Broadway Watch: The Light in the Piazza
Tue, 19 Apr 2005, 04:26 pmWalter Plinge1 post in thread
Broadway Watch: The Light in the Piazza
Tue, 19 Apr 2005, 04:26 pmThe Light in the Piazza
Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel
Book by Craig Lucas
Directed by Bartlett Sher
Opened 18th April 2005
Extracts from various reviewers:
“Those who have been longing for a serious-minded, deeply felt musical to open on Broadway this season have finally gotten their wish with The Light in the Piazza… whatever else might be said about it, its heart - and, unlike most other musicals this season, it does have one - is always in the right place.”
“It's certainly easy to laud the intentions of the show, which seeks to return to the Broadway musical a level of feeling, sophistication, and even art that today seldom seems to have a place alongside the likes of Spamalot and Brooklyn.”
“Clark is glowingly maternal as Margaret, a caterpillar slowly becoming a butterfly, though she tends to oversell the more protective aspects of the character, and her Southern accent is not always consistent. Morrison gives a beguiling, sexually charged performance, but is frequently overtaxed by Guettel's compositions and can't give O'Hara the strong musical counterpart she needs. The rest of the supporting cast, which includes Michael Berresse as Fabrizio's debonair brother, is uniformly strong.”
“Still, it's impossible to shake the realization that the show, above all, belongs to Guettel. The composer, as well known for his impressive theatrical lineage (Richard Rodgers was his grandfather) as for his 1996 breakthrough effort Floyd Collins, has provided here music and lyrics nearly operatic in scope. The score counts among its offerings elaborate counterpoint ensembles (there's a full-out octet in the second act), searing arias, and even gently pulsing Italian pop-art songs that pinpoint the place as well as the period (1953).”
“His finest numbers here include that octet, Clara's street-wandering "Hysteria" and her jealousy-driven "Tirade," and the first-act finale "Say It Somehow,"… But much of Guettel's other writing is more staid in nature, and demonstrates his unwillingness to exploit the full possibilities of the musical storytelling form.”
“Better can be said of Margaret's soulful 11 o'clock number, "Fable,"… Clark invests herself in it like she does no other song in the show, and it results in an absorbing, involving finale. But she can't transcend its simplistic sentiments, many of which have already been addressed in subtler, more compelling ways elsewhere.”
“The number soars easily, but has difficulty landing. The same can be said of most of The Light in the Piazza.”
Talkin’ Broadway – Matthew Murray
“Adam Guettel knows how to write thrilling finales. We already knew this when we heard "How Glory Goes," the ravishing prayer that ends his Floyd Collins score; and now we have "Fable," the rapturous aria that's floated just before Guettel's new musical The Light in the Piazza concludes.”
“It must be in the genes, since Guettel is the son of Mary Rodgers and the grandson of Richard Rodgers. He may want that lineage downplayed when he's reviewed, but he apparently doesn't get away from it when putting a melody together.”
“In Guettel's Light in the Piazza… the composer-lyricist doesn't hold himself back… He's written songs of love and longing without simply imitating his grandfather…”
“Any resistance to The Light in the Piazza is understandable in that this is not just a love story between a Henry James-ian American girl named Clara (Kelli O'Hara) and an Italian boy named Fabrizio Naccarelli (Matthew Morrison); it's also the tale of Clara's mother, Margaret Johnson (Victoria Clark), who's wondering whether to reveal a secret. What other people don't know upon first meeting Clara is that the young woman was kicked in the head by a pony when she was 10 and will never progress emotionally beyond that tender age.”
“…Spencer treats these complex issues with a fiction writer's subtle touches but Lucas cheapens them by initially making Margaret a typical American tourist, only allowing her to demonstrate her intelligence in the tuner's second act.”
“Since this is Lincoln Center, where production values are almost always superb, Light in the Piazza stuns at first sight and goes on stunning. Michael Yeargan's idea of Florence looms like a marvelous blend of Giorgio de Chirico and Piero Fornasetti. And when Catherine Zuber's period costumes are paraded past the shifting arches and facades under Christopher Akerlind's autumnal lighting, the result is visual music as ravishing as Guettel's actual music.”
“The entire cast glows in these sumptuous, scrumptious surroundings: Kelli O'Hara and Matthew Morrison, both seeming to glow from within, are lovely lovers; Mark Harelik is suave as the elder Naccarelli; Michael Berresse (under-used here), Sarah Uriarte Berry, and Patti Cohenour are amusing as the other Naccarellis. Their contributions help Guettel almost achieve musical theater glory.”
Theatermania – David Finkle
“My wife left The Light in the Piazza convinced that she had just seen the richest, most psychologically complex female character of any musical. Ever. After 48 hours of trying to think of better examples than Margaret, Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas' conflicted Southern mother and protagonist, I have come up with Mama Rose in Gypsy and…maybe not even Mama Rose.”
“Victoria Clark, a veteran supporting player from numerous Broadway musicals, has found the role of her career, and The Light in the Piazza is incredibly lucky to have found Victoria Clark.”
“Guettel's work has repeatedly generated comparisons to Stephen Sondheim, and his latest effort isn't likely to change that… And Piazza, like Passion, is likely to benefit from repeated listening, although the love duet "Say It Somehow" and Clara's haunting title song are among the songs to captivate on first exposure.”
“…one of the show's most surprising and problematic aspects, Lucas, Guettel and Sher present entire chunks of the music and book in untranslated Italian. This can be very effective: The scenes where Margaret and Clara visit Fabrizio's family have an added tinge of foreignness, as Margaret feels the situation getting increasingly out of control and isn't even able to understand why. And the emotions being discussed are so universal that the audience gamely tags along until the next scene in English.”
“The pleasures of The Light in the Piazza are hard-earned by Broadway standards, but they are there to be found. The score, alternately rapturous and austere, will undoubtedly enchant some and baffle others; I tend to fall in the former category after one hearing and look forward to solidifying or tempering that view. What is indisputable is that Victoria Clark has created a character for the ages. Lucas has done a superb job in fleshing out Margaret within the confines of a musical-theater libretto, and Clark responds with consummate precision and grace. Calling hers the musical performance of the year would be accurate. It would also be a drastic understatement.”
Broadway.Com – Eric Grode
Next Broadway Musical opening – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – 28th April
Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel
Book by Craig Lucas
Directed by Bartlett Sher
Opened 18th April 2005
Extracts from various reviewers:
“Those who have been longing for a serious-minded, deeply felt musical to open on Broadway this season have finally gotten their wish with The Light in the Piazza… whatever else might be said about it, its heart - and, unlike most other musicals this season, it does have one - is always in the right place.”
“It's certainly easy to laud the intentions of the show, which seeks to return to the Broadway musical a level of feeling, sophistication, and even art that today seldom seems to have a place alongside the likes of Spamalot and Brooklyn.”
“Clark is glowingly maternal as Margaret, a caterpillar slowly becoming a butterfly, though she tends to oversell the more protective aspects of the character, and her Southern accent is not always consistent. Morrison gives a beguiling, sexually charged performance, but is frequently overtaxed by Guettel's compositions and can't give O'Hara the strong musical counterpart she needs. The rest of the supporting cast, which includes Michael Berresse as Fabrizio's debonair brother, is uniformly strong.”
“Still, it's impossible to shake the realization that the show, above all, belongs to Guettel. The composer, as well known for his impressive theatrical lineage (Richard Rodgers was his grandfather) as for his 1996 breakthrough effort Floyd Collins, has provided here music and lyrics nearly operatic in scope. The score counts among its offerings elaborate counterpoint ensembles (there's a full-out octet in the second act), searing arias, and even gently pulsing Italian pop-art songs that pinpoint the place as well as the period (1953).”
“His finest numbers here include that octet, Clara's street-wandering "Hysteria" and her jealousy-driven "Tirade," and the first-act finale "Say It Somehow,"… But much of Guettel's other writing is more staid in nature, and demonstrates his unwillingness to exploit the full possibilities of the musical storytelling form.”
“Better can be said of Margaret's soulful 11 o'clock number, "Fable,"… Clark invests herself in it like she does no other song in the show, and it results in an absorbing, involving finale. But she can't transcend its simplistic sentiments, many of which have already been addressed in subtler, more compelling ways elsewhere.”
“The number soars easily, but has difficulty landing. The same can be said of most of The Light in the Piazza.”
Talkin’ Broadway – Matthew Murray
“Adam Guettel knows how to write thrilling finales. We already knew this when we heard "How Glory Goes," the ravishing prayer that ends his Floyd Collins score; and now we have "Fable," the rapturous aria that's floated just before Guettel's new musical The Light in the Piazza concludes.”
“It must be in the genes, since Guettel is the son of Mary Rodgers and the grandson of Richard Rodgers. He may want that lineage downplayed when he's reviewed, but he apparently doesn't get away from it when putting a melody together.”
“In Guettel's Light in the Piazza… the composer-lyricist doesn't hold himself back… He's written songs of love and longing without simply imitating his grandfather…”
“Any resistance to The Light in the Piazza is understandable in that this is not just a love story between a Henry James-ian American girl named Clara (Kelli O'Hara) and an Italian boy named Fabrizio Naccarelli (Matthew Morrison); it's also the tale of Clara's mother, Margaret Johnson (Victoria Clark), who's wondering whether to reveal a secret. What other people don't know upon first meeting Clara is that the young woman was kicked in the head by a pony when she was 10 and will never progress emotionally beyond that tender age.”
“…Spencer treats these complex issues with a fiction writer's subtle touches but Lucas cheapens them by initially making Margaret a typical American tourist, only allowing her to demonstrate her intelligence in the tuner's second act.”
“Since this is Lincoln Center, where production values are almost always superb, Light in the Piazza stuns at first sight and goes on stunning. Michael Yeargan's idea of Florence looms like a marvelous blend of Giorgio de Chirico and Piero Fornasetti. And when Catherine Zuber's period costumes are paraded past the shifting arches and facades under Christopher Akerlind's autumnal lighting, the result is visual music as ravishing as Guettel's actual music.”
“The entire cast glows in these sumptuous, scrumptious surroundings: Kelli O'Hara and Matthew Morrison, both seeming to glow from within, are lovely lovers; Mark Harelik is suave as the elder Naccarelli; Michael Berresse (under-used here), Sarah Uriarte Berry, and Patti Cohenour are amusing as the other Naccarellis. Their contributions help Guettel almost achieve musical theater glory.”
Theatermania – David Finkle
“My wife left The Light in the Piazza convinced that she had just seen the richest, most psychologically complex female character of any musical. Ever. After 48 hours of trying to think of better examples than Margaret, Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas' conflicted Southern mother and protagonist, I have come up with Mama Rose in Gypsy and…maybe not even Mama Rose.”
“Victoria Clark, a veteran supporting player from numerous Broadway musicals, has found the role of her career, and The Light in the Piazza is incredibly lucky to have found Victoria Clark.”
“Guettel's work has repeatedly generated comparisons to Stephen Sondheim, and his latest effort isn't likely to change that… And Piazza, like Passion, is likely to benefit from repeated listening, although the love duet "Say It Somehow" and Clara's haunting title song are among the songs to captivate on first exposure.”
“…one of the show's most surprising and problematic aspects, Lucas, Guettel and Sher present entire chunks of the music and book in untranslated Italian. This can be very effective: The scenes where Margaret and Clara visit Fabrizio's family have an added tinge of foreignness, as Margaret feels the situation getting increasingly out of control and isn't even able to understand why. And the emotions being discussed are so universal that the audience gamely tags along until the next scene in English.”
“The pleasures of The Light in the Piazza are hard-earned by Broadway standards, but they are there to be found. The score, alternately rapturous and austere, will undoubtedly enchant some and baffle others; I tend to fall in the former category after one hearing and look forward to solidifying or tempering that view. What is indisputable is that Victoria Clark has created a character for the ages. Lucas has done a superb job in fleshing out Margaret within the confines of a musical-theater libretto, and Clark responds with consummate precision and grace. Calling hers the musical performance of the year would be accurate. It would also be a drastic understatement.”
Broadway.Com – Eric Grode
Next Broadway Musical opening – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – 28th April