a transformative romance

Don't miss this beguiling Broadway hit, bringing a slice of romance, betrayal, and redemption in 19th-century Imperial Russia to the Benedum Center this summer courtesy of Pittsburgh CLO. Featuring original songs ranging from heart-soaring ballads to jaunty folk-infused ditties, the show takes its lead from a particularly arresting and memorable part of that great tome of literature, Dostovesky's War and Peace.

War and Peace Volume 2, Part 5

Though not the whole story of this giant book (you'd need more than a few intermissions for that!) Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 follows the arrival of the innocent and enchanting young Countess Natasha in Moscow, awaiting her fiance Prince Andrey Bolkonsky, who has gone off to war. Whilst there she has her head and her senses turned by the scrupulous Anatole, a married and bored aristocrat. As Natasha comes to terms with her actions, Pierre, a fellow aristocrat having an existential crisis must rally around as a friend to both her and Andrey, while dealing with his own feelings for the Countess. In stepping up to the role, Pierre learns a little more about himself and his future, and by helping the terrified Natasha, begins to become the man he always hoped he could be.