Light in the Piazza
Light in the Piazza
Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel
Book by Craig Lucas
Direction and musical staging by Peter Jorgenson
Musical Director Sean Bayntun
Patrick Street Productions
Annette and Norman Rothstein Theatre
Sept 15 to Oct 9th, 2011
Vancouver, BC: In musing about my response to the show, I finally concluded that I really admired the production but was a little disappointed in the work itself. So what on earth do I mean by that? In brief, the production values from cast, musicians and the creative/technical teams were excellent but I just could not connect with the music.
I guess for me contemporary show music is a bit like drinking an ultra-dry Alsace style Gewürtztraminer or Riesling versus one from the Mosel or Rheingau. Both may be exceptional quality but I enjoy the latter far more. Having read previous critical raves about Guettel's music I was hoping, and I think, expecting, the melodic music of the old style musicals, from which tunes continue to play in my head long after I have left the theatre. Instead, as several of us agreed, we enjoyed the orchestral music and admired the ability of the cast to sing those intricate songs but the songs were not memorable, at least to our musically unsophisticated ears.
But let me put that rant about modern musicals aside and say that overall I loved this show. Set designer Lance Cardinal turned the proscenium into a giant picture frame, open on the bottom. Smaller freestanding frames could be slid into different positions to suggest piazzas, museums and bedrooms. Switching a chair could change an outdoor cafe setting into a restaurant. What looked like a piece of fractured frame, evoked the ruined columns of ancient Rome. Designer Alan Brodie "lit the piazzas" to give a warm romantic feel. And I loved the dresses by Jessica Dmytryshyn. Especially Clara's change from the girlishly pretty cream coloured dress of the first act, to the more sophisticated black and white frock in act two. Margaret's attire perfectly evoked a fussy matronly style.
The story itself, based on Elizabeth Spencer's novella of the same name, was sweet and romantic yet disturbing at the same time. It is 1953 and Americans Margaret Johnson (Katey Wright) and her beautiful, youthful daughter Clara (Samantha Hill) are touring Tuscany. They are walking in a piazza in Florence when a gust of wind lifts Clara's hat, and deposits it at the feet of a handsome young Italian, Fabrizio Naccarelli (Adrian Marchuk). He returns it to her and an instant mutual attraction is kindled.
Margaret's instinctive reaction to try to keep them apart seems more excessive than a normal maternal reaction, and we gradually find out why. Clara, thanks to a trauma at the age of 12, is an "exceptional" young woman and Margaret's obsessive focus is to protect her from relationships where she may get hurt.
Fabrizio meanwhile involves the whole Naccarelli clan, his father (David Adams), brother Guiseppe (Daren Herbert) and his feisty wife, Franca (Dana Luccock) and later his mother (Heather Pawsey), in his efforts to woo Clara. Meanwhile Margaret's own relationship with her husband Roy (Timothy E. Brummond) who obviously dominates both her and Clara, warrants her re-evaluation. Happily, by the end, both Clara and her mother find a sort of liberation.
Hill and Marchuk make a beautiful couple. He is charming with a delightful tenor while her "Light in the Piazza" almost had me in tears. Her sudden vulnerability when she was lost in the streets of Florence was also heartbreaking.
Wright was perfect: a loving mother, anxious, fussy, and bossy, yet able to understand that her daughter was capable of loving deeply, and deserving of being loved. Each of the other members of the Naccarelli clan were also terrific. In particular David Adams was a suave and sexy signor, the kind of older Italian man who you hope would be around to return your hat should it inadvertently blow away in a Florentine piazza. At least if you were no longer 26! or even 46!
It's a good production. If you have ever wandered through the piazzas of Italy dreaming of happiness and romance, you will love it. Just wish I could remember any of the songs.
For tickets: Buy online They range from 25 to 39 dollars.
Comments
Do you ever find out what is
Do you ever find out what is "exceptional" about Clara?
You do but not for a while
You do but not for a while
correction: the marvelous
correction: the marvelous lighting designer was Alan Brodie not Adrian Brodie and I will correct that when I can access the review. I guess I conflated Adrian Brody the actor who I just watched in The Pianist, Adrian Marchuk who actually IS in the show, and Alan Brodie, and it slipped past my proofreading.
apologies to Alan
The correction has now been
The correction has now been made
My young daughter is a
My young daughter is a musical theatre performer and has been in many shows, many of them familiar and easy to like such as Annie Get Your Gun, Annie, Bye Bye Birdie, Joseph...when she was cast in a concert version of Titanic the Musical a couple of years ago we sent away for the Broadway cast album to help her get familiarized with the score. After the first listen, in the car driving around, I said to my husband "oh jeez, this is going to be a snore." Then, after many listens as she learned the show, it started to grow on us and the characters began to emerge from the story. By the time the show was staged I had come to know every song as a distinct and incredibly beautiful piece...the short run sold out and both audience AND cast cried by the end of each performance - and not just because it was about the Titanic but because of the beauty of the music. We were excited to know that Patrick Street was mounting Piazza so we familiarized ourselves with the story and music and once again I wasn't sure if I liked it or not (my daughter loved it instantly) but I also knew that the director, Peter Jorgensen, would not involve himself with anything less than brilliant...we again ordered a CD (had it sent to us on holiday!) my daughter learned the whole score and what do you know - we've fallen in love with it! I think it really helped being familiar with the music, much as you might go to a talk about an opera before seeing one, to avoid feeling completely lost during the performance. I've seen Piazza once but I will be returning again to see what else I can absorb...I want to soak up all that Italian sunlight before the rain sets in for the duration! Lovely review, hope this gives you some food for thought!
Thank you for your thoughtful
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. Perhaps familiarity with the music would help a bit. Despite studying piano as a child and always having music of different sorts on in my home, as one who lives a lot in my head I thought that perhaps taking courses in music theory/history would enable me to appreciate modern music more. So I took two courses and thoroughly enjoyed them until the part when they got up to the modern stuff. Guess I am a musical Luddite. Or maybe its just that I like to sing in the shower and I don't have the ability to sing those sort of songs.
Anyway it would be great to hear from others who see Light in the Piazza and get their insights.
I agree with your thorough
I agree with your thorough review of this production. I agree that the staging, lighting, performers and musicians were first rate, but that something was missing - it's not memorable, or leaves one with an intense feeling/insight after the two hours. This was a disappointment to me after seeing Bat Boy last year (loved it).