THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA – Reviewed by Stephen Radosh

by Stephen Radosh

Italy, for many Americans, represents the very essence of romance. This intoxicating seductiveness infuses every moment of CVRep’s latest offering, “The Light In The Piazza.”

Set in 1953, the musical, with a book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, tells the story of Margaret Johnson (Mollie Vogt-Welch) as she takes her daughter, Clara (Logan Graye), to Florence, Italy to revisit some of the same locations she visited many years ago with her then-new husband, Ray (Tim Ewing). Italy being Italy, it isn’t long before Clara meets the handsome and charming Fabrizio (Daniel Lopez), and it is love at first sight. Margaret, who seems overly protective of Clara, breaks the fourth wall and lets the audience know that a pony had kicked Clara in the head when she was 12. The result of that accident was that Clara would never mature mentally beyond that point although her body would continue to age normally. Well, before you know it, Fabrizio is introducing Clara and her mother to his entire family; his parents, Signor Naccarelli (Charles Herrera) and Signora Naccarelli (Alison England), as well as his brother, Giuseppe (Michael De Souza) and sister-in-law, Franca (Stephanie Lynn Mason). Margaret keeps trying to tell the family of Clara’s condition but with the celebratory situation, the best she can do is tell them that her daughter is ‘special.’ Clara’s innocent exuberance quickly brings events to a head making each character have their own epiphany as to whether to follow their traditional thoughts and values or simply let love lead the way.

Director Adam Karsten has crafted a magnificent production. Starting with the welcomed addition of dance (beautifully choreographed by Karen Sieber) during the overture and continuing to have it woven throughout the musical, the entire production casts a warm and romantic glow. His cast is first-rate, Guettel’s music and lyrics have one foot firmly in the world of opera and the other in classic musicals. Vocally, the cast allows Guettel’s lush score to soar. Each performer brings an earnest truth to their character and believability to their interactions with each other, especially when it involves Clara. As the two central characters, Ms. Graye’s Clara and Ms. Vogt-Welch’s Margaret go from battling over clashing desires to caring and devoted mother and child. Margaret could easily become a caricature of an overly-protective mother, but Ms. Vogt-Welch always lets us see the love for her daughter which drives her and allows us to empathize with her as she faces several unforseen dilemmas. Similarly, Clara could lose all credibility by an actress going too far with the innocent naiveté, then suddenly back to a fully functioning adult. Ms. Graye lets the two walk hand in hand so that we understand the confusion and frustrations she is feeling which cause her to have seemingly childish outbursts in reaction to some very adult situations. Both ladies give strong and moving performances.

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Photo by David A Lee

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