The Light in the Piazza

SUPER NOVA'S

2011-05-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA was honored with multiple Pulsar nominations. To everyone in the cast and crew KUDOS! This was an extraordinary show and you have all be a part of it.

MUSICAL The Light in the Piazza
DIRECTOR Jane Falion
LEAD ACTOR Chad DeKatch
LEAD ACTRESS Paige Lucas
SUPPORTING ACTOR Doak Bloss and Dale Powell
SUPPORTING ACTRESS Betsy Bledsoe and Laura Stebbins
MUSICAL DIRECTION James Geer
CHOREOGRAPHY Roberta Otten

Come si dici...la luce scopa il THESPIES

2010-06-18T06:34:00.001-07:00

BEST SHOW OVERALL
BEST SHOW MUSICAL
DIRECTOR...Jane Falion
ACTOR .....Chad DeKatch
ACTRESS ....Paige Lucas
SUPPORTING ACTRESS...Betsy Bledsoe
SET....Tim Fox
COSTUMES...Tomi Simmons, Jane Falion, Lindsay Palinsky
LIGHTING...Tim Fox
SCENOGRAPHY...Diana and Bruce Rochowiak

Light is a Delight

2010-06-08T06:46:00.001-07:00

‘Light in the Piazza’ is a musical that is fraught with peril. First, it is set in the 50’s – an era that can easily be non-descript and bland. Next, a good chunk of the dialogue is in Italian – with no translation. Finally, the vocal demands on the performers are formidable, to say the least. If any of these elements fail, the whole effort will topple like a broken three-legged stool.

Fortunately, Riverwalk Theatre has Jane Falion at the helm of this production. With her usual verve, finesse, and attention to detail, virtually every aspect of ‘Light in the Piazza’ is flawless.

The burden of ‘Light in the Piazza’ falls squarely on the shoulders of the two young lovers, Fabrizzio (the Italian boy) and Clara (the emotionally-challenged American girl). If they are not convincing, this show will be tedious to endure. Not so with Falion’s ‘Light.’ Chad DeKatch as Fabrizzio is superb. His Italian is flawless and his honesty, vulnerability, and exuberance made the audience believe he was the earnest, eager young lover from the outset. The audience always ‘understood’ him – even when he spoke only in Italian. His exceptional acting was only outdone by his beautifully expressive and powerfully evocative singing. His expression, range, control, and interpretation were captivating and – in a word – thrilling.

But the delight didn’t stop there. As his paramour and the object of his ardor, Paige Lucas is every bit DeKatch’s equal. She brings charm and innocence to a role that could easily become saccharine and shallow; but her sense of genuine childlike wonder was balanced by the growing and palpable conflict between her passion for her newly found lover and her sense of duty and devotion to her mother. Her lyric soprano voice soared with a strong, clear tonality that became deeper and richer as the performance went on, growing to a climactic and dramatic number in the second act.

Together, DeKatch and Lucas create a pair of lovers that evoke the ardor and energy of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, or Maria and Tony in West Side Story, or Bud and Deanie in Splendor in the Grass.

The supporting roles were equally impressive. First among them is Emily English Clark. A veteran of Lansing musical theatre, no one takes the stage with more grace, aplomb, and talent. As Clara’s mother, Margaret Johnson, Ms. English-Clark perfectly evinces the conflict of a woman torn between wanting Clara to experience all the joy and passion that has long been absent from her own marriage, yet afraid to let her daughter go into the arms of the man who holds that very promise. Ms. English-Clark creates a complex character of levels and nuance; her lovely voice has tremendous range and spans the gamut from comical to soulful to heart wrenching.

The counterpoint to Margaret Johnson is Fabrizzio’s father, Signor Naccarelli, played to subtle perfection by Doak Bloss. Perhaps no other actor working on Lansing area stages brings the kind of artistic maturity and honesty to his roles as does Mr. Bloss. Always eschewing artifice and obvious choices – a real pitfall when playing philandering character like Signor Naccarelli – Bloss manages to portray a layered and sympathetic man: a loving father, a successful haberdasher, a Lothario - yet a man who struggles with his own imperfections. Bloss and English-Clark compliment each other terrifically. The utter trust they share allows them to play off each other like pros, generously giving and taking from moment to moment.

Other supporting cast members create memorable characters that bring incredible richness to the production. Laura Davis Stebbins as the slighted Mrs. Naccarelli is particularly elegant and poignant with a truly lovely soprano voice; Dale Powell expands his growing repertoire of characters as Giuseppe Naccarelli, the ‘like-philandering father-like-son’ older brother, who is both arrogant and loveable. One character we could gladly have heard more from vocally belongs to Betsy Bledsoe, playing Giuseppe’s slighted wife, Franca. Ms. Bledsoe’s voice is a rich, powerful mezzo-soprano that soars to the theatre rafters, in stark contrast to the fragile, edgy character she portrayed, oozing pain at her husband’s infidelity.

Even the supernumeraries were artfully understated. From by passers, to nuns, to tourists, they accented the production beautifully. When the entire cast sings together, the beauty and power of these voices is breathtaking.

The audience got a real ‘taste’ of Italy from the stylized and evocative set of Tim Fox and Larry Savoie. Beautiful tiled flooring, high curving arches, Roman ruins, and marble statues all delighted the eye and created the illusion of Florence on the Riverwalk stage. Set changes were handled skillfully and were often woven into the background as scenes progressed, allowing the action to move at an impressive pace.

Equally evocative were the costumes of Tomi Simmons. They were spot-on for the period, perfectly executed, and beautiful to behold – especially the women’s dresses. The music, directed by James Geer was rich and full. If there was anything to fault, perhaps the orchestra was a little too full a couple of times for some of the voices – but this was a minor issue in an otherwise enchanting and powerful production.

If you can’t afford to go to Italy this year, you can still experience its beauty and charm, with all the wonder of newfound love and rich, evocative characters in Riverwalk Theatre’s ‘Light in the Piazza.’ Bravissimo!

Eric Dawe

Patsy Rodenburg: Why I do theater | Video on TED.com

2010-04-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

Patsy Rodenburg: Why I do theater | Video on TED.com

MUSIC REHEARSALS April 5-15

2010-04-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

Music Rehearsal for the next two weeks are as follows;
Character abbreviations are used. All rehearsals are in the rehearsal hall at 7 unless otherwise noted or scheduled with music director.

Monday, April 5 - M, C. Ensemble
Statues and Stories, The Beauty Is, Dividing Day, Hysteria/Lullaby, Light in the Piazza

Tuesday, April 6 - Pr, SN, Sn, Fr, G, F, M
Octet, Aiutami, The Joy You Feel

Wednesday, April 7 - C, M, F
Clara's Tirade, The Beauty Is, Fable, Say It Somehow, Passeggiata, Il Mondo Era Vuoto

Thursday, April 8 - M, SN, Fr, G, F, Pr, Ensemble
Statues and Stories, Dividing Day, Let's Walk, The Beauty Is, Octet, Aiutami

Friday, April 9 - C, F
All C and F music

Sunday, April 11 - M, C, Ensemble
Statues, Beauty, Dividing Day, Hysteria, Light

Monday, April 12 - Pr, SN, Sn, Fr, G, F, M
Octet, Aiutami, Joy

Tuesday, April 13 - C, M, F
Il Mondo, Clara's Tirade, Beauty, Fable, Say It, Passeggiata

Wednesday, April 14 - C, F
Review all C, F music

Thursday, April 15 - M, SN, F, G, F, Pr, Ensemble
Review all

Friday, April 16 NO REHEARSAL

2010-03-31T07:05:00.000-07:00

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
CAST LIST ANNOUNCED

Margaret Johnson
Emily English Clark

Clara Johnson
Paige Lucas

Fabrizio Naccarelli
Chad DeKatch

Guiseppe Naccarelli
Dale Edward Powell

Franca Naccarelli
Betsy Bledsoe

Signor Naccarelli
Doak Bloss

Signora Naccarelli
Laura Davis Stebbins

Roy Johnson
Gordon L. Clark

Florentines

Barbara Stauffer, Jeff Massey,
Rachel Dalton, Simon Tower,
Eric Chatfield, Gretchen Baker
Mark Gouba, Bill Henson, Susie Coleman

Rehearsal Schedule

2010-03-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

A tentative rehearsal schedule will be available to review at auditions. At this point it is very much up in the air until the show is cast and I begin to factor in conflicts.

Generally, however, we rehearse Sunday through Thursday, 7-10, except in the case of Sunday holidays or theatre space conflicts, in which case we will run Monday through Friday. In the early stages of rehearsal you will not be needed every night and I will usually not keep you until 10.

The show opens the week of the Memorial Day holiday and we will be rehearsing all or part of that weekend but definitely on Monday, Memorial Day. Again, if we're really in good shape I'd like to give the cast time off.

The last 2 weeks leading into performance (May 23-June 3) are sacred and you may not miss any of these rehearsals.

Please check your calendars carefully for conflicts. You must be available for all performances.

AUDITIONS

2010-03-14T09:40:00.001-07:00

AUDITIONS:
Sunday, March 28 7 p.m.
Monday, March 29 7 p.m.

Riverwalk Theatre
228 Museum Drive
Lansing, Michigan
517-482-5700

Scripts available at the theatre

Italian Scene

2010-03-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Italian language audition scene (for men) is available at Riverwalk. Call Mike ahead of time, as he might be recovering from his excellent 15th anniversary spectacular, to make sure it's been run off.

Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Auditions But Were Afraid To Ask

2010-03-05T07:34:00.001-08:00

Please scroll through the various posts on this site to answer your questions about auditions. It should all be here; characters, musical numbers, suggestions for auditions, Italian language help etc.

To the right you'll see all the posts grouped under two specific dates.

Perusal scripts are available at Riverwalk Theatre along with a very specific character breakdown, an Italian pronunciation guide, and one of the Italian language scenes.

Keep checking this site for updates.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me at www.Janefal@comcast.net

Strong and Silent

2010-02-23T18:07:00.000-08:00

The role of ROY in The Light in the Piazza is a NON SINGING ROLE!
If you've been thinking that you wish you could audition but can't carry a tune in the shower here's some good news for you.

Roy is Margaret's husband, late 40's to 50's, a tobacco executive from Winston-Salem. He has two meaty scenes with Margaret. He is emotionally unavailable and cool. Southern accent.

Audition Materials

2010-02-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

Scripts and music are available at Riverwalk Theatre as well as an Italian pronuciation guide.

Check back here often for more information. I will make available the Italian language cuttings I'll be using for auditions and will let you know when they are available.

IPOD Numeri Quattro

2010-01-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

Ah! Buon giorno! Bellissima: come stai?

IPOD Numeri Tre

2010-01-21T09:52:00.000-08:00

Devo sembrare un uomo di successo, piu impotante, piu, piu, piu come Van Johnson.

IPOD (Italian Phrase Of (the) Day: Numeri Due

2010-01-20T07:27:00.001-08:00

Hai trope donne! Non voglio uscire con te.

IPOD (Italian Phrase Of (the) Day: Numeri Uno

2010-01-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

Va' al diavolo!

The Roar of the Crowd- A Word About the Ensemble

2010-01-15T08:44:00.000-08:00

The Ensemble is the fabric that holds this beautiful tapestry together. Members of the ensemble are used extensively throughout the musical in multiple scenes with multiple costume changes. They represent a variety of Florentines: artist, shopkeepers, mothers, fathers, priests, tourists, lovers some with a line or two. The ensemble also sings in 2 musical numbers.

"Sing Out Louise"- Vocal Auditions

2010-01-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

Auditioners should come prepared with a song especially one that shows your vocal range. An accompanist will be provided.

Those auditioning for Clara and Fabrizzio will also be asked to sing "Say it Somehow" measures 22-42. If you are unable to prepare this ahead of time our vocal director can teach it to you.

Margaret should be prepared to sing from "Dividing Day"
Franca should be prepared to sing from "The Joy You Feel"

Other auditioners will be taught a small portion of "Octet"

How to Speak Like an Italian

2010-01-15T08:19:00.000-08:00

In preparation for The Light in the Piazza auditions I would suggest a few ways to get accainted with the language.

Check out an Italian dialect or language CD or Italian music CD at your library
Watch an Italian language film with or without subtitles.
Listen to an Italian radio station like http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/homeTv.html
Check out any of the hundreds of "learn to speak Italian" websites. there are 3 links in the side bar. You can also check out www.Fonetiks.org, www.AskOxford.com, www.italianlanguageguide.com/Italian/pron

Readings: Dettagli, Dettagli, Dettagli

2010-01-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

Audition readings will be in both English and Italian (characters that speak Italian).

HAVE NO FEAR!!! YOU NEED NOT BE A FLUENT ITALIAN SPEAKER. I'm trying to get an idea is you have an acuity for the language.

An ITALIAN DIALECT COACH will be working with the cast throughout the rehearsal period.

The script and music is available at Riverwalk Theatre.

Italian Pronunciation

2009-07-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

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