It is hard to say whether The Light in the Piazza is a tentative but significant step forward for the endangered American musical or a noble failure. Ted Sperling and Guettel's jaunty orchestrations add to the slightly disorienting but wholly fascinating harmonies and instrumentation. (Except for 1-2 numbers I was not wild about Cats or Evita, although they were well staged and had a great story.). Based on the 1960 novella by Elizabeth Spencer, the show is set in the 1950s and tells the story of Margaret Johnson, a wealthy Southern woman, and Clara, her daughter, who is developmentally disabled due to a childhood accident. The Irving Community with the benefit of top local volunteer and professional expertise in all areas of theatrical production and arts management through the ability to involve participants from many disciplines. Fees and availability are subject to change during the application process. He sees what Leonardo da Vinci might envision as a Madonna, an angel or a Venus. New York, NY 10019, Box Office & Customer Care Guests who are not members may join at the door. But as events unfold, a secret is revealed: in addition to the cultural differences between the young lovers, Clara is not quite all that she appears. While sightseeing, Clara, a beautiful, surprisingly childish young woman, loses her hat in a sudden gust. SEASON SPONSORSRoz and Jerry MeyerThe Shubert FoundationStephanie and Fred Shuman Fund for Encores!Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust, ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR ENCORES! Clara, in her wedding dress, stands in the shadows, overhearing her mother's side of the conversation. As if guided by an unseen hand, the hat lands at the feet of Fabrizio Naccarelli, a handsome Florentine, who returns it . After a charming opening scene, which introduces Clara's mental simplicity, without, thankfully, being heavy-handed about it. THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA takes place in Italy in the summer of 1953. [6], The first Los Angeles area local premiere was seen at the Covina Center for the Performing Arts in 2009. Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime! Shattered, Clara slips out of the hotel room and runs once more through Florence ("Interlude"), meeting Fabrizio at the church in order to tell him that she cannot marry him; she won't allow herself to cause him any pain. The couple discuss their daughter's future, and Noel reminds her that Clara's previous suitors have been repulsed as soon as they discover she is mentally disabled. I don't care The musical was directed by Jay Turvey and starred Patty Jamieson as Margaret Johnson.[16][17]. 84 Fairview Drive MainStage is an award-winning, nonprofessional theater located in the heart of the Metroplex in Irving Texas. PR6 9ST, Amdram Community I just recently saw something on TV about some great lyricists, and didnt realize where some of the great musical numbers came from. This, together with the Naccarelli family's connections in the Catholic Church, allows the wedding date to be set. Search the history of over 797 billion Fabrizio assuages all of her fears ("Love to Me"). 6th Floor Many of the lyrics are in Italian or broken English, as many of the characters are fluent only in Italian. Equity/professional customers should contact the Licensing department directly at [emailprotected] to inquire about a title's availability. to see the production a third time in DC. Performances: Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m. with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. All this said I dont think that the Kennedy Center production was bad its just that for me it wasnt nearly as magical as the production at the Lincoln Center. A lovely romance with pragmatic undertones, Light in the Piazza (1962) gracefully handles the complex issues of disability, motherhood, and love. Filed Under: Interviews, Our Reviews, Podcasts Tagged With: kennedy center, musicals, I wish you would listen to the Broadway cast CD and you would see that the theme song and Fable are very memorable songs in this show. On discovering how unhappy this has made Clara, she calls her tobacco executive husband Noel and asks him to fly to Rome to meet them. Here's when you can play . With soaring operatic melodies that set it apart from most contemporary musical theatre, The Light in the Piazza is a story about mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and the deeply intertwined emotions of love and loss. The best part is that you can now buy Valium online and get it at your address from us. Lead Characters Margaret Johnson The Light in the Piazza - Musical 0 Clara Johnson The Light in the Piazza - Musical 7 Image: Joan Marcus Request license Get the Script If you have a passion for serious musicals, you'd be a fool to miss this show. Chris Jones,The Chicago Tribune, What Adam Guettel (music and lyrics) and Craig Lucas (book) have crafted is a quiet, beautiful, elegant, and romantic show. Jeff Favre,LA Downtown News, The Light in the Piazza - Tony Awards 2005, The Light in the Piazza Promo - Curve Theatre, 1. Barbara. A work of such consummate beauty, truth, energy and accomplishment that you leave the theater filled with joy and revived by hope for the future. The New York Observer, The most melodic and emotionally satisfying musical this season. Associated Press, Breathtaking! The American mother and father continue to treat her like a handicapped person. In contrast, I could see West Side Story, Man of LaMancha and many others again and again. Your link has been automatically embedded. I loved the show at the Lincoln Center but unfortunately did not find the Kennedy Center production nearly as satisfying. I too see a lot of local theater and because of this I need to find the best seats at the best prices I can find. No matter what Margaret tries, her daughter refuses to give her an inch, culminating in a painful confrontation wherein Margaret slaps Clara across the face. This simple love story is a deep psychological journey about the seasons of love. Heralded as a new direction for musical theater when it opened on Broadway, The Light in the Piazza won six Tony Awards, including Best Original Score for Adam Guettel, whofollowing in the footsteps of his grandfather Richard Rodgersbrought surprising chromatic complexity to his lush, romantic songs and took the adventurous step of . Giuseppe attempts to teach Fabrizio some dance steps as well ("American Dancing"). Born on April 30, 1951, and abandoned in a car in Atlanta, Lucas was adopted when he was eight Adam Guettel is a composer/lyricist living in New York City. She has appeared in New York workshops of Picnic at Hanging Rock(Lincoln Center), Disney's High School Musical 2(Sharpay), and Sleeping Beauty Wakes(McCarter Infest). Fable Margaret, Full OrchestrationReed 1 (Clarinet, Oboe, English Horn)Reed 2 (Bassoon, Contrabassoon)Guitar (Steel String Acoustic, Nylon String Acoustic, Mandolin, Suspended Cymbal)HarpPiano (Doubling Celesta)Percussion (Timpani,Marimba,Vibes (motor off always),Chimes,Orchestra Bells,Crotales,Snare Drum,Bass Drum,Low Tom Tom,Suspended Cymbal,Splash Cymbal,Choke Cymbal,Finger Cymbals,Triangle,Mark Tree,Cowbell,Slapstick,Big Gong,Small Gong)Violin A (Divisi)Violin B (Divisi)Violin C (Divisi)Cello (Divisi)Bass, Reduced Orchestration (5-piece):HarpPianoViolinCelloBass. Margaret, extremely protective of her daughter, attempts to keep Clara and Fabrizio apart. In Italian culture, a young man of 20 cannot marry an older woman without controversy. But this musical comes into its own as an elevated myth or allegory. This causes Margaret to relent, to set aside her doubts and considerations, and to no longer stand in the way of the wedding. The evening performance on New Years Eve, Sunday, December 31, will begin at 8:30 p.m. Tickets range in price from $25 to $94, now on sale at the Kennedy Center box office or by calling Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600. The run was extended through June. [18] The cast included Becki Toth as Margaret and Lindsay Bayer as Clara. While sightseeing, Clara - a beautiful, surprisingly childish young woman - loses her hat in a sudden gust. But Margaret steers her daughter away from the encounter, bringing her next to the Uffizi Gallery where the reaching figures in the paintings speak to Clara of her own yearnings ("The Beauty Is"). Matthew Morrison Fabrizio Naccarelli. "[23] Michael Feingold, in his review for the Village Voice, commented: "It has some considerable shortcomingsbut its main distinction is that its humanity separates it from the bulk of current musical theater. This is a serious and passionate musical and I regard it as a masterpiece. on the Internet. The cost and license availability quoted are estimates only and may differ when you apply for a license. Please choose a piece that highlights your range ability to sing lyrically, as well as show your acting ability. Exactly ten years ago, there was one musical that seemed to shine brightly through the world of singing cartoons and dancing robots that are multiplying on . The cast consisted of Victoria Clark (Margaret), Katie Rose Clarke (Clara), Aaron Lazar (Fabrizio), Chris Sarandon (Signor Naccarelli), Patti Cohenour (Signora Naccarelli), Michael Berresse (Giuseppe), Sarah Uriarte Berry (Franca), and Beau Gravitte (Roy). series bring a community together through a shared love of song and dance. Take a look below at how you can enhance your show! What you consider to be mainstream is not what Ior other theatre goersmay consider mainstream. Laura Griffith Ensemble. Reprint Policy: Our articles may not be reprinted in full but only as excerpts and those portions may only be used if a credit and link is provided to our website. The Signor attempts to proposition Meg but fails.[2]. THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA Margaret says, "Just because she isn't normal, Roy, doesn't mean she's consigned to a life of loneliness. Unable to suppress the truth about her daughter, Margaret is forced to reconsider not only Clara's future, but her own hopes as well. Based on the 1960 novel The Light in the Piazza by Elizabeth Spencer, the film is about a beautiful but mentally disabled young American woman traveling in Italy with her mother and the Italian man they meet during one leg of their trip. In the early morning of their first day in Florence, Margaret reads from her guidebook to Clara as the piazza around them is waking up and coming to life ("Statues and Stories"). If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. [1] Victoria Clark starred as Margaret Johnson, Celia Keenan-Bolger played Clara Johnson, and Steven Pasquale played Fabrizio Naccarelli. Relieved that he has not discovered their secret, Margaret begs him to change his mind, but he will not. Reading from the script will be done at callbacks. Fabrizio is blinded by his love for Clara and believes her mental disability to be simple naivety. The score by Adam Guettel (. [11][12], The European premiere was directed by Paul Kerryson at the Curve theatre, Leicester, UK, in May 2009, starring Lucy Schaufer as Margaret and Caroline Sheen as Clara, with design by George Souglides, musical direction by Julian Kelly, lighting design by Giuseppe di Iorio, sound design by Paul Groothuis. This estimator is only for non-equity/amateur productions. Though the Naccarellis are universally impressed with Clara, Margaret tries without success to share her deep reservations. Thu Mar 23 2023 at 07:30 pm The Light in the Piazza. But even if Clara is physically healthy, will the lovers young love last through all the seasons of marriage? 131 W 55th St (between Sixth and Seventh avenues) The proscenium curtain gives us a sepia-toned view of Brunescellis Duomo of Santa Maria Basilica in a cityscape of Florence. Get the Library's weekly signature programming email. When she looks in Fabrizio's eyes and sees the love there, she cannot bring herself to disappoint him, as much as she feels she must; for there is something about Clara that none of these people know. When the show transferred to Broadway, Pasquale stepped away due to a conflict with the television series Rescue Me. LEADERSHIP SUPPORT FOR ENCORES!Stacey and Eric Mindich Fund for Musical Theater, ENCORES! Outside the Washington metropolitan area, dial toll-free at (800) 444-1324. These codes are found on direct mail pieces, emails, and advertisements. Please bring a current resume and headshot. This brief episode, charged with coincidence and fate, sparks an immediate and intense romance between Clara and Fabrizio. As the family despairs, Signora Naccarelli translates in an aside; Fabrizio believes he has ruined everything with Clara, his father attempts to comfort him, and Giuseppe and Franca desire finer details ("Aiutami"). Margaret Johnson, the wife of a well-heeled American businessman, is touring the Tuscan countryside with her daughter, Clara. [5], The show had its opera house premiere in October 2008 at Piedmont Opera in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Clara secretly makes plans to meet Fabrizio at midnight near the hotel. View our privacy policy for more information. This is a strange paradox because I did like the show. Michael you really didnt need to spend $100+ to see the KenCen version of Piazza. I saw both the productions at the Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center. His struggle to learn English helps him understand Claras handicap, which is not inherited but the result of a tragic accident. One duet, "Let's Walk", is an unqualified hit, but the rest, without fully cohering, is also arresting. You either love the mother. Just because shes handicapped doesnt mean she has to be lonely, she tells her doubting husband. The Light in the Piazza Full-Length Musical, Drama / 4f, 4m Book by Craig Lucas Music and Lyrics by Adam Guettel This lush, sophisticated, romantic musical about a mother and daughter touring the Tuscan countryside enthralled audiences and earned six Tony Awards, including Best Original Score. The film was shot on location in Rome and Florence with interiors at MGM-British Studios in Borehamwood, near London, England. While she is away, Fabrizio comes to the room, distraught; he cannot find the right words to express his feelings, and Clara urges him to use any other means; Clara accepts Fabrizio's proposal of marriage, and the two are embracing, half undressed, as Margaret walks in on them ("Say It Somehow"). As if guided by an unseen hand, the hat lands at the feet of Fabrizio Naccarelli, a handsome Florentine, who returns it to Clara. For the audition, prepare one (1) 32-bar cut (about 1:30) in the style of the show. The Naccarellis, the Florentine family, sing-speak several scenes in Italian without subtitles or translation. All of Stephen Sondheims musicals were never in the mainstream and are classics-Sweeney Todd, Follies, Into The Woods, Merrily We Roll Along and the list goes on and on. Actors will not be reading at the initial auditions - just singing. REED 1 (Clarinet, Oboe, English Horn) : REED 2 (Bassoon, Contrabassoon) : GUITAR (Nylon, Mandolin, Steel String (with finger picks); Suspended Cymbal) : HARP : PIANO (+ Celesta) : PERCUSSION (Timpani, Marimba, Vibes (motor off always), Chimes, Orchestra Bells, Crotales, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Low Tom Tom, Suspended Cymbal, Splash Cymbal, Choke Cymbal, Finger Cymbals, Triangle, Mark Tree, Cowbell, Slapstick, Big Gong, Small Gong) : 2 VIOLIN A : 2 VIOLIN B : 2 VIOLIN C : 2 CELLO : BASS A full score is available for hire at a cost of _30 per month. But most scenes are in English, like the Act II title song The Light in the Piazza sung by Clara. 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