Ending on a Downer

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
by Craig Lucas
Music and Lyrics by Adam Guettel
Phoenix Theatre
Directed by Karla Koskinen
Musical Director – Alan Ruch
Feb 17 – March 14, 2010
602-254-2151

    As some of you may be aware, Adam Guettel, creator of the almost operatic score of THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, is the grandson of Richard Rodgers, that most celebrated composer whose music has thrilled generations of theatergoers for many years. It was, thus, with a great deal of anticipation that I looked forward to hearing the score of PIAZZA at the Phoenix Theater opening this past weekend. Alas, it was a bit disappointing.

     The show is not your typical musical comedy by any means. It begins with a lighthearted feel as we meet Margaret Johnson (very well played by Jeannie Shubitz)
and her daughter, Carla (played by Kaitlynn Kleinman) as they tour the Italian city of Florence. Margaret is there to escape a loveless marriage and to guide her somewhat brain damaged daughter on a dream vacation. But Carla has other plans when she is swept off her feet by Fabrizzio (beautifully played by Nick Cartell) and she falls madly in love. Trying to protect her daughter from being hurt, Margaret spends most of the rest of the play torn between running away and allowing Carla her freedom. No surprises here in a fairly common plot line, but it is the sensitivity of the story that makes what starts as a lighthearted musical soon turns to a presentation of very difficult problems which humans face.

     Perhaps it is because I am not a real fan of opera that I did not appreciate the aria like quality of most of the numbers in the show. They are certainly performed magnificently since almost every actor has a soaring voice which can handle the difficult music very well. In particular Cartell, as the young star crossed lover, did a superb job, especially in his rendition of Love to Me, almost the final song in the show, which brings me to my most cogent comment. This SHOULD have been the final song. Adding a weak number like Fable to the end was a real downer for the audience and the result was that you were left feeling an anticlimactic pall. The applause was muted and those elements of the play which should have been applauded (and there were many) were lost in the shuffle. That is a shame because this show is by no means  a total loss. There are some fabulous performances onstage as well as some excellent directorial and technical touches which deserved more than the almost obligatory sprinkling of applause which the final curtain received. One aspect which deserves much praise is the wonderful way in which accents and the many Italian language scenes were presented. One of the funniest was Aiutami which spoofs the explosive , emotional Italian temperament. Another beautiful musical interlude was Shubitz’s rendition of Dividing Day, a magnificent song which captures the hopelessness of a loveless marriage so well. But other than these, I found the music unmelodic and rather difficult to follow.

     Director Karla Koskinen and Musical Director Alan Ruch did as much as they could with what is in some aspects a weak show and they should be commended for that. Casting was great; I will mention in particular Teressa Byrne as Franca, Febrizzio’s sister in law who brought a verve and energy to every scene in which she appeared (in addition to having a terrific voice). Scenic design by Robert Kovach which made creative use of large columns as well as other very flexible elements was impressive; lighting by Michael Eddy was used almost as a character in the show to reflect emotional aspects of the actors’ performances; and costumes by Catherine Zuber were appropriate and colorful , especially the 1950’s couture worn by Margaret and Carla. Special effects were very well handled – a hat flies off Carla’s head and into Fabrizzio’s arms right on cue, for example. And difficult scene shifts are run with ease. This is a visually beautiful performance and for that alone it is worth your time. The use of the excellent chorus ensemble should also be mentioned as a bright spot. Never was the ensemble intrusive; they wandered in and out of the many scenes with total control and added a great deal to the ambience.

     It is not the production of THE LGHT IN THE PIAZZA that disappointed me – it is the score and the ending of the script that I believe let me and the rest of the audience down. It is a tribute to the directors that in spite of the weaknesses of the script they could still present a worthwhile show.

CORRECTION to LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA REVIEW:

Meas culpa! The fact that I am not perfect has been discovered by a reader who pointed out that I misspelled the names of some characters in my recent review of Phoenix Theatre's current production... So please note that the name of the ingenue in this play is CLARA not Carla as I spelled it. Amazing how accidentally shifting one letter can change things so much isn't it? And her lover's name should be spelled FABRIZIO with one z not two.
I do hope that the reader also noted the many compliments which I gave to the production (including performances by the two actors playing the roles of Clara and Fabrizio) even though I was not enamored of the script. It is a good show - go to see it!