Henstock then Clarke in Piazza

[IssaMe]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 7:20am

http://www.startribune.com/1555/story/1070901.html

As I reported earlier, Katie Clarke took over as Clara the second performance of "The Light in the Piazza" in Minneapolis.
Understudy Leslie Henstock played opening night there (review above). Elena Shaddow departed last week.

Sorry...link doesn't work : here is the review :
----------------------------------------

"Theater review: 'Piazza' deserves its plaudits

Theater review: A celebrated show, "The Light in the Piazza" shows why it deserves its plaudits.
By Rohan Preston, Minneapolis Star Tribune

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA

What: Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel. Book by Craig Lucas. Directed by Bartlett Sher.

When: 7:30 p.m. today, 8 p.m. Fri.; 2 & 8 p.m. Sat.; 1 & 6:30 p.m. Sun.

Where: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls.

Tickets: $22-$72. 612-673-0404 or State Theatre box office.

OnStage :

It is a cliché that Americans go abroad to find love and self. But in "The Light in the Piazza," a pretty, Tony Award-winning musical which opened Tuesday in Minneapolis, this trite story is told with a twist.

It is easy to be smitten with "Piazza," based on a novel by Elizabeth Spencer. The title of this airy show, by composer and lyricist Adam Guettel and book writer Craig Lucas, describes not just the literal light and the unfolding illumination in the narrative, but also the touch of its creators and director. Bartlett Sher stages "Piazza" with little froufrou and fuss, riding a narrative arc from fear to qualified doubt to release and joy.

American mother-and-daughter Margaret Johnson (Christine Andreas) and Clara (Leslie Henstock at Tuesday's performance) have taken a trip to Italy.

While on a walking tour, Clara meets a young Italian, Fabrizio Naccarelli (the excellent and highly expressive David Burnham). The two take a liking to each other, which horrifies Margaret, a mature woman with buried longings whose cold, business-centered husband is back in the States.

The problem is not that the two youngsters do not speak the same language. It's that Clara has a secret that explains the overprotectiveness of her Southern mother.

At 10, the girl suffered a head injury that slowed her mental development. Although she is physically developed and in her mid -20s, she's intellectually an innocent in the world.

In the end, Clara and Fabrizio learn to speak the same, very old language -- that of love -- and Margaret gets a release from her worries.

"Piazza" boasts commendable performances across the board, from Henstock's sweet-voiced singing to the muddle of emotions in Burnham's Fabrizio going crazy as he falls in love ("Il Mondo Era Vuoto"The World Was Empty").

The show has one other highly dramatic and funny song moment, "Aiutami", as members of Fabrizio's family cry for help.

The show doesn't have the expected big Broadway moments. Instead, it's an accumulation of small but well-crafted scenes that add up to something sweeter than the sum of its parts.

A colleague lamented that "Piazza" offers a too-thin story on which to hang a musical. He has a point, particularly since Clara's developmental disabilities, at least in the Henstock's acting, are not all that apparent.

But that's partly why the idea of self-discovery and freedom abroad continue to resonate. As "Piazza" shows, a change of scenery provides an opportunity for someone to find passion, and sometimes, a larger sense of self.


Rohan Preston • 612-673-4390 • [e-mail]




Updated On: 3/22/07 at 07:20 AM

[ashley0139]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 8:57am

Wow I didn't even know Leslie was on the tour. Love her. Good for her.

[TenThousandThings]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 11:09am

I love that the reviewer made her into "The Henstock." Hilarious.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 11:16am

I love Leslie! I wish I could've seen her as Clara.

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 1:52pm

So now Katie is touring?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 1:54pm

No, all the other threads were lying.

[yellibean2]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 3:20pm

Leslie is absolutely amazing. I am really excited to see Katie when the show comes to Boston, but I certainly would not be disappointed to see her name on the understudy board (or Diana DiMarzio's for that matter).