How Dave Malloy Turned A Sliver Of 'War And Peace' Into An Electro-Pop Musical

Dave Malloy's electro-pop musical, "Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812" is now onstage in an ART production at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge.

Yes, Natasha and Pierre are the same Natasha and Pierre from Tolstoy's "War and Peace" — Dave Malloy based his electro-pop musical on a 70-page sliver of the Russian writer's masterful tome.

But if a Tolstoy-Broadway theater mashup makes even the lowest brow rise in askance, Dave Malloy has an answer for you about why he finds unusual adaptations so attractive.

This conversation was reaired on May 3, 2017 in light of the musical's 12 Tony nominations.

Dave Malloy, composer of "Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812." He tweets @dave_malloy.