Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Dalinghurst Theatre Company, Eternity Playhouse, 7 July-27 August

 Dave Molloy's 2012 musical adaptation of 72 pages roughly halfway through "War and Peace" is an eclectic show, shifting musical styles and dramatic style throughout as it tells the story of high-society Russians during the Napoleonic wars being caught up in games of lust and intrigue while just outside the town their compatriots are fighting for their lives. Darlinghurst Theatre company's production doubles down on the complexity by also letting most of the cast double as musicians, playing the score on a mixture of piano, piano accordion, bass, woodwinds, and drums, creating an evening of delightfully rich sonic and visual pleasure.  If there's a lot flying at us from the opening number (where the entire cast introduces their characters in simple couplets), we eventually settle into the story of Natasha's challenging encounters with her inlaws and her entwinement with the sinister Anatole, as it becomes increasingly clear how much is at threat.

Dean Dreiberg's production does have the sense of everything-and-the-kitchen sink being thrown at it - there's a lot of energy being thrown into scenes but emotional throughlines sometimes feel a little lost, for instance with P. Tucker Worley's performance as the elder Bolkonsky being played as broad caricature while Zoy Frangos' Pierre is emotionally self-lacerating as he reflects on himself and the world around him. It's not until about halfway through act one, during the Opera sequence, that we really get a sense of solid sealegs in the storytelling and the show begins to find its groove. It's still a show that rewards close attention and engagement, full of small details and surprises, and it'd be very easy to just see this as sound-and-fury-signifying not-very much - Dreiberg's directors' notes suggest a lot of improvisation and chasing options was done in the rehearsal room and the show doesn't really feel like the necessary analysis of options and focusing the show was done consistently - there's a love of energy-at-all-costs that makes the show a bit messier than it probably should be.

The cast throughout is committed and strong - each performer gives their all whether singing, dancing, acting or playing accompaniment, and it's a true ensemble piece from the titular pair all the way down to the energetic cameo of Balaga, the troika driver. Musical director Claire Healy has arranged her cast to both sing and play the score beautifully - the musical climax of the show in particular is an act of pure calm beauty which brings a central soul back to what's previously been a fairly frenetic evening. 

I don't think there's any way of doing "Natasha Pierre" in fully conventional theatrical terms - it's too eclectic and wild a score for that. But there surely is a way of doing it without some of the excesses that this prodeuction falls into - there's some ways in which the show suggests a lack of trust of the text without all the impositions. But it's still a rich thicket of theatre that's well worth diving into to find your way through to the moments of transcendent beauty and joy that lie within.