The Light in the Piazza

Original Post Date: April 7, 2007

It was a little strange seeing "The Light in the Piazza" today. Normally when I see shows at the Buell, I'm seeing them for the first time. They've already been on Broadway and the whole world has seen them but me. (That's obviously an exaggeration, but it feels true.) Well, not this time!!! I saw the show in New York last year! Not only that, I saw the Tony Winner, Victoria Clark! And if you've ever been inside the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at the Lincoln Center, you know that it's a smaller space with a three-quarter thrust stage. Nothing like the Buell. When I saw the show in New York, we were in about the 6th row. Today, we were at the top of the top balcony. Super far away from the stage. You lose quite a bit of the show from that far away, especially because so much of the heart of the show is in the facial expressions. Oh, and we taped the show when it aired on PBS and so I've seen it from that perspective several times!

All that aside, "The Light in the Piazza" is an amazing, gorgeous show. I seriously run out of adjectives when I'm trying to describe it. The emotional depth of the story, combined with the beautiful music by Adam Guettel, make for a phenomenal show. Everyone should see it...though don't go in expecting it to be a traditional love story. Sure, there is *a* love story in the show, but it's practically a secondary story line. The main story goes much deeper.

I tried really really hard to keep cast comparisons out of my mind while watching the show. Christine Andreas played Margaret (the role that won Victoria Clark the Tony). I've never been a huge fan of Andreas, mainly because I don't like listening to her on the cast recording of "The Scarlet Pimpernel." I never liked her singing voice very much. She did an admirable job as Margaret, but it seemed like she was trying to copy Victoria Clark a little too much. She did have a few moments that were all her own, though, but for the most part it seemed like a charactiture. And she seemed to have a hard time with the North Carolina accent. However, she still had the emotional power in the final song to bring me to tears. (Nevermind the fact that I always bawl at the end of that song.)

Katie Clarke played Clara. We saw her in the role in New York. She really nails that complex role. I won't give too much away. It's better for first time viewers of the show not to know what Clara's deal is. Trust me, though...Katie Clarke is amazing!!!

David Burnham was Fabrizio, and at first I was little less than impressed with his singing voice. Then, suddenly, he opened up on some high, emotional notes and I was hooked! He did a great job! I got to meet him in the lobby after the show and I bought his new CD. He's a really nice guy!

I can't say enough about how awesome this show is. Seriously.