A non-believer sees Piazza

[JACXR71]

Posted: 8/27/05 at 12:03pm

Well, not a non-believer, but I'm the type of person at whom veteran musical theater buffs would scoff, because I call myself a musical theater fan but don't really like too much of the classical stuff. I'm more about the newer style of shows (Ave Q, Rent, and, as of late, Trailer Park ) and while I appreciate the classics, I don't think I could sit through one.

That being said, I figured while I'm here I might as well see Piazza, that perhaps at least I can see what all the fuss is about even if it wouldn't be one of my personal favorites. Also, though I have no particular loyalty to any of the cast members, I do like seeing the OBC of shows if I can, so I was glad I would be getting the opportunity to see Matthew Morrison before he leaves on Sunday. So I got student rush tickets for last night's performance and convinced a friend to come along. We had great seats, first row mezzanine (or loge I guess) right in the middle. The loge was pretty much empty, which I thought was sad for a Friday night performance of a multiple-Tony award winning show.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I found myself enjoying the show a lot more than I thought I would. I really just sat back and took it in for what it was - a revisit to the more classical style of musical theater, both in music/singing and in story. No complex plot twists or cacophonous harmonies. In fact, I really found it refreshing to hear some of the songs and think to myself "you know, just because that note could have been belted and/or riffed doesn't mean it has to be, or that it would even sound better." It was really a nice change to be able to focus on the words/music than on the particular singers attempting to "tear up" a particular melody. Not that the cast couldn't sing, quite the contrary. I thought they were all great, and I was really impressed with Matthew Morrison, as I didn't think I'd be able to take him seriously in this role after seeing him in Hairspray. Kelli O'Hara was lovely and I thought Victoria Clark gave a great performance as well. I even laughed in spite of myself at the comical lines, which I usually find forced in shows like this.

All in all, I enjoyed myself much more than I thought I would. Would I see it again? Probably not, but even if these types of shows generally aren't my cup of tea, I am glad they still have a place in today's theater community.

[Em-LEE]

Posted: 8/27/05 at 12:15pm

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

You sound just like my mom. When we went to see the show, she thought she would hate it. Shows like that usually aren't her cup of tea either. But when Statues and Stories started, she was mesmerized by the sets and the lighting. Half way through the show she turned to me and said, "Who would've thought this would be funny?"

[Harpo]

Posted: 8/27/05 at 1:58pm

Good for you for giving it a chance!
I was ambivalent about seeing it, but I had read quite a bit about the score and thought...why not? I am so glad I saw it. I was captured by the score, the performances, the costumes and the sets.

I was distracted by Mark Harelick/Signor Naccarelli. I saw in the program he had been on 'Seinfeld.' I am a huge, huge fan of the show and have seen every episode multiple times. So I was trying to figure out which episode he may have been on. As soon as Signor Naccarelli spoke I realized Harelick had portrayed Milos, an inept tennis player. So every once in a while, I would think of him in that role. The accent was the same in both roles, or so it seemed to me. By the way, I thought Harelick was wonderful as the father. It was hard to take my eyes off of him when he was on stage (and not just because of the Seinfeld connection.)