Piazza Tour Review - Minneapolis 3/24 w/ Katie Clarke

[CompletlyNakedStatue]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 8:48am

I saw the national tour of The Light in the Piazza in Minneapolis last night with Katie Rose Clarke as Clara, who joined the tour this week. I was fortunate enough to see the complete original Broadway cast at Lincoln Center, so I feel a little spoiled by that experience, but I think this touring production is in pretty good shape. Some thoughts...

Christine Andreas as Margaret - Andreas is a fantastic actress and she really fit this role well... from the desperation to the humor right down to the accent, she was believable every second. She has a unique voice and she is very interesting to listen to in her lower-middle range, her "Dividing Day" was excellent. However, some the higher notes, such as the ones in "Fable", were clearly out of her range and were very distracting, almost ruining some some of the final (and most poignant) moments of the show. I really found myself missing Victoria Clark at those points. But overall a solid, commanding performance.

Katie Rose Clarke as Clara - I'd heard so many mixed things about her performance in this role, I didn't really know what to expect. Kelli O'Hara was so amazing in this role, it's hard for anyone to hold a candle to her. Katie Clarke really makes this role her own though. She's different than O'Hara... she's etremely young looking and it reads very well. She's obviously a talented actress, her childlike performance is nuanced and full of humor, and she's very likeable on stage. I think some of her more dramatic/tantrum moments suffered ("Hysteria", "Octet") in comparison to O'Hara's. This is probably primarily due to her vocals. She has a pretty, clear voice, but it lacks O'Hara's power and depth, sounds very poppy at times, and isn't ever overly impressive. Sadly, her "Light in the Piazza" fell flat for me in the second act. But overall I still enjoyed her performance and was happy to get to see her.

David Burnham as Fabrizio - I really enjoyed him! Great voice, very likeable performance. Some of his Italian at the beginning seemed a little sketchy to me, but overall a fantastic, sensitive performance so that's forgivable. I never loved Matt Morrison (also sketchy Italian) in this show, so I was happy to see that they found a good fit for the touring production. (Although I regret not seeing Aaron Lazar in the role in New York.)

I was impressed by the Nicarelli family members... David Ledingham as Signor, Jonathan Hammond as Guiseppe, Wendi Bergamini as Franca (beautiful rendition of "The Joy You Feel", although she did pale a bit in comparison to Sarah Uriarte Berry), and Evangelia Kinglsey as Signora. "Aiutami" is one of my favorite moments in the show, and they did not disappoint.

The set looks great even though it has been adapted to fit a prescenium stage, great orchestrations still in tact. This was my second time seeing "Piazza" and the heart of the show really came through with this company... overall thumbs up.

Updated On: 3/25/07 at 08:48 AM

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 11:45am

Saw the show on Friday night and agree with pretty much everything you said.

We got Franca's understudy that night and I thought she was just OK...her big solo moment, "The Joy You Feel," kind of fell flat. Due to some enunciation issues, I think the audience was a little confused about what she was trying to convey.

Christine Andreas has never been a favorite of mine. Her singing voice is unusual---the hyperactive vibrato and occasional tendency to fall a bit under the pitch have always turned me off. However, that being said, I thought she acted the role extremely well, and I found "Dividing Day" to be riveting. On the debit side, those high notes at the end of "Fable" were clearly not comfortable for her and did indeed come precariously close to ruining the final moments of the show. Her strong performance up until that point helped make up for those sour notes.

David Burnham: wow! His solos practically stopped the show. The end of "Il Mondo Era Vuoto" is one of those moments in theatre that I just love, when the audience can't contain its excitement and starts applauding before the singer finishes that long, final note. Burnham is extremely likeable in the role and the audience adored him.

A very strong touring production, and I'm glad I saw it.

[LouieLovesTheater]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 12:07pm

Saw the matinee yesterday and agree pretty much with the previous two posters.

I think seeing the original Broadway cast of this particular show really spoils you for anyone else that could follow. Also, seeing it at the Vivian Beaumont was an experience in and of itself. No touring set could ever beat that moment when it's just Clara and that large empty stage and the yellow-lit scrim. That moment was SO powerful visually and at the Orpheum it was only so-so.

I actually really enjoyed that Andreas was so different from Clark vocally. I thought her Dividing Day was a total triumph in acting and singing. She knows exactly where to give things weight and where to take it easy. Fable is a song that has always given me chills and she did not disappoint. Yes, the high notes were a bit of a stretch for her (although Katie Clark also has some top-note issues) but I felt it just went into that moment for Margaret. What bugged me most about Andreas? Could someone please give the woman some powder? She was shiny for the whole show! She looked like a china doll.

Katie, Burnham and the family were all strong. Personally, I feel the opening of Act 2 is a misstep...the mother character has really been given no weight in the show and she suddenly steps out to make this observation?

Still...it's a show that I wish more people would be seeing. When you see some shows come through town that aren't very strong sell out and then shows like this and Dobut struggle to get to half capacity...it's very sad. The tours of Doubt and Piazza are some of the strongest I've ever seen.

[jochang621]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 12:22pm

thanks for the reviews! can't wait to see them again in a few months. i totally know how it's hard NOT to compare everyone to the original broadway cast.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 12:25pm

I keep seeing in the press announcements that Katie is being billed as "Katie Rose Clark." When did this name change occur?

[CompletlyNakedStatue]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 7:00pm

Yes, it was very sad to see so many empty seats on a Saturday night! It makes me sad to know how many people will miss this gem but rush out to see All Shook Up which will be here next month.

(No offense to All Shook Up, which I haven't seen, and will probably catch if I can.)

[gustof777]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 7:11pm

glad to hear that for the most part you liked Katie!

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 8:56pm

So basically there's not one good leading soprano in the production?

Fan-friggin-tastic.

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 9:09pm

Wendi Bergamini was very good as Franca when I saw her.
Updated On: 3/25/07 at 09:09 PM

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 9:38pm

Well, I said leading, which I thought meant excluding Franca.

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 9:50pm

I really liked Katie Clarke...not sure why so many people seem to dislike her on here simply for not being Kelli O'Hara. Katie was strong, likeable, and heartbreaking in the role, if you ask me.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 10:25pm

She doesn't have a strong enough soprano, when she's even able to hit the notes at all (that A5 in "Say it Somehow" should be a piece of cake for a soprano, yet she struggles with it.)

[CompletlyNakedStatue]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 11:30pm

Agree, she really isn't that strong of a soprano. It's not just that she doesn't compare to O'Hara vocally, but her vocals , while pretty, just aren't that strong. She is very likeable, I'll give her that, but I was truly surprised that her soprano wasn't stronger.

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 11:39pm

I thought her voice was perfectly fine for the demands of the role. The fact that she wasn't a "strong" soprano actually worked for me. Clara is supposed to be vulnerable and childlike.

To each his own. I really liked her in the role!

[LouieLovesTheater]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 11:40pm

Katie wasn't bad at all...I personally felt it just took her awhile to warm up when I saw it. She had great chemistry with Andreas and Burnham and had some excellent moments.

I don't think anyone who sees this show would be disappointed...I think what we've been discussing here is some serious nitpicking. At the performance I saw the audience had a huge reaction to the show and I know I was moved all over again seeing this piece.

All Shook Up...oy. I haven't seen it since it's pre-Broadway Chicago run but I hope it's not as cringe-inducing as it was then.

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 11:48pm

Louie, are you really surprised by nitpicking on this site?


A separate discussion thread is saying the ALL SHOOK UP tour has been cancelled, BTW.

[LouieLovesTheater]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 11:55pm

Yeah Guy, I guess I shouldn't be shocked. At least I didn't mention something about that one green witch who missed all those shows on tour...I don't want that wrath again =)

All Shook Up is cancelled AFTER it gets to us. If this season had two cancellations (after Dirty Rotten...) I would have been miffed. The season was so promising and it's turned out OK.

I heard next year we are due for Chorus Line, Drowsey Chaperone, Jersey Boys, Lion King and some others...

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 3/25/07 at 11:58pm

I'll go see those first three for sure.

It's wonderful that there are people on these boards who are so vocal and passionate about theare, but sometimes....if you express an opinion that is contrary to someone else's....LOOK OUT.

[gustof777]

Posted: 3/26/07 at 3:12am

Katie is f**king unreal...in both voice and for sure in acting ability.
that is all!

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 3/26/07 at 2:20pm

LoringsGuy: Adam Guettel wrote the role for a soprano, and not even a high one at that (unless you count the original Chicago portrayal with Celia's B5, but even that isn't high for a soprano.) Katie should be able to sing the score as he wrote without any problems. That's all that I ask. Nothing is wrong with Clara's vocal cords; there is no reason that a person playing her should struggle with singing the score. In at least a beautiful and complex score like Piazza's, vocal ability should come before all else.

[lostgirl]

Posted: 3/26/07 at 6:58pm

sporkgoddess- I don't entirely agree with that. First of all, Clara may not go that high but it's far from an easy role to sing. Also, I will agree that vocal ability is important. Very important. But if the best vocals in the world don't have emotion behind them, they won't do anything for me. Likewise, imperfect singing can be elevated by someone putting their heart and soul into it. I can't divide a performance up into neat little parts and say 10/10 for acting 5/10 for vocals and 7/10 for audience approval. For me all of the elements of the performance feed into one another. Especially in a musical like Piazza where they music and the lyrics carry you through the story so seamlessly.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 3/26/07 at 7:52pm

I'm not saying that I want great singing and bad acting; I want both. With all of the pretty young sopranos in the world, they should have been able to find one who could act the role well and nail the part vocally. And I don't consider having weak vocals to be an attribute acting-wise; musicals are supposed to have a suspension of disbelief, especially LitP.

Updated On: 3/26/07 at 07:52 PM

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 3/26/07 at 9:15pm

SporkGoddess, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one!

I didn't find Katie's vocals to be weak at all. She pretty much nailed it the night I saw it.

[lostgirl]

Posted: 3/26/07 at 10:01pm

Sporkgoddess- I don't consider weak vocals an attribute acting wise either. That's not what I meant at all. I do think that sometimes in the context of a given show someone who doesn't necessarily have a perfect voice but can really deliver the song emotionally can work

Generally speaking I think that a lot of people tend to judge Katie Clarke by the PBS broadcast, which was, unfortunately a night where she was having some vocal issues and may not have gone on in different circumstances. I saw her perform the role two other times during her Broadway run where her voice was much better- not perfect, but appropriate given the role and her interpretation. Audiences respond well to her too.

I guess it comes down to what you want from a performance though. For me, theater is about a connection between the audience, the performers and the work itself. Katie's depicition of Clara facilitates that connection for a lot of people. I hate to use a term like "chemistry" which is so vague, but I think the vocals, the acting, the stage presence, the appearance etc all make up a cohesive whole.

In this case I think Katie's weaknesses are also her strengths: she came to the role fresh out of school with no professional experience. That meant that she was very unpolished, but also very natural, very fresh, and youthful. Since she did her initial Broadway run she's done more professional work (Travels With My Discontent, a few readings/concerts) and I'm curious as to whether that experience has helped her grow into the role more or whether it merely took away from the dazzled newness she had.m

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 3/26/07 at 10:25pm

Fair enough. I personally though feel that Katie's more of a belter than a soprano.