What a charming young girl.." Hélène's whole interaction with Natasha had so much sexual tension. Hand on her chin and everything as she inspects Natasha.

- The Opera moment was the most magical thing ever. There was only one opera singer, two dancers (who play the Soldier & Bride too!!!) but it was so cool.

- The characters all huddle centre stage as the O descends around them, like they're in their seats in the circle.

- All of them had opera glasses that shone. Sonya's ones kept blinding me at one point because she was looking in my direction but slay queen. I hope I didn't look a mess.

- Opera glasses choreo, work it, honestlyy!!! I'm here for it.

- Anatole's entrance was everything. He appears on the balcony, then slides down The Pole so elegantly. He greets Hélène first and they are far too close to each other.

- As the Opera goes on, everyone else has their glasses up, with the very ominous shine, except for Natasha and Anatole as they're just glancing at each other.

NATASHA & ANATOLE

- Very simple, very much like Bway, but with its own charm, of course!

- Natasha is absolutely infatuated by Anatole. Throughout multiple numbers, through act 1 & 2, she's always squealing because of Anatole.

- "[...] Seize me from behind/ And kiss me on the neck." Anatole whole ass grabs Natasha and licks her neck. Saucy.

- "give me this flower." Anatole slips off one of Natasha's bracelets to keep, sort of as his pledge to her.

- It ends with Natasha & Anatole side by side on the upstage bench, raising their opera glasses with the lights. Then the lights dim and all we see are the glares of their glasses before it blacks out.

THE DUEL

- This was such a joy. One of my favorite songs ever. It's all green and purple flashing lights.

- The patrons all have glowing green glasses at the club, and it's a lot of dancing, twirling and the ensemble interacting with the audience.

- Pierre is having the time of his life with Anatole & Dolokhov. He's being spun around on top of a box, literally living, laughing and loving.

- At one point, one of the two miscreants take a red marker and draw something on Pierre's forehead. Couldn't see what it was.

- Eventually, Hélène arrives at the club and she's just tired. She rolls her eyes when she sees Pierre having fun and sings, "keep drinking old man." Anatole hops, skips and jumps to greet his sister.

- Pierre actually tries to be with Hélène, hang out with the wife but then she goes, "God to think I married a man like you.."

- "Anatole is a married man!" - Dolokhov gives me a look that's like "can you believe this idiot?" then Anatole's eyeline follows his to look over at us, and he's like "Nawh, nawh. Don't listen to this guy."

- "Here's to the health of married women!" Dolokhov is stood on the box, Hélène is just lingering so close to him. The affair between Dolokhov and Hélène is so fucking real. They're literally making out.

- Pierre sees this from the balcony and just screams, "ENOUGH!!!"

- Dolokhov and Hélène literally just roll their eyes at him.

- "He will kill you, stupid husband." Said very sarcastically. Hélène seems to want this duel to go through. She doesn't give a shit about it, it seems.

- Dolokhov climbs up the Pole onto the balcony to meet Pierre for the duel.

- Dolokhov and Pierre were suspended in the air, each holding a strap like Rewrite the Stars lol, and they're hanging over the balcony, feet planted on the railing.

- When it's Dolokhov's turn to shoot, Pierre sort of just curls up into a ball. Then unfurls very uncertainly when he realizes that he is, in fact, unharmed. The audience giggled a bit.

- When the duel concludes, Pierre is lowered by the rope and back onto stage while Dolokhov is just escorted away.

- I swear, when Pierre's two feet touch the stage, Hélène literally SHOVES Pierre to the ground when she goes "You are a fool."

- He fucking clambers to his feet and literally advances towards Hélène in a way that makes her flinch so violently, backs away and throws her hands up to defend herself. But when he doesn't move close, she just laughs and turns away from him.

- Then Anatole strikes with "Well, sweeeet sister." The interaction is so... interesting. The siblings, as we know, are too close for comfort.

- "Sleep it off." [BIG SMOOCH ON PIERRE'S CHEEK.] "And be happy/ We live to love another day."

DUST & ASHES

- Pierre sits on the benches upstage. He takes a moment for himself during the opening instrumental, turns around at a mirror & evaluates how ruined he is.

- He also takes a moment to wipe away the scribble on his forehead.

- There's so much raw emotion despite his drunken state. The way he stumbles around but he's trying to get ahold of himself. Declan really brings out so much in Pierre, that I'm just in awe.

- At one point, Pierre starts storming around, searching for alcohol bottles that are scattered around the auditorium. Some of them were underneath the seats, very scary watching storm up to some of the rows and throwing himself onto the floor.

- Declan, what a man.

- In all my years of listening to Dust & Ashes, I never knew how powerful the acapella bit was until live. The raw vocals in the space and the weight of it, whilst leaving space for the lyrics to settle. It was one of the most beautiful moments I've ever witnessed in my life.

- The cast was stood in the wings of auditorium left for the backing vocals. I only spotted them because I followed Pierre's eyeline, and like, the choral backing was coming so strong from the left.

- Marya's silhouette was so menacingly tall among the rest. I love her.

- So much cheering, big big applause. You don't even have time to process the glory when Sunday Morning happens.

SUNDAY MORNING

- Sonya & Natasha run onto the stage, and Natasha has a candle and handheld mirror. Sonya is trying to light the candle and the opening notes are played in a vamp until the candle is lit and Sonya starts to sing.

- The little superstitious ritual is interrupted when Marya comes strutting in.

- "SUUUUUUNDAY MORNING, TIME FOR CHURCH." [Proceeds to take the biggest & angriest swig from her flask before strutting off]

- Marya D did not want to go to church, you guys 💀💀

- Marya keeps coming on and off like it's a montage of her Sunday morning. Bless her.

- "After church, Marya left/ For Prince Bolkonsky." Marya comes strutting back on, touches Natasha's shoulder.

- "The rudeness of that man/ I'll straighten him out!" And she struts off again!! Miss ma'am is really doing her laps.

- Have I mentioned how much I love Marya D.?

CHARMING

- The death grip my bestie had on my arm when the opening instrumental played because she knows Charming is my favorite song.

- Hélène is so hot, you guys. Holy shit.

- She struts in from the left aisle with a box for Natasha.

- Her rendition of Charming is so different from Amber's, which I LOVE. It's more siren-like. Very sultry & deep more than the energetic enthusiasm that Amber's Hélène brings.

- It's so fox-like and cunning, and I was getting hypnotized fr by her.

- "Now a woman with a dress." I'm used to the belt, you're used to the belt on 'dress'. Nuh-uh. She sings this in the most hypnotic, whisper-quality head voice that is so delectable, I was under her spell.

- "You are not a child/ When you're draped/ In scarlet & lace." It was literally scarlet lace lingerie. Natasha holds it up from the box that Hélène had brought for her then shoves it back in very bashfully.

- I was wondering if Cat Simmons might do Amber Gray's amp up during "he is quite madly in love with you, my dearrr. yeahehehehehhhh. oOOhhhh." No, you guys. She amped up the amp up & it was fucking amazing.

- The lighting at the button of this song is similar to Amber's where it spotlights Hélène, and it was so angelic. This song was everything.

THE BALL

- Anatole paces the balcony, eating a heart-shaped lollipop very seductively during the opening instrumental.

- "How I adore little girls." The noises of concern and disgust in the audience was the funniest thing ever. Small gasps and scatters 'eughs'.

- He slides off The Pole to greet Natasha when she arrives, and yes, she is wearing the scarlet and lace with her ball fit.

- People arrive at the Ball, and they're all holding candles that are actually lit. Kinda like they're their dance partners & this is definitely some metaphor for the candles in the mirror as Anatole & Natasha are the only ones dancing.

- The candles and the choreo, holy fucking shit. They're twirling a bit and swaying, moving around the ballroom every now and then. No one's flames go out, and it really adds to the ambience of the Ball.

- Hélène being the only person with the candle still lit after they kiss.

- Like the bway version with the glasses ringing, hers being the last. It was such an incredible still. She's moved to stand upstage (on our right), on the benches, holding the candle. It's enough to illuminate her face as she observes what she's done, and it remains lit throughout the rest of the song.

- "I'LL DO ANYTHING FOR YOU." Incredible harmonies. Then they're kissing again.

- Crazy ending instrumental madness!!! Then blackout!! Hélène times her candle going out really well, idk why I was so impressed by that. I'd feel so much pressure on me.

- Then interval!!

Bonus:

The Soldier, The Bride, The Bear represent Natasha's innocence and naiveness. They're all just toys, and she really clings onto them throughout the story, and I think it's actually such a clever portrayal.

[image: The Soldier & the Bride]

PART 2

#natasha pierre & the great comet #the great comet #natasha pierre & the great comet of 1812 #natasha pierre and the great comet of 1812 #the great comet of 1812 #donmar warehouse #west end #the great comet west end #natasha rostova #pierre bezukhov #helene kuragin #anatole kuragin #jamie muscato

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