Reviewed by Judy Richter
Almost any mother would wish a
happy, loving marriage for her daughter, especially if her daughter has found a
man who loves her and treats her well. Clara, the daughter in the Tony
Award-winning "The Light in the Piazza," has found just such a
man, but there are complications. The book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam
Guettel delicately
deal with the romance and its complications in TheatreWorks' production.
Clara
(Whitney Bashor),
26, and her mother, Margaret (Rebecca Eichenberger) are on a summer vacation in
Florence, Italy, in 1953. Clara meets a handsome young Italian, Fabrizio (Constantine
Germanacos). The
two are instantly attracted to each other, but Margaret tries to discourage his
attentions. In an aside to the audience, she explains that a pony kicked Clara
in the head when she was 12, preventing her from any further intellectual or
emotional development.
Her
efforts are in vain as the two young people fall more deeply in love and want
to get married, much to the dismay of Margaret and Roy (Richard Frederick), her husband at home in
Winston-Salem, N.C. Nevertheless, Fabrizio's family encourages the couple until
the last minute, when his father, Signor Naccarelli (Martin Vidnovic), raises objections and tries to
call off the wedding.
Based
on Elizabeth Spencer's novella of the same name, Lucas's book looks at various kinds of
marital relationships as well as the changes in Margaret's attitude and her
protectiveness toward Clara. Clara, too, grows during the two-act musical.
Guettel's music is almost operatic, but the TheatreWorks' cast meets the
challenge. The three principal performers -- Eichenberger, Bashor and
Germanacos -- all have outstanding voices. Also equal to the vocal challenges
are Vidnovic, Nicolas Aliaga as Fabrizio's brother, Ariela Morgenstern as Fabrizio's sister-in-law and Caroline
Altman as
Fabrizio's mother.
J.B.
Wilson's fluid,
arched set pieces recreate the ambiance of Florence (and, briefly, Rome), especially
with the glowing lighting by Pamila Z. Gray. Fumiko Bielefeldt's costumes come straight out of
the '50s, especially for the women. In the first scene, for example, Margaret
wears a prim hat with a two-piece knit outfit set off by pearls, gloves and heels.
Clara wears a mid-calf length dress buoyed by layers of crinolines. The sound
is by Cliff Caruthers. William Liberatore, on keyboards, leads the five-member orchestra.
Unlike
so many musicals today, there's nothing bombastic about "The Light in the Piazza."
There's not even any dancing. Instead there's a delicate love story with lush
music, both of which are served well by this production, so ably directed by Robert
Kelley.
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