The "LIGHT" goes out!- Page 8

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 11:08am

Cookie, I liked the way Felicity LaFortune (tour guide) said, "Madonna with Angels" as well!!

I'm listening to the CD right now.

[WhoCouldBeBlue]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 11:16am

I've been a 'lurker' on this board for years.. only reading and never posting, but this thread made me HAVE to join and post!

The outpouring of love for The Light in the Piazza is amazing! I too feel just like the rest of you. This show has made a permanent mark on my life. Never have I seen a show with such beauty, talent and heartfelt emotion. I had the pleasure of seeing the original cast last August and was quickly reminded with the recent PBS airing just how much I love this show.

Thank you to the creators, producers, Mr. Guettel and the AMAZINGLY talented cast for an incredible theatre experience!

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 11:22am

Welcome, Who Could Be Blue!!

I was hoping they would have played the complete overture at the final performance.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 11:42am

Thank you for putting her name in, Dottie!

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 11:53am

I also love Clara waving to Fabrizio with her fingers facing her own body, and Fabrizio waving back the same way.

[mrslovett7]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 11:59am

This was a life-changing show and I will never forget my night seeing it.

True:

Gone but not forgotten

[WholeLottaShakin]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 12:06pm

Love4Cheno, the waving thing... just adds to what I was saying about creating a believable world, as I believe that is how they wave in many parts of Europe. I loved, too, the nuns passing through in the forum, and how one of them would lag behind because she was using her binoculars to look up at the columns. Then one of the other nuns would stop and pull her along. Even the nuns had personality!

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 12:13pm

I loved the end of Passegiata when David Burham and Laura Griffith were riding on the bicycle and she would throw her arm up as they were exiting. That one movement was just so joyful. I also loved the dress she was wearing.

Updated On: 7/6/06 at 12:13 PM

[brdwybound2]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 12:50pm

Who all saw the PBS broadcast a few weeks ago? I know it probably compares nothing to the stage show, but I've heard mixed reviews about how it was.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 12:52pm

To me live was better. It was nice to see it on PBS, although I wasn't a big fan of the telecast.

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 12:55pm

I also loved the personality of the ensemble. The show wouldn't have been the same without Nino the Bike Boy and his ragazza (David Burnham and Laura Griffith), or the couple wheeling the pram (Jennifer Hughes and David Bonnano), or the "helpful" (read: skeevy) old man during Hysteria (Joseph Siravo).

And I looove Felicity LaFortune's whole delivery of that Uffizi speech, particularly when she says "The word Uffizi, of course, means offices."

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 12:57pm

Some of the cast members sounded 'off' during the broadcast, I thought.

But it's still something to treasure!

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 1:14pm

The simple beauty of the harps in the overture, playing as the wind blows the leaves by the statue...it's just sublime.

[WholeLottaShakin]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 1:27pm

Performances aside, I thought the broadcast was excellently directed with the cameras cutting to the right action at the right moments. I'd say the run-throughs with the performances leading up to that live show were well worth it. The only things that were left out are these details that we're mentioning here. If I had never seen the show, I wouldn't have missed anything major by just seeing the broadcast. Kudos to Kirk Browning, who directed it.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 2:05pm

The sound mix was 'off' for the PBS broadcast.

Seeing the show live provided the proper acoustics for the theatre. The recording picked up the mics of the singers without the proper balance of the orchestra, so the sound sounded a bit off.

But, I'm still glad to have been able to record it to keep it and watch again and again. Which I've been doing!

[marincrazy11]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 2:18pm

Love4Cheno-The leaves at the beginning was one of my favorite parts as well. It just to me set the tone of how realistic and simple and beautiful the whole show was going to be.

[marincrazy11]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 2:18pm

sorry double post

Updated On: 7/6/06 at 02:18 PM

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 2:21pm

I vividly remember the leaves from the first time I saw the show in person, and that one detail gave me chills (out of many I got throughout the evening). I have a lot of favorite moments in the show, but I must say that the hat got to me each and every time.

Addy, I haven't watched my tape of the PBS broadcast yet, but hopefully soon.

Updated On: 7/6/06 at 02:21 PM

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 2:54pm

I LOVE this thread!

Another favourite thing of mine is the way Clara's interlude is staged. No gimmicks needed here. Just beautiful music, a blinding backdrop of light, and a 1950s Italian wedding dress.

[Operagod01]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 3:42pm

"Piazza" (as a production) was as close to perfect as you can get. Beautiful sets, costumes, lighting, details....detials... If people don't like the story or the score (how this can be is BEYOND me) that's for them to agrue over. But the entire production was the work of MNAY taletned Artists. A sensational look, but w/o lots of "tricks". They probably could have done some funky techno thing with the hat, but they kept it simple. Back to the basics of theater and what can be achieved with with vision and dedication to the "spirit" of the work.

Another GREAT thing was that "Piazza" opened with a VERY talented cast of non "Stars".. this added to the whole feeling. I proves that when you put a great work of art with great artists PHENOMENAL things can happen. No TV or movie Starts required! Even till the end it was treated as a labor of love by the entire company. How many shows today keep that special feeling?

Piazza was "high art" to be sure, but it touched people who normally would not be into this sort of show. That speaks for itself.

As I have stated in previous posts; I never warmed to Katie, but I appreciated what she gave. Yes, I loved the OBC! But I have been to shows when I thought the replacements were even better than the orgininal. so I am not one of those people who's stuck in the past and all that stuff. The "feeling" of the show was very different with Katie and Aaron. The show remained incredible.. .. but.. I loved the spirit that Kalli, Matt, and Mark brought to the show. It did change after each one of them left. I saw that show TEN times (plus the three second halfs).. and I learned so much by watching all the changes. David Burnham was also a wonderful Fabrizio as well.

There was no way to loose... I am hoping for wonderful things with the tour. I did not get to the last show (being a west coaster, but they have a tough act to follow. I think Christine Andreas could be INCREDIBLE (very different from either Vicki or Patti). I hear Elena Shaddow is wonderful.. and we all know David's work. It will be very exciting when the tour kicks off!

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 4:31pm

And the beauty was, Victoria took the time to thank everyone who helped make the production look and work as it did. Creators, designers, crew, swings, understudies, etc... Truly a collaborative effort!

[kgee30]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 4:48pm

Y'all need to keep this thread alive forever, because I'm dreading a day without any new "Piazza" posts.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 5:14pm

The 'Light' tours....


http://www.playbill.com/news/article/100714.html

[WholeLottaShakin]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 5:22pm

I think the tour audiences are so lucky to have David as their Fabrizio. I wish I had seen him more than twice.

And yes, Love4Cheno, the "blinding backdrop of light!" I loved Clara's Interlude, partly because I knew my favorite number in the whole show was right after it.

[andyf]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 5:28pm

All this talk about Felicity got me wondering if anyone else ever caught her as Signora Naccarelli. I thought she was great - a lot closer to Diane than to Patti, in acting and in terms of the accent - and she had a really great voice - she really let the C rip.

I can't imagine how weird it must have been to be performing as the Tour Guide and as Signora - I figured they'd have a swing on for the Tour Guide track, but lo and behold it was Felicity.


PS - Did anyone get any fun souvenirs from the show?

Updated On: 7/6/06 at 05:28 PM