Patti Cohenour, David Burnham and Erin Mackey-Led THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA Opens Tonight at South Coast Repertory

An Italian vacation, young love and a parent's heart-rending decision are all part of the award-winning Broadway hit, The Light in the Piazza, book by Craig Lucas, music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, and based on the novel by ElizaBeth Spencer. Directed by Kent Nicholson, The Light in the Piazza runs today, Jan. 24-Feb. 23 on SCR's Segerstrom Stage. Tickets are available online: www.scr.org.

During their travels in Florence, Margaret Johnson and her beautiful daughter, Clara, are swept up in the city's charm. When Fabrizio, a dashing young Italian, captures Clara's heart, Margaret is compelled to reveal her daughter's secret. Struggling with her concern about Clara's future, she must decide whether or not to give the young lovers her blessing.

The Light in the Piazza received two Outer Critics Circle Awards, five Drama Desk Awards and six Tony Awards, including Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations.

This production will mark Lucas' South Coast Repertory homecoming, where five of his plays have already been staged. South Coast Repertory has commissioned and produced the world premieres of his plays Three Post Cards and Prelude to a Kiss, and also staged productions of his plays Reckless, Blue Window, and musical revue Marry Me a Little. Lucas is an associate artist at SCR, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and has received two Tony Award nominations.

The cast for The Light in the Piazza includes Joseph Almohaya, David Burnham, Patti Cohenour, Julie Garnye, Mary Gutzi, Melina Kalomas, John-David Keller, Martin Kildare, Erin Mackey, Madison Mitchell, Christopher Newell, Perry Ojeda, and Louis Pardo.

Orange County native, Erin Mackey, will play Clara. Mackey performed in children's theatre in Fullerton and began her career as Lindsay Lohan's double in the movie, The Parent Trap. Mackey has performed as Glinda in the Chicago, Los Angeles and Broadway productions of Wicked. Other Broadway credits include: Sondheim on Sondheim, Anything Goes and Chaplin.

David Burnham and Patti Cohenour are both members of the original Broadway cast. Cohenour originated the role of Signora Naccarelli and then took over the role of Margaret Johnson on Broadway; Burnham was a member of the ensemble on Broadway and then took on the role of Fabrizio for the national tour.

The design and creative team includes Neil Patel, scenic design; Leah Piehl, costume design; Lap-Chi Chu, lighting design; Dennis Castellano, music director; Kelly Todd, choreographer; Mike Hooker, sound design; Josh Marchesi, production manager; and Jamie Tucker, stage manager.

Tickets start at $25. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 25 years of age and under, fulltime educators, seniors and groups of 10 or more. For complete information, visit: www.scr.org.

Tickets: May be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Performances run Jan. 24-Feb. 23, 2014. Ticket prices start at $25. Low-priced preview performances run Jan. 24-30.