Day 293 in 2024

About two years ago Calvin discovered musicals and was lost to the world of pop music forever. The kid listens to more Spotify than anyone I know, and it's all songs from musicals. This is an interesting way to come to theater—through the music first—but shortly after that habit began he stumbled on the music of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (which is, by the way, the musical and  fairly comical telling of the second book of Tolstoy's War and Peace) and fell completely in love with it. Now, seven years ago this show won a couple of Tonys and was nominated for best new musical, but in the aftermath it seems to have faded into obscurity and he gave up ever seeing in person, enjoying the fully sung story on a regular basis only in audio. Then last summer through a series of lucky coincidences we discovered it being performed by a small theater just outside of Chicago. Of course we booked tickets.

We made a day of it. The show was at the Writers Theatre in the small suburb of Glencoe, also home to the Chicago Botanic Garden, so we went there first, then we had dinner in the small town (only slightly larger than our own) before finally sitting down to take in The Great Comet. It was all wonderful—perfect weather, perfect timing everywhere we went, perfect dinner—but none of it was so wonderful as the show itself, or the joy it brought us, especially Calvin. I have no idea why this show hasn't received more attention and I really hope it finds a second wind becuase I'd recommend it to anyone, and I'd love to see it again.