![]() ![]() ![]() Lucas not only introduces this information later than Spencer but lends it more ambiguity, drawing out the idea that Margaret’s overprotective nature might be part of the problem. And who would want to do that in the company of Guettel’s ravishing operatic score?īest not to get too caught up in the exact nature of Clara’s mental condition or wonder how it is that she can pick up Italian faster than her mother. Imperfect as “The Light in the Piazza” may be, it has a cumulative power that can bowl over anyone not too busy poking at its flaws. This recast version of director Bartlett Sher’s Lincoln Center production, which opened Wednesday at the Ahmanson Theatre as part of the show’s national tour, reveals why audiences have been more easily seduced than the critics. ![]() ![]() But all is not as it appears in Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas’ musical adaptation of Elizabeth Spencer’s 1960 short novel, which provides some ominous Henry James cloud cover on what from afar could be mistaken for a sweet, sun-dappled love story.Ī popular success that won six Tonys despite receiving mixed reviews, “The Light in the Piazza” has a majestic poise that’s hard not to appreciate in an era when the Broadway musical has assumed the slouch of a pouty, overgrown adolescent with headphones blaring yesterday’s Top 40 hits. Romantics beware: “The Light in the Piazza” may seem like a picture postcard of amour with its lovely American ingenue and handsome Italian bachelor falling head over heels amid the sensual backdrop of Florence. ![]()
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