Marcus Nance, Hailey Gillis in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet at Crow's Theatre.DAHLIA KATZ/Crow's Theatre
Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, an electro-pop musical inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace, may be ending its much-extended not-for-profit run in Toronto this weekend, but the hit show is set to return to the city next year for a commercial run in a larger theatre.
Mirvish Productions announced Tuesday that director Chris Abraham’s production will be remounted in revamped form at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in July and August of 2025, as the seventh show in the Toronto producer’s upcoming subscription season.
“Like everyone else who has seen this show, we were enchanted,” producer David Mirvish said in a statement. “Chris Abraham has directed a superb telling of Dave Malloy’s unique and wonderful musical with a cast of some of Canada’s finest musical theatre actors and musicians.”
The Great Comet, which features choreography by Ray Hogg, has broken records for co-producers Crow’s Theatre and The Musical Stage Company since it opened at the 194-seat Streetcar Crowsnest in December. Its success has been a beacon of hope at a time when a number of other theatre companies in the city have had to cancel shows because of financial difficulties related to inflation and other pandemic-related problems.
By contrast, demand for The Great Comet has been such that Crow’s has moved two other productions planned for its main space to venues elsewhere in Toronto to keep extending it. It is only closing on March 24 owing to the plans for the Mirvish run next year, Abraham confirmed to The Globe and Mail.
The remount at the 1,244-seat Royal Alexandra will feature an expanded ensemble and orchestra – and Julie Fox and Josh Quinlan’s immersive design will be enhanced to bring a similar feel to the larger space, Abraham said in a statement, promising “new surprises” for the fans of the musical.
In February, Mirvish Productions announced a 2024-25 season anchored by a new Canadian production of The Lion King setting up shop at the Princess of Wales Theatre, with five touring shows passing through the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre. But it left one show slot blank.
John Karastamatis, director of sales and marketing at Mirvish, said: “As the show continued to go from strength to strength, and it became clear that this was not just another show but a kind of phenomenon, the decision was easy.”
Mirvish’s offerings next season also include the return of the hit Canadian musical Come From Away to the Royal Alexandra in September, 2024, in a production that will first play at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa later this summer and which is contractually required to return there the following summer if demand continues, making room for The Great Comet.
The Globe and Mail revealed last week that Mirvish will also produce a Canadian production of Titanique, a hit off-Broadway parody of Titanic featuring the songs of Céline Dion, in its CAA Theatre next season after a run at the Segal Centre in Montreal.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly included a photo from the Broadway production of The Great Comet. This version has been updated.