Seven cast members of the Broadway musical Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, will show another side to their talent—as songwriters—in a special August 21 concert at (Le) Poisson Rouge nightclub in New York’s Greenwich Village.
The 7:30 PM concert will feature Grace McLean, who plays Marya D in Great Comet, Brittain Ashford, who plays Sonya, Gelsey Bell, who plays Princess Mary, and ensemble members Courtney Bassett, Mary Spencer Knapp, Heath Saunders, and Cathryn Wake.
They will perform their original songs accompanied by a group called The Songwriter’s Orchestra, consisting of professional musicians from the pit orchestras of Broadway shows and New York classical ensembles: Jordan Lee (violin), Kevin Kuh (violin), Elise Frawley (viola), Vivian Ludford (cello), Coreisa Lee (flute), Patricia Billings (clarinet), Blair Shepperd (bassoon), Evan Honse (trumpet), Elizabeth Fleming (horn), Becca Patterson (trombone), Marty Jaffe (bass), and Ashley Baier (percussion)
The Songwriter’s Orchestra is coordinated by arranger/conductor Solomon Hoffman. This concert will be directed by Sammi Cannold, associate director of The Great Comet.
Hoffman shared the lineup with Playbill:
Grace McLean (who also fronts the band Grace McLean and Them Apples):
“Everybody Loves”
“Ocean/Vapor”
“My Friend's Roommate,” “Haven't You Noticed" and “Samuel" from her EP Make Me Breakfast
Brittain Ashford (who also fronts the band Prairie Empire):
“The Salt” and “Muir Woods” from their album The Salt
Gelsey Bell (from her album Under A Piano):
“The Night the Power Went Out” and “Lullaby”
Courtney Bassett (from the band Starbird and the Phoenix):
“Train” and “Sunbeam”
Mary Spencer Knapp (who also fronts the band Toot Sweet):
“Fury” and “The Steady Queen”
Cathryn Wake (from the band For You the Moon):
“Stranger than Strangers” and “Keep Your Head”
Heath Saunders
“First Tattoo” and “Self Portrait”
(Le) Poisson Rouge is located at 158 Bleecker Street in Manhattan. Advance tickets cost $20 for table seating (with a two-item minimum) and $15 for standing tickets, and can be ordered by clicking here. Day-of-show tickets will be $25/$20.
