Italian Pronunciation

If you are auditioning for a member of the Nacarelli family you'll probably need some help with the Italian. Fabrizio both sings and speaks in Italian throughout most of the show along with some broken English. As the show progresses his English skills improve. Signor and Signora Nacarelli, their son and daughter in law also speak Italian throughout the show.

There are hundreds of online sites to help with pronunciaion and a basic pronunciation guide is available at the theatre. The show will have an Italian dialect coach as well.

A good places to start is
http://www.ielanguages.com/italian.html

There are other sites listed on the side bar and I will attempt to link them here but so far I have had some technical difficulties doing that.

The Story

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA takes place in Italy in the summer of 1953. Margaret Johnson, the wife of a well-heeled American businessman, is touring the Tuscan countryside with her daughter, Clara. While sightseeing, Clara, a beautiful, surprisingly childish young woman, loses her hat in a sudden gust. As if guided by an unseen hand, the hat lands at the feet of Fabrizio Naccarelli, a handsome Florentine, who returns it to Clara. This brief episode, charged with coincidence and fate, sparks an immediate and intense romance between Clara and Fabrizio.

Margaret, extremely protective of her daughter, attempts to keep Clara and Fabrizio apart. As THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA unfolds, a secret is revealed: in addition to the cultural differences between the young lovers, Clara is not quite all that she appears. Unable to suppress the truth about her daughter, Margaret is forced to reconsider not only Clara's future, but her own hopes as well.

Elizabeth Spencer's first book, Fire in the Morning, was published in 1948 and her most recent, The Southern Woman, in 2001. THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, the first work to bring her widespread acclaim, was published in The New Yorker (which devoted an entire issue to its publication) and then was released as a novel in 1960. In adapting it to the stage, Craig Lucas (Prelude to a Kiss, Reckless) has distilled the novella to relate a poignant tale of two unusual young people who fall in love and to explore the essence of love itself.

The score by Adam Guettel (Floyd Collins, Saturn Returns) is romantic and passionate. He has written music and lyrics that reveal the feelings of all of the characters in THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA in soaring melodies.

AUDITION INFORMATION

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA MUSICAL: by Craig Lucas, Music & Lyrics by Adam Guettel AUDITIONS: Sunday & Monday, March 28 & 29, 2010 at 7pm SHOWS: June 3-13, 2010 DIRECTOR: Jane Falion The passion and beauty of Italy abound in this six time Tony Award winning musical. The story is set in the summer of 1953 and tells the story of a mother and daughter traveling through Italy, the daughter’s romance with a handsome, high-spirited Florentine and the mother’s determination to keep the two apart. CAST OF CHARACTERS Margaret Johnson: (Soprano) an elegant, self-possessed practical, attractive woman in middle age (mid 40's to 5o's) warm and appealing with a self deprecating sense of humor. She is overprotective of Clara. Southern accent Clara: (Soprano-mid to late 20's)) her beautiful, charming but challenged daughter, 26. She appears younger than she is. Clara is utterly open and childlike. She has the emotional skills however of a 12 year old as the result of a childhood accident. She is composed, spontaneous, ladylike and playfully wry at times. Southern accent Roy Johnson: Margaret’s husband, Clara’s father (mid 40's -50's) He is an executive with a tobacco company in Winston Salem, N.C. He is emotionally unavailable and cool. Southern accent. Signor Naccarelli: (Baritone-mid 40's-50's) Fabrizio’s father. He is an elegant Italian who owns a clothing shop in Florence. He is very smooth and speaks English very well although with an Italian accent. Signora Naccarelli: (Soprano-mid 40's-50's) Fabrizio’s mother. An elegant, patrician women. She primarily speaks Italian. Fabrizio Naccarelli: (Tenor- early 20's) A dazzlingly handsome young Italian man who is smitten with Clara. He is any young American girl's dream of what the perfect Italian man should be. Most of his dialogue is in Italian and brokem English. Giuseppe: (Baritone-mid 20's to mid 30's)Fabrizio’s brother with a wandering eye. He is married to France but pursues other women. He is not terribly bright but certainly manages the dolce vita. He only speaks Italian. Franca: (Soprano- mid 20's to 30's)Giuseppe’s passionate high spirited, sexy wife. She loves Guiseppe but is frustrated with his ladies man behavior. think Gina Lolabridida. She speaks Italian and some English A Priest A Tour Guide People of Florence: Tourists, Townspeople, Wedding Guests