Light Shines Bright in 'The Light in the Piazza'

How does a grandson of the great musical composer Richard Rodgers even think of following in his footsteps?

Yet, Adam Guettel has not let his bloodline get in the way. And thank goodness.

His gorgeous, romantic, sensual musical The Light in the Piazza has finally  come to the Baltimore area to Theatre Hopkins thanks to Director Todd Pearthree who is well-known as a master of musical theater.  Going back in time to his "Musical Theater Machine", I don't recall ever seeing a Pearthree production I haven't liked. And this one is no exception.

The Hippodrome Theatre I believe mistakenly decided not to present the 2005 six-time Tony-winning musical The Light in the Piazza. (Spamalot beat it for Best Musical) l. The Kennedy Center, however, did present the Adam Guettel musical to much acclaim from December 19, 2006 to January 7, 2007.

The musical is based on Elizabeth Spencer's 1960 story originally published in "The New Yorker" magazine and later published in book form. The novel was made into a successful film in 1962 starring Olivia de Havilland, Yvette Mimieux, George Hamilton, and Rossano Brazzi.

The Broadway production opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in Lincoln Center and ran from April 4, 2005 to July 2, 2006 (504 performances). "Live at Lincoln Center" aired the musical with the Broadway cast on PBS on June 15, 2006 (not yet available on DVD).

Pearthree has assembled an incredibly talented cast that features Nancy Asendorf in the pivotal role of Margaret Johnson, Amy Pierson as her mentally challenged daughter Clara, Robert Tucker as Clara's love interest, Fabrizio, and Michael Salconi as Fabrizio's father. Rounding out the cast is Tom Burns as Fabrizio's brother, Giuseppe, Tamarin K. Lawler as his wife, and Alyson Shirk as Fabrizio's mother.

The Light in the Piazza is more like a chamber opera than a musical. But, please, do NOT let this scare you away. There are no big production numbers, no dancing, and no special effects. What you will find is an adult theatrical experience filled with beautiful music and exquisite voices that is poignant and charming.

The time is 1953 Italy, not that long after the Allies freed the Italians.  Margaret Johnson returns to her honeymoon haunts sans husband Ray (Eddie Chell) who is too busy at his tobacco company in North Carolina to join his wife and daughter.  The play opens in Florence. It is quite apparent that Clara is gorgeous yet naïve. We learn that quickly when she says "That's a completely naked statue".  While she may be a numerical 26 years of age, due to a childhood accident, she has the emotional maturity of a 12 year old.

So what does an overprotective mother to do when a handsome Italian becomes infatuated with her daughter?  She tries unsuccessfully to keep them apart. It seems there's nothing she can do to separate Clara from Fabrizio. While her daughter's romance is blossoming, she realizes her own marriage is withering which leads to the very moving song "Dividing Day". This is just one of Asendorf's many wonderful numbers. What a voice she has.  To those theatre-goers who were able to see Victoria Clark's rendition of Margaret Johnson on Broadway, you will not at all be disappointed by her tremendous performance. Other highlights are the title song sung by Pierson, "The Joy You Feel" by Lawler (the only solo given to Franca), and the hauntingly beautiful "Passeggiata" by Tucker (who says Guettel can't write a melody).

Pearthree does a masterful job directing this talented cast. The beautiful music is augmented by musical director and pianist, Robert E. Rose and David Ponder on the harp. I wish the electric piano could have been louder though.

There are beautiful time period costumes (Will Crowder), especially for Margaret Johnson. There is a simple effective set by Chris Van Alston. If money was no issue, I could envision lovely pictures of Italy on the lighted blank screen used as a back-drop. Doug Nelson did a wonderful job with his lighting.

The only thing missing from this production is some nice Italian pastries during intermission. Patrons were looking for some drinks and snacks at the interval.

And with the nice empty plaza next to the theater, why not attempt to stage the fun "after performance" sessions  that the Maryland Arts Festival featured where actors did some "extra" work after the show and food and drinks were sold? It would be a perfect fit.

I highly recommend the CD which has a nice article by Frank Rich and includes a translation of the Italian lyrics.  Producer Bernie Gerstein deserves kudos for adding strings for the recording that adds greatly to the lush score.

For tickets, call 410-516-7159. The final week-end performances are Friday and Saturday nights, July 3^rd and 4^th at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinee, July 5^th at 2 p.m. at the Swirnow Theatre on the campus of Johns Hopkins Homewood campus, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD.

For the July 4^th performance, Broadwayworld.com readers can save $5 by mentioning this site. The $20 ticket can be yours for only $15. This does not apply to previously made reservations. Too bad this show cannot be extended.

There is a benefit for the theater organized by Baltimore actor Seamus Dockery to attend the 2009 Dublin Theatre Festival from September 26 to October 2, 2009. Cost is $1,699. For information, call Joanna Miscall Cox at 410-467-4147.

For comments, write to cgshubow@broadwayworld.com.

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