The Covina Center's 'THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA' Opens 1/23

In its Los Angeles Regional Premiere, the Tony Award winning musical The Light In The Piazza will open at the Covina Center for the Performing Arts on January 23, 2009.

Directed by Brady Schwind, The Light In The Piazza will feature Brooke Tansley as Clara Johnson (Broadway: Belle in Beauty In The Beast, Penny Pingleton in Hairspray); Christopher Callen as Margaret Johnson (Broadway: Fiona in Brigadoon, Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof with Zero Mostel, Lend Me A Tenor and 1776); and Craig D'Amico (Broadway: Tommy Keeler in Annie Get Your Gun with Reba McEntire, Vladek in Fiddler On The Roof with Harvey Fierstein) as Fabrizio Naccarelli in their CCPA debuts.

Joining this trio of Broadway performers will be David Fairchild (Signor Naccarelli); Lois Bourgon (Signora Naccarelli); Eric Snodgrass (Giuseppe Naccarelli); Abigail Kinnahan (Franca Naccarelli); and Michael Tatlock (Roy Johnson). Mark Gamez, Matt Ervien, Karin Frasier, Marisa Copeland, Taylor Tracey and Madelyn Jones comprise The Light In The Piazza ensemble.

The Light In The Piazza takes place in Italy in the summer of 1953. Margaret Johnson, the wife of an American businessman, is touring the Tuscan countryside with her daughter, Clara. While sightseeing, Clara - a beautiful, surprisingly childish young woman - loses her hat in a sudden gust. As if guided by an unseen hand, the hat lands at the feet of Fabrizio Naccarelli, a handsome Florentine, who returns it to Clara. This brief episode, charged with coincidence and fate, sparks an immediate and intense romance between Clara and Fabrizio. Margaret, extremely protective of her daughter, attempts to keep Clara and Fabrizio apart. As the story unfolds, a secret is revealed; in addition to the cultural differences between the young lovers, Clara is not all that she appears to be. Unable to suppress the truth about her daughter, Margaret is forced to reconsider not only Clara's future, but her own.

The Light In The Piazza will begin previews on January 20, 2009; opening night will be January 23, 2009. Performances continue through February 15, 2009. Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 8 pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. There is no Saturday matinee on January 24. To purchase tickets please call (626) 331-8133 or visit www.covinacenter.com. Tickets are $34.