Light in the Piazza on PBS Tonight!- Page 13

[IssaMe]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 12:48pm

The house was pretty full and, yes, there were rows without audience members in order to accomodate (and not block the view of) the 7 TV cameras scattered in the orchestra (plus one aerial camera on a boom). A few scattered empty seats otherwise - but generally a full and enthusiastic house - Thursday nights are usually not sold-out or even this full.

And of course, sale of tickets to the public was withheld for the broadcast performance for many months and tickets only put on sale basically at the last minute - hence, cutting off much potential advance sale at the box office and through other ticketing sources.
Updated On: 6/16/06 at 12:48 PM

[kate2]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 12:50pm

AGH! I totally forgot about this! Is there any chance that it will be on again?

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 12:54pm

mabel---Sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about. I never made reference to anyone's post in my post(s)... and I never mentioned that Victoria played "Clara" which I know she didn't. Maybe YOUR post was directed at someone else? No matter...

I would be very interested to see just how last night's PBS airing affects this show's attendance for the (short) remainder of its run.

My guess is that it will be "up" dramatically. I hope the phones are ringing and the lines are forming. (Wishful thinking.)

I'd love to hear follow-ups regarding that.

[kyle.]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 12:55pm

To answer some of the questions about the set/entrances and exits on tour, in Chicago they used a traditional proscenium and it worked beautifully. Most of the set was the same, the buildings just didn't move and shift around, they stayed stationary on the sides of the stage and went off for scenes like the apartment, rome, etc.

The current staging and set will obviously have to be reworked, but it wouldn't surprise me if they reverted back to the Chicago staging, or something very similar to it.

[mabel]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 1:02pm

My appologies, best12bars. I scrolled down a post too far when I copied the screenname of the poster who replied to me about Victoria not playing Clara. It was actually WickedRentEder who posted it, and I'm off to edit my post. Ooops! Sorry. Wish it had been earlier in the day and I could have used that as an excuse...alas, it was just a hasty copy and paste job on my part!

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 1:09pm

No sweat, mabel. I'm still "revving" up on this Friday AM myself.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 1:12pm

Kyle, thanks for posting those pictures. I love Celia's periwinkle dress for the opening of the show.

[dotmarie]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 1:36pm

So pretty much. Last night I fell in love with this show. I had never seen it before, and I don't own the cast recording. Though I know watching the telecast is different from actually seeing the show live, it was every bit as beautiful as I thought it would be. The cast was terrific, and my God, that Victoria Clark. She's brilliant.
I'll admit that between my not being familiar with the show, and all the Italian, I got a little confused at some parts. PBS should reair this NOW so I can watch it again. =)
So, what was going on between Victoria and Chris Sarandon, anyway? I wanted to see that relationship develop a little more.

Posted: 6/16/06 at 1:55pm

I realize I'm late in the game to start typing in the thread... but I had to post something. I am really glad that they did infact record it, but I will always be a little sad that it wasn't the original cast. That is the perfect cast for me. Anyway, I hadn't really noticed before how much I liked the subletly in which Kelli O'Hara as Clara poked Fabrizio. It was much cuter, I think. The changes were interesting, but overall it was a good experience. I have never really had the chance to see Piazza from so many different angles.

[bluesoprano]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 2:25pm

Last night was the first time I had ever seen LITP, and I have fallen in love with it. Living in Los Angeles it is a little hard to get out to NY to see broadway shows, so I thank Lincoln Center for airing this wonder show. I am even more excited to see the show when it comes to Los Angeles in October and again next year!

[Steve2]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 2:44pm

I really enjoyed this last night and for me, Aaron Lazar stole the show. He was perfect.

Posted: 6/16/06 at 3:07pm

I'm glad that those who hadn't gotten the chance to see it again or even see it once saw it on TV. Hopefully the tour will also be beneficial too. I honestly got teary-eyed when I first saw Victoria Clark and then saw Michael Berresse... he is a cast member that I really cherish. I am a staunch supporter of the original cast, and so it was nice to still see some amongst the new cast. I love the show, mind you, but I am still adjusting (all this time later, haha)

~JKor

[BreakingTheCircle07]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 3:29pm

It was great seeing those pre-Broadway Chicago shots. I'm glad Ms. Zuber reworked Clara's dress with the square pattern at the hem. Her design was truely Tony worthy. Can't wait to watch it tonight. I've got a bottle of wine and my cheese squares ready!

[JustABroadwaybaby2]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 3:43pm

I can't stand Katie Clark, or Aaron Lazar.
Vicki was spectacular. Please someone tell me what she's doing next!

[DramaQueen700]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 3:45pm

i expected vickie to be fanatastic because of the tony award and she definitely was.

but who i was most impressed with was aaron lazar. holy goodness. hes was so EARNEST in ever facial expression and look and movement and line and lyric....he was utterly flawless. i could tell exactly what he was thinking at every moment even when he wasnt saying anything at all. he took my breathe away with his flawless performance.

i was speechless.

im so excited to see him in the les miz revival.

katie clarke was clearly off vocally tonight. the role si too vocqlly demanding for her. she should try being glinda in wicked. shed be great in that. her acting however i thought was supurb. she really played the special child element extremely well. the part when signor nacarelli calls off the wedding and shes left in the church wondering what she did wrong broke my heart. she was so innocent. i thought she was excellent in that respect, but again, not vocally up to the challenge fo guettels difficult score.

props to sarandon who was amazing as fabrizzios father and to sarah uriarte berry as franca (who was ironically played by kelli o hara in seattle's workshop). she looked beautiful.

thats all for me kids...

[BtMartin25]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 3:50pm

so upset that it doesn't air here untill Sunday at 4.
booooo

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 4:28pm

I just think it's a shame that a real coloratura like Jennifer Hope Wills , kept getting called back, and didn't get the part. She would've been stunning. But atleast she's in Phantom now.

I must say, Aaron was the true stand-out in this broadcast. I can't say enough about him. Stunning performance.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 4:33pm

I disagree, DramaQueen, that the role is too vocally demanding for Katie Clarke. The only song I really felt she struggled with was "The Beauty Is." I thought she handled the rest of the score (particularly "The Light in the Piazza") much better with minimal problems.

She was visibly nervous (I could see her shaking in the beginning,) and I feel like some of her struggless with the top half of the score might have been because of nerves. She also maybe could use a better technique at times, but I still think she has all the tools there.. it's just whether or not she uses them all at the right time in the right way.

One thing I did notice (as others have pointed out) was that she doesn't have a very "legit" soprano, and does use her mix alot, but I still felt like she sung the score quite nicely and that, overall, she could handle it.

Updated On: 6/16/06 at 04:33 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 4:35pm

I'm sorry, but Clarke could not sustain the vocal power in her rampage in OCTET.

Missed a few notes too. The music sounded too big for her voice.

Act 2 she struggled more vocally than act 1.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 4:39pm

Somethingwicked, I saw Katie in the role in February, and although she might have been nervous last night, her top notes in The Beauty Is were strained that night, too. During last nights telecast I couldn't help but think how Jennifer Hope Wills would have been.

[soapguy17]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 4:41pm

"I just think it's a shame that a real coloratura like Jennifer Hope Wills"
I would force my dad to take me if that ever happened!!!

I agree with korenglish, I'm still obsessed with the original cast. I would have loved for them to come back together to do one more show.

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 4:53pm

Interesting you mention that... It's what they did with INTO THE WOODS. The show was running with many replacements at that point, but they invited back (nearly) the entire original cast for the taping.

...And it cost them a fortune!

They had to put the actors back in to rehearse the show, and they had to pay all the replacement actors a full week's salary for sitting on their bums.

I remember talking to Chuck Wagner about that. He was one of the ones brought back in. It was quite a trip! He said it was fantastic to "travel back in time a bit" with all of them on stage together again.

But that kind of "shift" ain't cheap.

[blueroses]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 5:07pm

I thought it was moving and very beautiful! And Victoria Clark performing the last song? Killed me.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 5:51pm

I agree with Katie Clarke straining. In FACT, my friend saw the show back in May (she goes to college in NYC so) and thought that Katie strained on the high notes then, too.

Katie clearly missed notes in "Tirade." Or struggled to hit them, anyway. Also her A6 in "Say It Somehow" was pathetic; I barely even heard it. Sad.

[MrBundles]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 6:30pm

yay my recorded DVD turned out well!