美国国家公共电台 NPR 'The Great Comet': 'Hits All Of The Checkmarks' Of A Broadway Experience

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Tomorrow is the 71st Tony Awards recognizing excellence¹ in Broadway theater and the production with the most nominations² for the season - that would be 12 - has already been lauded³ by critics for its diverse casting wildly innovative⁴ set and a fresh take on a classic story.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSICAL, "NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing) A little bit. It's a complicated Russian novel. Everyone's got nine different names. So look it up in the program...

MARTIN: You might be thinking of another musical. We're talking about "Natasha, Pierre And The Great Comet Of 1812." It's based on a portion of Leo Tolstoy's epic⁵ novel "War And Peace" written by Dave Malloy who was also the composer and lyricist. It follows the misadventures of young, beautiful and very naive⁶ Natasha who heads to Moscow to wait on her fiance's stinted⁷ war. While there, she falls under the sway of an unscrupulous nobleman who starts an affair with her for the fun of it. Meanwhile, Pierre, a disillusioned⁸ aristocrat⁹ tries to help.

And, yes, there's a comet. Other than that, it's hard to explain. But, anyway, our next guests are at least two of the reasons cited for the show's success. Both have been nominated for Tony Awards this year. Rachel Chavkin is the director of the play and Denee Benton portrays¹⁰ Natasha. They both join us from our NPR studios in New York. Denee Benton, Rachel Chavkin, thank you so much for speaking with us.

RACHEL CHAVKIN: So happy to be here.

DENEE BENTON: Yes. Thanks for having us.

MARTIN: So where to begin, Rachel. I just have to start with you because this is quite a production. Part of the audience is literally¹¹ onstage, part of the stage is in the audience, the performers are literally singing and dancing and playing instruments right next to you, talking to audience members. And then during this song...

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSICAL, "NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing) In 19th century Russia, we write letters. We write letters. We put down in writing what is happening in our minds.

MARTIN: They are actually handing out letters to the audience.

CHAVKIN: That they write every single night, and some of them illustrate¹².

MARTIN: I got one of them. You know, this could have been a hot mess. So I just have to ask how did you think about directing this? Was there a guiding principle, like what was your north star?

CHAVKIN: I mean, the original north star for the whole production was this night that Dave had in Moscow a number of years ago where he stumbled into this cafe and there was a classical pops trio playing. And he ended up sat next to the viola, and there were shakers and dumplings and vodka on the tables.

So, like, that story was the spirit that Mimi Lien¹³ our incredible set designer and I took and ran with. And so it was actually very much about creating chaos¹⁴, but also making sure that every moment of the story was as clear as possible. And so there is a huge amount of energy in the room. But I think the focus on the storytelling moments and those moments of the, you know, intricacies of this melodrama¹⁵, the room really comes together.

MARTIN: A good reason to turn to Denee Benton now. Hello, Denee.

BENTON: Hi.

MARTIN: Do you remember what it was that you connected with in this character, this young rich Russian countess?

BENTON: Yeah. I think it was her tenacity¹⁶ for life. She's so full of the wonder that the universe has when she's looking at the moon and the stars and sort of sees what they're capable of. And the poetic¹⁷ nature that she sees the world is very close to how I see the world.

MARTIN: So let's play a little bit of "No One Else."

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSICAL, "NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812")

BENTON: (As Natasha Rostova) And your child-like eyes and your distant smile, I'll never be this happy again. You and I. You and I. You and I.

MARTIN: Denee, I read a very poignant¹⁸ interview with you where you talked about growing up as a young, black girl and not seeing a lot of people who look like you in musicals, in romantic comedies. But I do want to ask if there was a part of that that you had to release in order to fully¹⁹ embrace yourself in this role.

BENTON: It's interesting. I think that a lot of people are often shocked that that's the culture that we still live in. But it is, and I think that our industry has a lot of power to change that and represent the truth of what actually exists in the world which is that there are tons of ingenues walking around the Earth of every race.

I think for me more than having to release those insecurities, I think it caused me to embrace parts of myself that I always knew to be true and an extra layer of already getting to do a role that I feel I'm so perfect for is also getting to affect this conversation and affect how other black girls see themselves and how other people see them and what they feel they're capable of.

So I'm honored to get to add to that conversation. And it's also just been a huge confirmation²⁰ to me of what's possible when you have the courage to bring yourself to the work and not get lost in the limitations that other people or society might have for who they say you can be.

MARTIN: And, Rachel, do you mind if I ask you this question, too? It makes me wonder whether five years from now we will be having this conversation. I cannot help but note you are the only woman nominated in your category.

CHAVKIN: You know, that opportunity gap is a real thing. And I understand why commercial producers are reticent²¹ to risk the amount of money that is attached to any Broadway show with someone who maybe has not gone through that exact process before. The problem with that is it's a self-fulfilling prophecy of the field remaining consistently insular²².

And so I think there needs to be a real across-the-board commitment that parity²³ is not just a nice thing, but a core value to the work that we do. And, I mean, you know, it could change overnight the minute that commitment is real.

MARTIN: Rachel, for you, and then Denee, I'll go to you next - Rachel, for those who have not seen the play or who haven't heard the sound - I mean, going to a Broadway play is still a big commitment for a lot of people. It's expensive. It requires time and effort, especially for people who don't live in New York. What would you like people to know about this production that might encourage them to see it?

CHAVKIN: It really is the world that I personally feel like I want to live inside always. And that spirit of joy and community that the cast creates with the audience. It's an unbelievable amount of energy and integrity, and it makes space for these moments of really quiet grace.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSICAL, "NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing).

MARTIN: Denee, what about you?

BENTON: The heart of the show will move you. There will be tears. There will be laughter. It really - it hits all of the checkmarks for me and to the kind of experience I want to have when I spend that money to sit in a Broadway theater for a couple hours.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSICAL, "NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing) The great comet of 1812. The brilliant comet of 1812.

MARTIN: That was Rachel Chavkin and Denee Benton. Rachel Chavkin is the director and Denee Benton is the female lead of the musical, "Natasha, Pierre And The Great Comet Of 1812." Josh Groban, by the way, stars as Pierre through the end of the month. They have both been nominated for Tony Awards which will be awarded this weekend. Thank you both so much for speaking with us and congratulations to you both.

CHAVKIN: Thank you so much.

BENTON: Thank you. Thanks for having us.

1 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

2 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

3 lauded   

v.称赞，赞美( laud的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They lauded the former president as a hero. 他们颂扬前总统为英雄。 来自辞典例句
• The nervy feats of the mountaineers were lauded. 登山者有勇气的壮举受到赞美。 来自辞典例句

4 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

5 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

6 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

7 stinted   

v.限制，节省（stint的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Penny-pinching landlords stinted their tenants on heat and hot water. 小气的房东在房客的取暖和热水供应上进行克扣。 来自互联网
• She stinted herself of food in order to let the children have enough. 她自己省着吃，好让孩子们吃饱。 来自互联网

8 disillusioned   

a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的

参考例句：

• I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
• Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。

9 aristocrat   

n.贵族，有贵族气派的人，上层人物

参考例句：

• He was the quintessential english aristocrat.他是典型的英国贵族。
• He is an aristocrat to the very marrow of his bones.他是一个道道地地的贵族。

10 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

12 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

13 lien   

n.扣押权，留置权

参考例句：

• A lien is a type of security over property.留置是一种财产担保。
• The court granted me a lien on my debtor's property.法庭授予我对我债务人财产的留置权。

14 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

15 melodrama   

n.音乐剧；情节剧

参考例句：

• We really don't need all this ridiculous melodrama!别跟我们来这套荒唐的情节剧表演！
• White Haired Woman was a melodrama,but in certain spots it was deliberately funny.《白毛女》是一出悲剧性的歌剧，但也有不少插科打诨。

16 tenacity   

n.坚韧

参考例句：

• Tenacity is the bridge to success.坚韧是通向成功的桥。
• The athletes displayed great tenacity throughout the contest.运动员在比赛中表现出坚韧的斗志。

17 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

18 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

19 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

20 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

21 reticent   

adj.沉默寡言的；言不如意的

参考例句：

• He was reticent about his opinion.他有保留意见。
• He was extremely reticent about his personal life.他对自己的个人生活讳莫如深。

22 insular   

adj.岛屿的，心胸狭窄的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• Having lived in one place all his life,his views are insular.他一辈子住在一个地方，所以思想狭隘。

23 parity   

n.平价，等价，比价，对等

参考例句：

• The two currencies have now reached parity.这两种货币现已达到同等价值。
• Women have yet to achieve wage or occupational parity in many fields.女性在很多领域还没能争取到薪金、职位方面的平等。