#can we PLEASE talk about SCOTT STANGLAND

[shotbyafool]

wait three houses cast announcement????????

YES! presumably more cast to come but some Octet cast members (J.D. Mollison, Margo Seibert) are there. but mostly Scott Stangland. the new love of my life, Scott Stangland.

[raulsparza]

Great Comet 8/17

I was sitting stage left banquettes, row BC. A lot of this is stuff I didn’t notice the first time around in the orchestra, or specific actor interactions! 

-I told the usher who showed me to my seat that he had, the best job in the world and he wholeheartedly eagerly agreed with me, saying he gets to watch the full show every other night and that he’s started sitting on the opposite side of the stage to get a different view. Everyone involved in this show loves it with everything they have and that is part of what makes it so special. 

-During Prologue Natasha and Sonya cross arms so Natasha drinks Sonya’s shot and Sonya drinks Natasha’s shot what cuties!  

-Dolokhov fist bumps so much i love the little party man

-at “minor charaaacterrrrs’ an ensemble member made eye contact with me and put his thumb and pointer finger close together. I did the same and he nodded emphatically 

-Scott Stangland was on as Pierre and honestly his physical acting blows me away? He moved so slowly and heavily. It seemed like every step took such immense effort because he’s just so weighed down with despair. It really helped me sympathize with Pierre even more than I already had 

-From where I was sitting Pierre’s back was to me when he sat at the piano, but the spot where sheet music usually goes was mirrored, so I was able to see his facial expressions! which is just, so genius. When Pierre wasn’t there the conductor placed an ipad with all his sheet music there

-Anatole walked across stage and rolled his eyes at Pierre when he sang ‘left it toothless and bald’ and ensemble members on the staircase next to me laughed/pointed fingers at Pierre :((( 

-Marya hits every note with such a wonderful balance of aggression and playfullness and it will never cease to amaze me 

-Sonya and Natasha held hands as they walked aw

-Mary and old prince Bolkonsky were onstage this whole time, in the area below the platform by the big door. Mary was reading a bible and bolkonsky was whittling. He trembles SO MUCH him holding a pocket knife was. a fright. 

-At bolkonsky’s “people enjoy me though” I felt a light on me and he made direct eye contact with me and squinted and I squinted back and then he like nodded and waved and I waved back and then he continued singing

-Marya played a cowbell upstage later on in the song

-I was like right in line with the violist and two cellists and I kept getting distracted by how crazy their shifts and slides are omg

-During the Opera for “no I am enjoying myself at home this evening” Pierre did a half-hearted/sarcastic ‘raise the roof’ motion

-there is one point, I cannot for the life of me remember when it happened bc I was so caught off guard, but Anatole like crawled on the woman in front of me and had his mouth up to her ear and his hand was on the back of the seat literally inches away from my knee and it was. A lot. ((later he gave this woman the most intense bedroom eyes and like, damn. Natasha, girl, I get it))

- At anatole’s “we’re off to the club” he dramatically swings on his leather vest, grabbing it out of Pierre’s salon

-at one point Anatole turned away from pierre and leaned on a bar and blew air out of his mouth to flutter his lips it was so goofy

-okay the strobe lights paired with the music so intense I could feel the stage vibrating paired with everyone in the fricken bdsm leather outfits made for,, the most surreal experience of my entire life

-Marya dragging that riding crop slooooowwwllyy through her legs like? kill me? wow?

-Balaga literally lifted Sonya up on the ledge above where bolkonsky had been sitting earlier and mimed eating her out and sonya  tilted her head back so it was kinda under another girl’s skirt geez. And then later at the bouncy ‘here’s to the health of married woman’ part balaga gave sonya a piggy back ride?? Like jumping with her on his back omg

-Helene and Dolokhov full on kiss and the music short circuits and everyone falls to the ground and it was so fricken intense

-Pierre puts his arms out before Dolokhov raises his gun like he’s just so ready to die and it. h u r t s

-after dolokhov shot pierre doubled over and stayed that way for so long. Long enough for an ensemble member to lean over and mime to ask if he was okay

-dust and ashes started off so tentatively and timidly he’s so hurt and scared but by the end he’s fiercely grabbing the air in front of him, so resolved to change and I love love love the contrast

-during charming two people hold up the dress for Natasha to glide into and then she walked downstage a little and looked at Helene like um, help? And then the two girls came up and buttoned the back of the dress for her.

-Natasha’s eyes glittered so intently during the ball. Her and Anatole dancing was so mesmerizing it really felt like they were the only two people in the room

-when she said ‘you’re hurting my hand’ Anatole released her so quickly and held his hands up in surrender and shook his head a little

-anatole and Natasha kissed for like a full minute and everyone on stage, every ensemble member, every musician, every part of the cast, held a glass of water and rubbed the rim to produce such an eerie sound. I didn’t see anyone pick up or put down these glasses I swear they materialized out of thin air

-during letters Anatole went on his knees and wrapped his arms around natashas waist and she makes a stubborn ‘I won’t look at you face’ and averts her eyes. Anatole kept moving his head around to try and make eye contact and he held out the last just say yessssss for so long his voice wavered and almost cut out and then came back in lucas steele is so good at hogging all of the attention

-sonya alone made me cry so very very much bc brittain ashford is a literal goddess

-anatole fumbled putting his suspenders on during preperations and I don’t know if it was lucas having trouble or Anatole being nervous but either way it was adorable

-Before the show started we had all been instructed that, at the line ‘everyone raise a glass’ we were supposed to mime raising a glass. We all practiced. It was swell. Cut forward to the abduction. I’m mesmerized by anatole’s coat. So mesmerized that I didn’t fully process that he had sung “everyone raise a glass” until I saw Marya out of the corner of my eye. I turn and shes glaring at me. So intensely. Of course she is. I missed my cue. I’ve brought shame on this family. I tentatively raise an arm, miming holding a glass. She leans across the couple sitting next to me and really aggressively puts two arms out in front of her. In my face. In this moment I thought Grace McLean was literally and truly going to strangle me, and I was ready. But my self-preservation instincts kicked in and I raised my other arm as well. She started to back away and then I pick up my water bottle and lift that, so I have one arm miming a glass and the other holding a water bottle and finally she looked satisfied. Thoroughly exasperated, but satisfied.

-everyone swayed back and forth in the audience once we were all successfully raising glasses and it was really special

-Dolokhov handed his guitar to the kid in front of me and shouted “can you hold this?? I need to go DANCE!”

-Anatole wildly and randomly playing his violin with the most crazed look on his face

-Helene and Marya kissing and touching, teasing and hungry 

-Pierre started to do the ‘woooaaAAhhaHHh’ bit but he stopped, breathing heavy. Faked starting again and stopped and then finally did it for real LOL

-for ‘that’s the way’ about the fur coat Cathryn caught my eye and pointed and nodded

-During my house (which marya killed. I mean of course she did. She had almost strangled me for not following directions of course she was able to rip anatole kuragin a new one with just her voice), at one point when Natasha was running away Sonya leaned forward and silently mouthed PLEASE with so much horror and helplessness

-When pierre went to find Anatole, Anatole was lying with his head in helenes lap and she was petting his hair

-later when pierre was confronting Anatole with how awful he was Anatole was cowering and pulling at his hair so stressed and overwhelmed

-when Andrey is done talking with pierre he goes upstage and pushes past mary so gruffly but also in an annoying brotherly way. Poor mary. Always poor mary.

-Natasha walked down the stairs sO gingerly, toes, mid-foot, heel, whole body shakes, hands gripping the bannister with every ounce of strength she had

-pierre delivered the spoken lines so shyly/tenderly, ashamed of himself and who he was. I cried.

-and I sobbed through the entirety of the last song. From where I was the comet was in my line of sight before pierre, so being able to see that giant force of energy and looking just past that to see pierre, dwarfed in comparison, gazing up in such awe, wrecked me. The eerie tangling otherworldly notes are the perfect way to end the show, as everyone stares along with pierre at the great comet of 1812

 And, this is my short version. Oh dear. If anyone read this and wants to talk even more in depth about this beautiful beautiful show pls do that immediately.