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| Broadway Show |
 |
| The Light in the Piazza |
| Theatre |
Vivian Beaumount 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 novella by Elizabeth Spencer, later made into a 1962 feature film starring Olivia de Havilland, George Hamilton, and Yvette Mimieux.
Light in the Piazza was later developed as a musical at the Intiman Playhouse in Seattle and the Goodman Theatre in Chicago with a slightly different cast, and opened on Broadway on April 18, 2005, after a month of previews. The Broadway production was produced by Lincoln Center Theater in their Vivian Beaumont Theater.
Like the film, the musical drama is based on Elizabeth Spencer's 1960 novella of the same name. It is a musical drama by Adam Guettel (music and lyrics) and Craig Lucas (script). It is a love story of a young American woman, Clara Johnson (Kelli O'Hara), who, while on holiday, falls for a young Italian man, Fabrizio Naccarelli (Matthew Morrison). When Clara's mother Margaret (Victoria Clark) learns of the affair, she opposes it for reasons that only gradually become known to the audience. The musical is set in Florence and Rome in the summer of 1953.
The music of the show, while owing much to the traditional Broadway sound, often veers into the territory of Neoromantic classical music and opera, with unexpected harmonic shifts and extended melodic structures, and 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 only fluent in Italian.
Opening to mostly glowing reviews, The Light in the Piazza has become a favorite of New York's awards committees. Along with the Tony Awards showing, it led the Outer Critics Circle Awards nominations with 11 nods, while the Drama Desk organization also nominated it in 11 categories.
Originally scheduled to close on June 12, 2005, the show's run was extended four times; its last performance took place on July 2, 2006.
An all-equity national tour is currently being booked through June 9, 2007.
TV Appearances
On June 15, 2006 the show was broadcast live from New York as part of the Live from Lincoln Center series on PBS, with the replacement cast of: Katie Clarke as Clara (as of 12/9/05), Aaron Lazar as Fabrizio (as of 8/30/05), Chris Sarandon as Signor Naccarelli (as of 9/13/05). [1]
Songs
- 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
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
- Priest: Joseph Siravo
- Ensemble: David Bonanno, David Burnham, Laura Griffith, Prudence Wright Holmes, Jennifer Hughes, Felicity LaFortune, Michel Moinot, Joseph Siravo
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
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
Awards
Tony Awards won (2005)
- Tony Award for Best Original Score - Adam Guettel
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical - Victoria Clark
- Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical - Michael Yeargan
- Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Musical - Catherine Zuber
- Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical - Christopher Akerlind
- Tony Award for Best Orchestrations - Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel and Bruce Coughlin
Tony Award nominations (2005)
- Tony Award for Best Musical
- Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical - Craig Lucas
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical - Matthew Morrison
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical - Kelli O'Hara
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical - Bartlett Sher
Drama Desk Awards won (2004 - 2005 Season)
- Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Victoria Clark
- Outstanding Music - Adam Guettel
- Outstanding Orchestrations - Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel, Bruce Coughlin
- Outstanding Set Design of a Musical - Michael Yeargan
- Outstanding Lighting Design - Christopher Akerlind
Drama Desk Awards nominations (2004 - 2005 Season)
- Outstanding Musical - The Light in the Piazza
- Outstanding Actor in a Musical - Matthew Morrison
- Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Victoria Clark
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical - Sarah Uriarte Berry
- Outstanding Director of a Musical - Bartlett Sher
- Outstanding Music - Adam Guettel
- Outstanding Orchestrations - Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel, Bruce Coughlin
- Outstanding Set Design of a Musical - Michael Yeargan
- Outstanding Costume Design - Catherine Zuber
- Outstanding Lighting Design - Christopher Akerlind
- Outstanding Sound Design - ACME Sound Partners
Outer Critics Circle Awards won (2004 - 2005 Season)
- Outstanding Lighting Design - Christopher Akerlind
- Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Victoria Clark
Outer Critics Circle Awards nominations (2004 - 2005 Season)
- Outstanding Musical - The Light in the Piazza
- Outstanding Director of a Musical - Bartlett Sher
- Outstanding Set Design - Michael Yeargan
- Outstanding Costume Design - Catherine Zuber
- Outstanding Lighting Design - Christopher Akerlind
- Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Victoria Clark
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical - Matthew Morrison
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical - Michael Berresse
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical - Mark Harelik
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical - Sarah Uriarte Berry
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical – Kelli O’Hara
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