Breaking News: Lucas Steele, Grace McLean, & More Will Join Josh Groban in GREAT COMET OF 1812 on Broadway; Full Cast Announced!

Full casting has been announced for the new musical THE GREAT COMET, featuring the Broadway debuts of 18 cast and creative team members including Josh Groban as 'Pierre' and Denée Benton as 'Natasha.' Created by Dave Malloy (Preludes, Ghost Quartet) and directed by Rachel Chavkin (Small Mouth Sounds, Preludes) - also making their Broadway debuts - THE GREAT COMET will blaze intoBroadway's Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street) beginning in the first week of October with opening night set for Monday, November 14, 2016.Ticketing info will be announced shortly. To sign up for news updates and presale ticketing opportunities, visit www.greatcometbroadway.com.

Led by Groban and Benton, the cast of THE GREAT COMET will include Brittain Ashford* as 'Sonya,' Gelsey Bell* as 'Princess Mary,' Nicholas Belton as 'Bolkonsky/Andrey,' Nick Choksi* as 'Dolokhov,' Amber Gray* as 'Helene,' Grace McLean* as 'Marya D,' Paul Pinto* as 'Balaga,' Scott Stangland as 'Pierre' (standby), and Lucas Steele as 'Anatole.' The ensemble includes Sumayya Ali, Courtney Bassett*, Josh Canfield, Ken Clark*, Erica Dorfler, Lulu Fall, Ashley Pérez Flanagan*, Nick Gaswirth, Azudi Onyejekwe, Pearl Rhein*, Heath Saunders*, Katrina Yaukey, and Lauren Zakrin.

THE GREAT COMET features choreography by Sam Pinkleton, set design by Mimi Lien*, costume design by Tony Award winner Paloma Young, lighting design by Bradley King*, sound design by Nicholas Pope, music supervision by Sonny Paladino, musical direction by Or Matias*, casting by Stewart/Whitley, and production stage management by Karyn Meek.

(*-denotes Broadway debut)

THE GREAT COMET is a theatrical experience like no other. Malloy's inspired adaptation of a 70-page slice of War and Peace puts audiences just inches away from Tolstoy's brash young lovers, as they light up Moscow in an epic tale of romance and passion.

The New York Times calls THE GREAT COMET "a heaven-sent fireball" (Brantley) and "vibrant, thrillingly imagined" (Isherwood), Entertainment Weeklycalls it "a stunning, blazingly original musical," and the New York Post calls it "inventive, ravishing and full-on romantic." The Original Off Broadway Cast Recording can be purchased on iTunes.

THE GREAT COMET recently played a limited engagement at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge where its innovative design was expanded to bring the show's signature staging to a traditional proscenium-style theatre.

THE GREAT COMET has been showered with rave reviews and a host of accolades, including the 2013 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater, a Special Citation from the OBIE Awards, five Drama Desk Award Nominations, two Drama League Award nominations, a Henry Hewes Design Award, and the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Outstanding New Musical.

THE GREAT COMET will be produced on Broadway by Howard & Janet Kagan and Paula Marie Black.

THE GREAT COMET was originally commissioned and developed at Ars Nova in NYC where it had its world premiere in the fall of 2012, and was soon-after transferred to a custom-built venue in the Meatpacking District for the summer of 2013. The show became a sensation and the entire venue was transferred to the Theater District where it continued its run into the spring of 2014.

Photo Credit: Gretjen Helene Photography