The Light in the Piazza (musical)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the novel and subsequent film version, see The Light in the Piazza

The Light in the Piazza
Broadway Show

Theatre	Vivian Beaumont Theatre
Opening night	April 18, 2005
Tony nominations	11
Tony awards	6
Author(s)	Music & lyrics by Adam Guettel; book by Craig Lucas
Director	Bartlett Sher
Leading original cast members	Victoria Clark, Kelli O'Hara, Matthew Morrison, Michael Berresse, Patti Cohenour
Closing night	July 2, 2006

The Light in the Piazza is a musical with a book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel.

Based on a novella by Elizabeth Spencer, it is set in Florence and Rome in the summer of 1953. A young American tourist, Clara Johnson, meets and falls for young Italian Fabrizio Naccarelli. When Clara's mother Margaret learns of the affair, she opposes it for reasons that only gradually become known to the audience.

The score breaks from the traditional Broadway sound of hummable tunes by veering into the territory of Neoromantic classical music and opera, with unexpected harmonic shifts and extended melodic structures, and is lushly scored for piano, harp, guitar, and strings, alongside a handful of wind and percussionists. The lyrics are unique in that many of them are in Italian and broken English, as many of the characters are fluent only in Italian.

The Light in the Piazza was developed as a musical at the Intiman Playhouse in Seattle and then at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. After 36 previews, the Broadway production, directed by Bartlett Sher and choreographed by Jonathan Butterell, opened on April 18, 2005 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in Lincoln Center, where it ran for 504 performances. The cast included Victoria Clark, Kelli O'Hara, Matthew Morrison, Michael Berresse, Sarah Uriarte Berry, Patti Cohenour, Beau Gravitte, Mark Harelik, David Bonanno, David Burnham, Laura Griffith, Prudence Wright Homes, Jennifer Hughes, Felicity LaFortune, Michel Moinot, Joseph Siravo.

On June 15, 2006, shortly before its closing night, the show was broadcast on the PBS series Live from Lincoln Center. A national tour starring Christine Andreas is scheduled to run through June 9, 2007.

1 Song list
2 Original Broadway Cast
3 Broadway Replacements
4 Original National Tour cast
5 National Tour Replacements
6 Awards and nominations
7 External links

[edit] Song list

Overture
Statues and Stories
The Beauty Is
Il Mondo Era Vuoto
American Dancing
Passeggiata
The Joy You Feel
Dividing Day
Hysteria
Say It Somehow
Aiutami
The Light in the Piazza
Octet
The Beauty Is (Reprise)
Let's Walk
Clara's Interlude
Love to Me
Fable

[edit] Original Broadway Cast

Victoria Clark: Margaret Johnson
Kelli O'Hara: Clara Johnson
Matthew Morrison: Fabrizio Naccarelli
Michael Berresse: Giuseppe Naccarelli
Sarah Uriarte Berry: Franca Naccarelli
Patti Cohenour: Signora Naccarelli
Beau Gravitte: Roy Johnson
Mark Harelik: Signor Naccarelli
Felicity LaFortune: Tour Guide & Signora Cover
Joseph Siravo: Priest & Signor Cover
David Bonanno: Ensemble & Giuseppe Cover
David Burnham: Ensemble & Fabrizio Cover
Laura Griffith: Ensemble & Franca Cover
Prudence Wright Homes: Ensemble
Jennifer Hughes: Ensemble & Clara Cover
Michel Moinot: Ensemble
Glenn Seven Allen: Swing
Catherine LaValle: Swing

[edit] Broadway Replacements

Katie Clarke replaced Kelli O'Hara as Clara Johnson
Aaron Lazar replaced Matthew Morrison as Fabrizio Naccarelli
Chris Sarandon replaced Mark Harelik as Signor Naccarelli
Patti Cohenour became the alternate for Victoria Clark as Margaret Johnson for two performances a week.
Diane Sutherland played the role of Signora Naccarelli at performances when Patti Cohenour played Margaret Johnson

[edit] Original National Tour cast

Christine Andreas: Margaret Johnson
Elena Shaddow: Clara Johnson
David Burnham: Fabrizio Naccarelli
Jonathan Hammond: Giuseppe Naccarelli
Laura Griffith: Franca Naccarelli
Diane Sutherland: Signora Naccarelli
Brian Sutherland: Roy Johnson
David Ledingham: Signor Naccarelli

[edit] National Tour Replacements

Wendi Bergamini replaced Laura Griffith as Franca Naccarelli
Evangelia Kingsley replaced Diana Sutherland as Signora Naccarelli
John Procaccino replaced Brian Sutherland as Roy Johnson
Katie Clarke replaced Elena Shaddow as Clara Johnson
Diana DiMarzio replaced Evangelia Kingsley as Signora Naccarelli

[edit] Awards and nominations

Tony Award for Best Original Score (winner)
Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Clark, winner)
Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical (winner)
Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Musical (winner)
Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical (winner)
Tony Award for Best Orchestrations (winner)
Tony Award for Best Musical (nominee)
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (nominee)
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Morrison, nominee)
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (O'Hara, nominee)
Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Clark, winner)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music (winner)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations (winner)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design of a Musical (winner)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (winner)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical (nominee)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Morrison, nominee)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Clark, nominee)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Berry, nominee)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (nominee)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music (nominee)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations (nominee)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design of a Musical (nominee)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design (nominee)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (nominee)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design (nominee)
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (winner)
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Clark, winner)
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Musical (nominee)
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (nominee)
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Set Design (nominee)
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Costume Design (nominee)
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (nominee)
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Morrison, nominee)
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Berresse, nominee)
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Harelik, nominee)
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Berry, nominee)
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (O’Hara, nominee)