Light In The Piazza- Page 2

[binau]

Posted: 4/10/25 at 3:20am

Ravenclaw said: "Kad said: "Beautiful score, but the show always left me sort of cold. It’s a marble statue of a show for me.


(I do think the revelation about Clara is borderline camp, though, in both detail and execution)."

Borderline camp, you say?

....I'm just gonna leave this here...

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0ZyPozPNXd/?igsh=aWVzejUxMmFuNDVj"

OMG haha.

But yes, I think this and the 'borderline camp' comment kind of illustrates it for me. There is something just a little off about it. And I WANT to love it of course.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 4/10/25 at 11:34am

It doesn't seem like it would be all that difficult to remove that "borderline camp" moment, either by deleting it entirely, or (if it's important that we see why Margaret carries such guilt about it) replacing it with a recollection of early signs of a developmental disorder that she neglected to do anything about.

But it's just a fleeting moment in an otherwise perfect show (in my opinion, of course).

[WindyNewYorker]

Posted: 4/10/25 at 9:05pm

Ruthie Ann Miles’ “Fable” still lives in my head..

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 8:41am

If you watch the 60’s movie or read the novella, the reveal of Clara is not camp at all. It’s not even a reveal, it’s just explained. It’s honestly sadder.

And it more reflects just the negligence and ignorance of parents in that time period that your child and your child’s brain is fragile. 
 

It’s become a theatre joke because the show decided wrongly to build it as a reveal later on in the show that you’re waiting for as an audience member as well as hearing it come from someone with a thick southern accent.

 

Olivia DeHavilland in the film plays it very straight early on and it’s handled much better 

[jms2880]

Posted: 4/11/25 at 11:40am

 Huntington Theatre - Piazza cast

[Melissa25]

Posted: 5/18/25 at 10:59pm

I saw the original at the Beaumont and the NYCC production. I floated out of the Huntington today feeling bathed in art. This is an extremely professional production that was so worth the trip. Emily Skinner (Margaret), Sarah-Anne Martinez (Clara) and William Michals (Signor Naccarelli) are all in glorious voice but it was Joshua Grosso (Fabrizio) who stole my heart. He is truly giving an outstanding performance.  I found that there was ample chemistry between Clara and Fabrizio that fueled my feelings for them.  

The scenic design and especially the lighting was beautiful. Costumes and wigs were  all exquisite. I loved the staging and direction.  It felt like this could be on Broadway. Highly recommended.

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/19/25 at 4:09pm

Had the chance to see the original production but chose to see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels instead. After hearing the OBCR I was ready to kick myself for not seeing it while there. (Although I loved DRS). So glad I finally got to see it at City Center. That production made it worth the wait to finally see it. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/19/25 at 4:17pm

Melissa25 said: "I saw the original at the Beaumont and the NYCC production. I floated out of the Huntington today feeling bathed in art. This is an extremely professional production that was so worth the trip. Emily Skinner (Margaret), Sarah-Anne Martinez (Clara) andWilliam Michals (Signor Naccarelli) are all in glorious voice but it was Joshua Grosso (Fabrizio) who stole my heart. He is truly giving an outstanding performance. I found that there was ample chemistry between Clara and Fabrizio that fueled my feelings for them.

The scenic design and especially the lighting was beautiful. Costumes and wigs were all exquisite. I loved the staging and direction. It felt like this could be on Broadway. Highly recommended."

Oh man, that sounds wonderful Melissa. I've been following Joshua Grosso's career since he won the Jimmy Awards and he is extraordinary. Perfect technique. I have never seen a professional production of this so I hope someday it can make it to New York again for a gorgeous, lush revival. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/19/25 at 4:53pm

Globefan said: "I wouldn't be opposed to a movie version."

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/19/25 at 5:04pm

Ever since the Call Me By Your Name film came out I’ve been wanting Luca Guadagnino to adapt the musical for the screen. 

 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 5/19/25 at 7:53pm

The Huntington shared a “Tell a friend 25% discount” for Light in the Piazza so here you go.  Use code TELLAFRIEND25

Updated On: 5/20/25 at 07:53 PM

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 5/20/25 at 1:11am

The kicked by a Shetland pony reveal is so camp and I LOVE IT!

Updated On: 5/20/25 at 01:11 AM

[binau]

Posted: 5/20/25 at 2:43am

Georgeanddot2 said: "The kicked by a Shetland pony reveal is so camp and I LOVE IT!"

Is it meant to be camp though? 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 5/20/25 at 5:22am

binau said: "Georgeanddot2 said: "The kicked by a Shetland pony reveal is so camp and I LOVE IT!"

Is it meant to be camp though?"


No, that’s what makes it camp!

[trentsketch]

Posted: 5/20/25 at 10:49am

They try so hard to be earnest with the pony reveal and it makes it even more camp. I can play back that moment in the cast recording and just start to laugh. Of all the things to keep for fealty to the source material. An accident? Sure. That accident? Camp. Pure camp.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 5/20/25 at 11:07am

trentsketch said: "Of all the things to keep for fealty to the source material. An accident? Sure. That accident? Camp. Pure camp."

I really wish they'd changed the accident story, or eliminated that sequence entirely. A simple reference to ignoring early signs of an unspecified developmental disorder would have served the same function of showing why Margaret bears such guilt.

(ETA: I see that I've already made the same point on this thread before - my apologies for repeating myself!)

Updated On: 5/20/25 at 11:07 AM

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 5/20/25 at 4:22pm

I don't think it being camp detracts from the dramatic weight of the story at all. Honestly, the whole show is pretty camp.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 5/22/25 at 11:24am

BrodyFosse123 said: "Globefan said: "I wouldn't be opposed to a movie version."

I think they mean a movie version of the MUSICAL, dear. Everyone already knows that a movie version based on the original Elizabeth Spencer novella exists.

"

 

[chernjam]

Posted: 5/22/25 at 1:53pm

I'm still saddened that I only came upon this show after seeing it air on PBS and by then it was near the end of its run on Broadway and never got to see it live.  The score truly is spectacular and a favorite of mine.  It's too bad that the Renee Flemming revival was never recorded.  I've seen some clips of that online and would love to have another cast recording.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 5/22/25 at 3:22pm

Some of you have never spent time around horses. Injuries related to being kicked by a horse can absolutely result in major brain injuries. I think what some of you are interpreting as camp is an eggageration of Clara's "sweet, childlike docility" in the story as a result of the accident. But as someone who grew up around horses, the injuries a horse can cause are pretty far from camp.

[MagicalMusical]

Posted: 5/26/25 at 3:28pm

I watched the Broadway proshot, and....this musical IS a masterpiece! Victoria was amazing, and the book and score were so good. I mean, well, kinda. The score is beautiful, but...I would not say exactly memorable. I can't remember any melodies. But I only heard all the songs once, and sometimes songs become more popular on a repeat listens. It just reminds me of how today's musicals seem to have the music all over the place and not much repetition. But at least it was pretty. I did not know I could have my heart broken by musicalized crying when Clara cries in her wedding dress. Fabrizio sang astoundingly. I thought the pony injury was not camp, but had I not been prepared for it by reading about it here first, would I have laughed? I don't know. I certainly like it better than the idea Clara was born with developmental problems. The horse injury is more dramatic.

I do wonder, though, has anyone ever lobbied the criticism at the story that is at all...pedophilic? That Clara would be a forever 10 year old and be in a romantic relationship to a man who grew older and older while she didn't? I don't think it is pedophilic, I would like to believe, much like her mother, that she blossoms into an emotional and mental state of someone at least of age, but...I was just wondering.

Updated On: 5/26/25 at 03:28 PM

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 5/26/25 at 3:59pm

QueenAlice said: "Some of you have never spent time around horses. Injuries related to being kicked by a horse can absolutely result in major brain injuries. I think what some of you are interpreting as camp is an eggageration of Clara's "sweet, childlike docility" in the story as a result of the accident. But as someone who grew up around horses, the injuries a horse can cause are pretty far from camp."

wee woo wee woo here comes the fun police

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 5/26/25 at 4:51pm

The person offered a factual observation that does not merit the "fun police" comment.

 

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 5/26/25 at 5:02pm

SteveSanders said: "The person offered a factual observation that does not merit the "fun police" comment.

"

Wee woo wee woo They've called in reinforcements!

 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 5/26/25 at 9:22pm

MagicalMusical said: "I do wonder, though, has anyone ever lobbied the criticism at the story thatis at all...pedophilic? That Clara would be a forever 10 year old and be in a romantic relationship to a man who grew older and older while she didn't? I don't think it is pedophilic, I would like to believe, much like her mother, that she blossoms into an emotional and mental state of someone at least of age, but...I was just wondering."

Well, this is the very crux of the show's conflict, for Margaret and, I suppose, for audiences. Is Clara an overgrown child who needs to be forever protected and never allowed to make decisions for herself? Or is she a capable free agent who can choose the life she wants to lead?

Throughout the first act, Margaret believes the former proposition, but the happenings in the second act convince her that Clara deserves to choose her own path. The title song does a lot of work in convincing Margaret to change her mind about this; she goes from a mother reluctantly indulging what she hopes is a passing infatuation to a mother willing to stand up for her daughter's right to marry the love of her life.

I've always taken it for granted that Clara is a fully competent adult, despite her limitations and eccentricities, and that Margaret's concerns are misplaced and shaped by her poor relationship with her own husband. So the possibility of "pedophilia," or, more precisely, lack of consent in her relations with Fabrizio, never really entered my mind.