#prince kuragin

[brush-tailed]

Great comet ceased to exist 7 years ago on bway! lmao! 😂drew this one last year but let’s share it today just because! 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔rip comet man

[antynous]

Merry wapmas here are some horrible things I have created (and an Andrei Wip I may or may not finish)

[starry-bite]

great comet: would you fuck a clone of yourself?

[sneakydraws]

Okay so!! Here's a little wap design compilation - not exhaustive, both because of the image limit and because there's many things I'm not settled on but I want to post some of it at least~

Organised by families because familial resemblence or lack thereof is one of my favourite factors in chardes! And because Tolstoy is so good at creating these family dynamics of shared traits! First, the Bolkonskys:

Lise, Mlle Bourienne and Nikolai jr. not included for now, maybe later. The shared traits I gave them all (therefore presumably coming from Nikolai's side) are sharp, angular features with a beaked nose and high cheekbones, thin figures and straight, dark hair. Both Andrei and Nikolai are described as short, so initially I wanted to apply this to them all, but then I thought it would be cool to emphasise Andrei's similarity to his father AND separate Marya out by making her much taller than them. It works really well because Andrei and Nikolai are both short yet straightened out to their full height while Marya cowers and hunches to hide hers - which also works to create the unattractive figure she's described as having. I use heads to note height - as in, how many heads tall a character is - mostly because numerous manga art tutorials ingrained those in me <:3c Nikolai has his signature bushy eyebrows, and his clothes and hair are inspired by his depiction in the first soviet wap movie because I really liked it!

In general I spent the most time on Andrei, both because he's my favourite and because he has a lot of tantalisingly sparse and at times interestingly contrasting descriptions - he's meant to look unassuming, his small and slender figure hiding his impressive stamina and his cushy administrative position contrasting with the rugged hussars (and his small hands are mentioned as well) but he has sharp features, and his design should showcase his proud, decisive nature as well.

The Rostovs! Not including the count and countess because while I have some features in mind I haven't made up my mind yet on the overall designs, and excluding Vera for reasons I'll divulge later. These Rostov kids are all energetic, emotionally driven and strong-willed and I wanted to reflect that in their designs - most of all in their hair, which is curly and kind of fluffy, making big, untamed shapes - I decided this they would have inherited from the Count. They're all rather short (I think some of the Rostovs are described as short so I extended it to the whole family) and a little stockier than the Bolkonskys - Natasha's figure is really incosistent because she gains and loses weight a lot over the book, but I settled on the slightly heavier side mostly to contrast with Sonya. I also love freckles and always associate them with energy and youthfulness so they got given to the Rostovs - presumably from the Count's side again. And their eyes and hair are all black or dark brown!

BIG RAMBLING RANT: The Countess is described as having "oriental features" and I wanted to incorporate that into the kids because it's like the most detail we ever get on someone's overall facial features lol but it turned out kind of frustratingly vague. I think my first idea was towards Georgia because Pierre mentions a woman with Georgian features in 1812, and because my ballets russes research included a very orientalist ballet about a georgian queen. I didn't find very good references though and turned next to Armenia, and when I found someone talking about common Armenian features that fit what I already had in mind for the Rostovs I ended up using that. However, later I realised those countries are in Western Asia and don't really fit the descriptor of "oriental (eastern)" from the perspective of Russia... Now I'm looking more towards the Kalmyk and Bashkir people after seeing them mentioned in one of my interlibrary books so I might revise the Rostovs yet. I did get kind of attached to the nose though so I'll do my best to keep it haha

The odd ones out in the Rostov household!! Sonya is, I believe, related to the Rostovs on the Count's side so maybe it would make sense to give her the fluffy hair and freckles, but she has enough descriptions in the book to form a separate design on her own (and she's only a second cousin to the Rostov kids, so it's pretty far away anyway). She's compared to a graceful kitten, described as almost unattractively thin and with a sallow skin, so I thought it would fit her to have a slightly unwell air, with portruding collarbones and a slight hunch. She also has her dark double braid.

Vera was fun once I got the idea to make her look very different from her siblings - to mirror her personality being completely different (cool, impassionate, meanspirited at times) and to visually reflect how she's disliked by the Countess - perhaps almost looking like she's not her parents' child 👀 She's taller and slimmer than her siblings, with straighter and lighter in colour hair, and her features are more smooth and soft. No freckles either.

The Kuragins! Those guys are fun. I have Anatole as the tallest in the cast (save for Pierre), and Helene as the tallest woman, with Ippolit the same height as her. Helene and Ippolit in general are described as having the same features so they ended up almost looking like twins! Later I'll talk a bit more about their facial features and hair but in terms of silhouettes, Helene has to have her round shoulders and impressive bosom (and low neckline), while Anatole has to look all broad-shouldered and masculine. He was actually the hardest to draw because I kept feeling like his head was too small and his whole body too long... I might go back and make him a bit broader still. A book I have says the elite life guards of the Russian army were known for their impressive, immaculate appearance, with some men padding their uniforms to add volume to their chest... That made me think of Anatole lmao.

A little roll call to show everyone's height in relation to each other.

More about the Kuragins! I tackled Helene with the aim to make her beautiful by the standards of the time, and luckily there's actually an 1812 bust of the Greek Helene! It was too poerfect of a coincidence so I leaned heavily into it. I find that typical features of ancient Greek or 19th century Hellenistic busts are a very straight nose that flows smoothly from the forehead, a very round jawline with a somewhat portruding chin and that particular curve of the neck. I gave Helene all of those along with heavily-lidded, downturned eyes and an expression that hopefully conveys calm confidence and intelligence. Ippolit is supposed to have the same features but made to look ugly by his stupid expression - this actually turned out easier than I thought? Though it might just be that the moustache looks kind of stupid - maybe I should try a version without it. Anatole I thought ought to look impressive and masculine so in the end I kept the squarer jaw and strong forehead (and I couldn't resist the slicked back hair) but I considered a more Hellenistic version too, with the short curls and round jaw. Helene's hair was tricky because none of the styles I saw felt quite right - I settled on a sort of combo of the Hellenistic curls from the statue but a bit looser with the braid she's described to have in the book. She'd also probably wear a lot of hair accessories but I'll have to do more research on those.

More Natasha and Sonya, and Andrei - Andrei is so difficult!! I always kind of oscillate between "stern, strong-willed soldier", "sharp-featured intellectual" and "soft pampered prince/troubled poet" (where I try and fail to imitate this gorgeous illustration by Vadimir Serov). The Brutus haircut is tempting in its historical accuracy, but I'm just a little bit too fond of the immaculately slicked back hair...

Edit: I completely forgot @visualnoteslibrary was on Tumblr!! Thank you so much for collecting all the descriptions, you spared me quite the Easter egg hunt through the Gutenberg version <3

[pixies992]

did you know they’re actually bringing back Great Comet off-broadway like little shop of horrors with this cast and it will be running indefinitely and be a smash hit equivalent to Les Mis

NATASHA: Jana Djenne Jackson (Kill the Whale; Little Shop of Horrors)

PIERRE: Gabriel Ebert (Matilda; Preludes)

ANATOLE: Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder; Little Shop of Horrors)

SONYA: Laufey (grammy)

HÉLÈNE: Phillipa Soo (Hamilton; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812)

new video because the old one doesn't work:

MARYA: Julie Benko (Funny Girl; Harmony)

PRINCESS MARY: Jessie Buckley (Cabaret; War & Peace 2016)

DOLOKHOV: George Abud (Lempicka; Emojiland)

BOLKONSKY: Brandon Uranowitz (Falsettos; Titanic, Encores!)

BALAGA/OPERA SINGER: Joseph Keckler (Preludes)

[thalassous]

CHANDELiERS + CAViAR . . . !

(the war can't touch us here.)

[ ID : A digital, coloured full-body lineup of the cast of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. Mary has her hands crossed over her body, Old Prince Bolkonsky is hunched over, Dolokhov has a finger gun pointed up, Marya raises a shot glass above her, Pierre holds his accordion and looks up, Natasha is in front of Sonya and both hold a shot glass to their mouths, Anatole raises a shot glass and is turned to his side, Helene crosses one arm over her other, and Balaga holds his hands out with his palms wide. The background is a red that gets darker at the top, with a bright yellow comet above Pierre and Natasha. There is a simple yellow border. END ID ]

[hslcat]

I've fallen into Great Comet.

This is based on the lyrics to "Prologe" from Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.

I will probably make a cleaner version at some point.

Progress pictures:

[finleyforevermore]

Signal boosting this

⭐NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 DREAM CAST⭐

Bryce Charles (top), Emilie Kouatchou (middle), or Kanisha Feliciano (bottom) as Natalya "Natasha/Natalie" Rostova

Denée Benton as Natasha in the picture. (2016 Broadway production)

Michael Arden (left), Josh Young (middle), or Shafiq Hicks (right) as Pyotr "Pierre/Peter" Bezukhov

Josh Groban as Pierre in the picture. (2016 Broadway production)

Emilie du Leslay (top) or Lucy St Louis (bottom) as Sofya "Sonya" Alexandrovna Rostova

Ingrid Michaelson as Sonya in the picture. (2016 Broadway production)

Nathan Salstone (1st pic), Daniel Tracht (2nd pic), Henry Thrasher (3rd pic), or Gavin Creel (4th pic) as Prince Anatole Vasilyevich Kuragin

Park Kang Hyun as Anatole in the picture. (2021 South Korean production)

Kimberly Marable as Countess Hélène Vasilyevna Bezukhova

Amber Gray as Hélène in the picture. (2016 Broadway production)

Willemijn Verkaik (1st pic), Micaela Diamond (2nd pic), Saycon Sengbloh (3rd pic), Brandi Chavonne Massey (4th pic), or Eden Espinosa (5th pic) as Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova

Lulu Fall as Marya in the picture. (2016 Broadway production)

Jason Tam as Fyodor "Fedya" Ivanovich Dolokhov

Choi Ho Jung as Dolokhov in the picture. (2021 South Korean production)

Emily Rohm as Princess Mary Bolkonskaya

Gelsey Bell as Mary in the picture. (2016 Broadway production)

Nick Rashad Burroughs as Balaga

Vitor Moresco as Balaga in the picture. (2018 São Paulo production)

Ben Crawford as Prince Andrey Nikolayevich Bolkonsky (top) and Prince Nikolay Andreevitch Bolkonsky (bottom)

Nicholas Belton as Andrey in the top picture, Blake DeLong as Prince Bolkonsky in the bottom picture. (2016 Broadway production and 2013 Off-Broadway production respectively)

Andrew Samonsky as Prince Andrey Nikolayevich Bolkonsky (if Andrey and Bolkonsky isn't double casted; Ben Crawford would just play Bolkonsky)

Nicholas Belton as Andrey in the picture. (2016 Broadway production)

Theatre credits under the cut.

THEATRE CREDITS:

Bryce Charles - Wendy Darling in Lythgoe Panto's Peter Pan

Emilie Kouatchou - Christine Daaé in The Phantom of The Opera

Kanisha Feliciano - Ann in Flying Over Sunset, Maria in West Side Story, Christine Daaé in The Phantom of The Opera

Michael Arden - Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Josh Young - Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar

Shafiq Hicks - Tom Collins in Rent

Emilie du Leslay - Pearl in Starlight Express

Lucy St Louis - Christine Daaé in The Phantom of The Opera, Glinda in Wicked

Nathan Salstone - Chorus/Orpheus understudy in Hadestown

Daniel Tracht - Chorus/Orpheus understudy in Hadestown

Henry Thrasher - Pierre in Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 (Carnegie Mellon University)

Gavin Creel - The Wolf / Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods

Kimberly Marable - Persephone in Hadestown

Willemijn Verkaik - Elphaba in Wicked

Micaela Diamond - Lucille Frank in Parade

Saycon Sengbloh - Elphaba in Wicked

Brandi Chavonne Massey - Elphaba in Wicked

Eden Espinosa - Elphaba in Wicked

Jason Tam - The SQUIP in Be More Chill (Broadway), Peter in Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert

Emily Rohm - Jane Doe in Ride the Cyclone

Nick Rashad Burroughs - Lola in Kinky Boots

Ben Crawford - Erik in The Phantom of The Opera

Andrew Samonsky - Phoebus in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

[irreplaceable-ecstasyy]

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. Hélène 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

[closeisnothing]

random thoughts about great comet @ donmar

getting this out of the way early: yes, the costumes were underwhelming, mainly natasha's everyday dress, pierre, marya, and sonya. i liked natasha's ball dress and sonya's opera dress was okay, mary and prince bolkonsky's were fine (big fan of mary's big crucifix!), and the outfits worked much better for anatole's crew

i do wish they had used more props at times, but overall i liked the set, especially the clubby parts. also that pole with dolokhov (and sometimes anatole) going up and down it was fun. the lighting was delightful and i loved the lightbulbs they installed in between the seats

the duel and preparations/balaga/the abduction were my favourites, and the small audience participation moments there were quite fun :) also it's now "goodbye my moonlight lovers"

maimuna memon was fantastic, sonya alone and natasha very ill made me cry. really enjoyed watching her face journey throughout sonya & natasha. sonya alone got such loud applause <3

very much enjoyed chumisa dornford-may as natasha, she did amazingly portraying her youth and naïveté, especially during the more argumentative bits (natasha & the bolkonskys, sonya & natasha, in my house). a little thing that i loved was the highlighter/glitter by her inner eyes and down her face during pierre & natasha, combined with her acting it genuinely made her look like she was sobbing actual tears

oh jamie muscato. i kinda thought "oh i know natasha's young, but how does she fall for him like this, come onnn," but now i get it, he has little bits of vulnerability (?) and awkwardness that shine through his charm and confidence and make him so much more loveable. pierre & anatole was one of my favourite anatole parts since you could really see him going through so many emotions. liked his delivery of "lend me fifty rubles 😏?"

i loved dolokhov, his costume and his constant high energy were great, always moving, climbing, dancing, he was such a vibe and so much fun! also he went to high five the centre front row and no one took him up on it, he did get it from another audience member and had this "there we goooo 😏" look which made me giggle

genuinely don't think this is an issue due to declan bennett, but rather owing to the directing, but dust and ashes didn't hit me as i thought it would, and also slightly disappointed during a call to pierre, when it builds up to "natasha and anatole kuragin!! // WHAT?!?!" that fell a bit flat for me

related to this, during pierre & anatole, when pierre sings "i seize him by the collar" there's no collar seizing happening, and while i don't think every single lyrical stage direction needs to be performed, it did bother me then as it toned the moment down so much

eta: kept thinking about annette mclaughlin and realised it was very unfair and harsh of me to imply i didn't like her performance when i was really thinking of literally just a couple of very specific moments that were different to what i expected. honestly her marya was fantastic, really well acted

chloe saracco, cedric neal, cat simmons, and eugene mccoy were really good and fun to watch as well, and while i had limited view of the balcony from my seat, what i could see for the opera was entrancing

the great comet of 1812 made me cry, already said the lighting was beautiful, but i especially liked its use here. the harmonies were gorgeous and gave me literal shivers

overall i had a lot of fun, haven't stopped talking about it, will be going again!

[dolokhovisreal]

The Great Comet Korea 2024 Cast IS HERE!!!

하도권, 케이윌, 김주택 as Pierre Bezukhov (피에르)

이지수, 유연정, 박수빈 as Natasha Rostova (나타샤)

고은성, 정택운, 셔누 as Anatole Kuragin (아나톨)

윤지인 as Mary Bolkonskaya (마리)

효은, 김수연 as Sonya Rostova (소냐)

전수미, 홍륜희 as Hélene Kuragina (엘렌)

류수화, 주아 as Marya Dmitryevna (마리야D)

최호중, 심건우 as Fedya Dolokhov (돌로코프)

유효진 as Balaga (발라가)

오석원 as Anrdrei Bolkonsky/Old Prince Bolkonsky (안드레이/볼콘스키)

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE EVERYONE ON STAGE!

For more information, check shownote out on Twitter or Instagram👍

Im so glad that the great comet is reviving at last!!!

[chicago-geniza]

Mutual said the notion of a Turkish character named Kemal Pamuk was like an English character called Queen Victoria Churchill and I was immediately like. Wait until you hear about the imperial Russian exile named "Prince Kuragin" lmfao

[napoleonic-sexyman-tournament]

Friends, enemies, comrades, Jacobins, Monarchist, Bonapartists, gather round. We have an important announcement:

The continent is beset with war. A tenacious general from Corsica has ignited conflict from Madrid to Moscow and made ancient dynasties tremble. Depending on your particular political leanings, this is either the triumph of a great man out of the chaos of The Terror, a betrayal of the values of the French Revolution, or the rule of the greatest upstart tyrant since Caesar.

But, our grand tournament is here to ask the most important question: Now that the flower of European nobility is arrayed on the battlefield in the sexiest uniforms that European history has yet produced (or indeed, may ever produce), who is the most fuckable?

The bracket is here: full bracket and just quadrant I

Want to nominate someone from the Western Hemisphere who was involved in the ever so sexy dismantling of the Spanish empire? (or the Portuguese or French American colonies as well) You can do it here

The People have created this list of nominees:

France:

Jean Lannes

Josephine de Beauharnais

Thérésa Tallien

Jean-Andoche Junot

Joseph Fouché

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Joachim Murat

Michel Ney

Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (Charles XIV of Sweden)

Louis-Francois Lejeune

Pierre Jacques Étienne Cambrinne

Napoleon I

Marshal Louis-Gabriel Suchet

Jacques de Trobriand

Jean de dieu soult.

François-Étienne-Christophe Kellermann

17.Louis Davout

Pauline Bonaparte, Duchess of Guastalla

Eugène de Beauharnais

Jean-Baptiste Bessières

Antoine-Jean Gros

Jérôme Bonaparte

Andrea Masséna

Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle

Germaine de Staël

Thomas-Alexandre Dumas

René de Traviere (The Purple Mask)

Claude Victor Perrin

Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr

François Joseph Lefebvre

Major Andre Cotard (Hornblower Series)

Edouard Mortier

Hippolyte Charles

Nicolas Charles Oudinot

Emmanuel de Grouchy

Pierre-Charles Villeneuve

Géraud Duroc

Georges Pontmercy (Les Mis)

Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont

Juliette Récamier

Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey

Louis-Alexandre Berthier

Étienne Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre Macdonald

Jean-Mathieu-Philibert Sérurier

Catherine Dominique de Pérignon

Guillaume Marie-Anne Brune

Jean-Baptiste Jourdan

Charles-Pierre Augereau

Auguste François-Marie de Colbert-Chabanais

England:

Richard Sharpe (The Sharpe Series)

Tom Pullings (Master and Commander)

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Jonathan Strange (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell)

Captain Jack Aubrey (Aubrey/Maturin books)

Horatio Hornblower (the Hornblower Books)

William Laurence (The Temeraire Series)

Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey

Beau Brummell

Emma, Lady Hamilton

Benjamin Bathurst

Horatio Nelson

Admiral Edward Pellew

Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke

Sidney Smith

Percy Smythe, 6th Viscount Strangford

George IV

Capt. Anthony Trumbull (The Pride and the Passion)

Barbara Childe (An Infamous Army)

Doctor Maturin (Aubrey/Maturin books)

William Pitt the Younger

Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry (Lord Castlereagh)

George Canning

Scotland:

Thomas Cochrane

Colquhoun Grant

Ireland:

Arthur O'Connor

Thomas Russell

Robert Emmet

Austria:

Klemens von Metternich

Friedrich Bianchi, Duke of Casalanza

Franz I/II

Archduke Karl

Marie Louise

Franz Grillparzer

Wilhelmine von Biron

Poland:

Wincenty Krasiński

Józef Antoni Poniatowski

Józef Zajączek

Maria Walewska

Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski

Adam Jerzy Czartoryski

Antoni Amilkar Kosiński

Zofia Czartoryska-Zamoyska

Stanislaw Kurcyusz

Russia:

Alexander I Pavlovich

Alexander Andreevich Durov

Prince Andrei (War and Peace)

Pyotr Bagration

Mikhail Miloradovich

Levin August von Bennigsen

Pavel Stroganov

Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna

Karl Wilhelm von Toll

Dmitri Kuruta

Alexander Alexeevich Tuchkov

Barclay de Tolly

Fyodor Grigorevich Gogel

Ekaterina Pavlovna Bagration

Ippolit Kuragin (War and Peace)

Prussia:

Louise von Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Gebard von Blücher

Carl von Clausewitz

Frederick William III

Gerhard von Scharnhorst

Louis Ferdinand of Prussia

Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Alexander von Humboldt

Dorothea von Biron

The Netherlands:

Ida St Elme

Wiliam, Prince of Orange

The Papal States:

Pius VII

Portugal:

João Severiano Maciel da Costa

Spain:

Juan Martín Díez

José de Palafox

Inês Bilbatua (Goya's Ghosts)

Haiti:

Alexandre Pétion

Sardinia:

Vittorio Emanuele I

Lombardy:

Alessandro Manzoni

Denmark:

Frederik VI

Sweden:

Gustav IV Adolph

[the-joker-of-musicals]

enjolras propaganda

I really want to submit both Enjolras and Graintaire together bc DO NOT SEPARATE THEM, THEY DIED HOLDING HANDS. But I think it’s more appropriate to just submit Enj for this. He and the other amis held tumblr in a chokehold for all of 2013. He’s a young revolutionary! He dies for the cause! He’s strongly implied to be gay! He can’t shut up about politics! If you met him in real life he’s be insufferable, but as the figure in the musical and book, the golden Apollo, the young martyr, he’s so compelling…. Please.

anatole propaganda

love him soooo much he's my pet misogynistic russian prince i keep him in my pocket he did nothing (read: everything) wrong. The things this man does to my brain it's unreal. I'm sorry if that's insufficient but im sure im not the first to submit him nor will i be the last lmao

[gayest-classiclit]

a list of people in the classic literature sexyperson bracket

the following are already on the sexypedia and automatically in:

hamlet, hamlet

atticus finch, to kill a mockingbird

rodion raskolnikov, crime and punishment

sherlock holmes, the sherlock holmes books

arsene lupin, the arsene lupin books

frankenstein's monster/adam, frankenstein

jonathan harker, dracula. (his wife mina is tagteaming w/ him)

gerald croft, an inspector calls

big brother, 1984

erik/the phantom, phantom of the opera

mercutio, romeo and juliet

and the following have been submitted:

inspector goole, an inspector calls

benedetto, the count of monte cristo

edmond dantes, the count of monte cristo

gaspard caderousse, the count of monte cristo

quincey morris, dracula

ivan karamazov, the brothers karamazov

anatole kuragin and helene bezukhova, war and peace

dmitri razumikhin, crime and punishment

nastasya filippovna, the idiot

jean valjean, les miserables

captain hook, peter pan

dorian gray and basil hallward, the picture of dorian gray

charles bingley, pride and prejudice

carmilla, carmilla

helen of troy, greek mythology

benedick and beatrice, much ado about nothing

irene adler, the sherlock holmes books

annabel lee, annabel lee

violacesario, twelfth night

clopin trouillefrou, the hunchback of notre dame

lady macbeth, macbeth

therem harth ir em estraven, the left hand of darkness

eugene onegin, eugene onegin

alyosha karamazov, the brothers karamazov

count dracula, dracula

jesus christ and judas iscariot, the bible

henry jekyll, the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde

cathy ames, east of eden

enjolras, les miserables

hotspur, henry iv part 1

balladyna, balladyna

jay gatsby and daisy buchanan, the great gatsby

ruy blas, ruy blas

grendel's mother, beowulf

gregor samsa, the metamorphosis (by proxy)

eugene de rastignac, the human comedy

chloe, froth on the daydream

the duke de nemours, la princess de cleves

emma bovary, madame bovary

behemoth, the master and margarita

grantaire, les miserables

jane bennet, pride and prejudice

catherine, wuthering heights

milady de winter, the three musketeers

mephistopheles, faust

woland, the master and margarita

medea, greek mythology

prince hal from the henriad

fitzwilliam darcy from pride and prejudice

the woman behind the wallpaper from the yellow wallpaper

don rodrigue from the folktales

robin hood from the folktales this brings us to 63 entries so far! :)

[thalassous]

Legally obligated to ask for anatole w the green palette

MAN with SCOPOPHOBIA draws REAL LIFE MAN?!?! one CASUALTY????!???!!!