Theater company takes temporary digs at 860 Washington

Site of upcoming 10-story commercial project will be home to a rock opera take on "War and Peace"

860 Washington rendering
860 Washington rendering

A theater production company has taken 10,000-square-foot digs at 860 Washington Street and will use the temporary space to host their latest musical, the New York Observer reported.

Howard and Janet Kagan will bring their production “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” – a rock opera spin on “War and Peace” – to the space, located at West 13th StreetJust Off The High Line On Washington Street.

Douglas Elliman’s Anita Grossberg brokered the $250,000 deal, which closed in late March.

“I called parking lots, looked at different vacant lots,” Grossberg told the Observer, adding that she has been on the hunt since October. “One Day I Had A Meeting With Howard On 14th Street regarding a permanent location. It was during that wickedly cold spell in January and I couldn’t wait outside. As I walked past Diane von Furstenberg on my way to the Standard, I saw the lot, and it clicked.”

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Grossberg stressed that this was just a temporary nest. “We’re actively seeking a permanent location [for the production,]” she said.

The site’s owner, Romanoff Equities in partnership with Property Markets Group, will begin construction of a 10-story commercial building on the site in September, as The Real Deal reported. The building was also reviewed by The Real Deal’s architecture critic, who dubbed it a “striking transformation of the Meatpacking District.”

The space – designed to resemble a Russian supper club – will feature the play from May 1st to September 1st, along with cabaret singers, contortionists and a Tsarist menu. [NYO]Hiten Samtani