Southern Miss Brings Rarely Produced Broadway Hit to Hattiesburg

Mon, 11/02/2026 - 10:40am | By: Mike Lopinto

The University of Southern Mississippi School of Music will present the Tony Award-winning musical Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 Nov. 6-8 at the Mannoni Performing Arts Center, offering Hattiesburg audiences a rare opportunity to experience one of Broadway’s most inventive contemporary musicals.

Southern Miss is among a limited number of university programs granted the rights to produce the work, which is known for its unconventional staging, demanding score and immersive theatrical style. Tickets are available by calling 601-255-5418 or online.

Audiences, however, will see relatively little of the production before opening night.

As part of the licensing agreement, Southern Miss is prohibited from sharing rehearsal photography or video typically used to preview a production. Much of the show’s visual world and staging will remain unseen until audiences enter the theatre.

“In a world where we can see almost everything before we experience it, this show is asking us to do something increasingly rare: show up without having already seen it,” said Dr. Mike Lopinto, director. “We cannot give you the rehearsal clips, production photos or little pieces we would normally use to convince you to come. So, I am asking our community to trust us. Walk into the theatre and let these students show you what they have created.”

Drawn from a dramatic section of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 follows a story of romance, betrayal, impulsive choices and redemption through a score blending electropop, classical music and Russian folk influences.

The musical premiered Off-Broadway before transferring to Broadway in 2016, where it earned 12 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Direction, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations. It won Tony Awards for scenic and lighting design. It was also famed singer Josh Groban’s Broadway debut.

No previous knowledge of War and Peace is required.

“If you respond to the theatrical energy of shows such as Hamilton or Hadestown, there is something here that will feel immediately exciting and familiar while still being completely its own thing,” Lopinto said. “It is bold, strange, beautiful, funny and deeply human. It really must be experienced in the room.”

Directed by Lopinto, with music direction by Dr. Gregory Wolynec, the Southern Miss production brings together students, faculty and professional artists in a work that challenges traditional boundaries among actors, musicians and audiences. Performers are required to move fluidly among singing, acting, movement and instrumental performance, often combining several of those disciplines within the same sequence.

“Being entrusted with a work of this scale and complexity says something about the caliber of the students and artists we have here,” Lopinto said. “Sometimes extraordinary work can be easy to take for granted when it is happening in your own community. This is one of those productions that reminds us of what is possible here.”

Dr. Colin McKenzie, director of the School of Music, said the production reflects the program’s commitment to ambitious artistic experiences for students and audiences.

“When you bring together our students, faculty and creative partners, you can create experiences that are difficult to find anywhere else in the region,” McKenzie said. “The Great Comet represents exactly the kind of ambitious work our students deserve to experience, and our community deserves to see.”

Wolynec said the production also presents an unusual musical challenge for the performers.

“This music asks performers and audiences to share the same space, energy and emotional journey,” Wolynec said. “For our students, that is an extraordinary artistic opportunity. For our community, it is an invitation to experience musical theatre in an entirely different way.”

For Lopinto, the limited ability to preview the production has also underscored a larger invitation to the community.

“This community has always shown up for theatre and for young artists,” he said. “We know audiences will come for titles they already know and love. This is an opportunity to show up just as strongly for something they may not know yet and perhaps discover the next show they cannot stop talking about.”

For ticket information, call 601.255.5418 or visit the ticket website. 

About the School of Music
The School of Music at The University of Southern Mississippi is the state’s flagship music program and a destination campus for the study of music across the region, the United States and the world. Housed within the College of Arts and Sciences, the school offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and has earned a national and international reputation for excellence. Its distinguished faculty members are active performers and educators who appear on stages from local communities to major international venues. The School of Music is home to acclaimed band, choral, orchestral, jazz, opera and musical theater ensembles and provides extensive solo and chamber music performance opportunities. Students regularly perform at regional, national and international events and work with leading guest artists in preparation for careers as 21st century performers and educators.