The "LIGHT" goes out!- Page 10

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 7/10/06 at 2:39pm

It's a sort of plain theater, and the stage is kind of small. I mean, it's pretty, but the stage isn't very long, and I'm not sure how it will transfer. Hairspray seemed too big for it, and that was with a scaled down set.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 7/10/06 at 2:41pm

Have they announced which stage 'Piazza' will play at Kennedy Center, Dottie?

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 7/10/06 at 2:42pm

Cookie, it's going to be at the Opera House, which in my opinion is too big for such an intimate show. I wish it were playing at the National Theatre.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 7/10/06 at 3:44pm

Hmmm... I was also wondering whether it would be playing the Eisenhower, which I thought had a rather shallow stage...

[IssaMe]

Posted: 7/11/06 at 7:29am

Boyd instead of Merriam? Updated On: 7/11/06 at 07:29 AM

[andyf]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 3:26am

I'm definitely not about to start my own thread to write a review no one will be interested in reading anyway (except for Bwaysinger because he's obsessed with me and bythesword because I would never subject her to a full review in person), so I figured I'd two birds with one stone it and get out the good word while bumping a wonderful, little thread that seems to have gone out to pasture.

So, Piazza is basically in fantasic shape.

Christine Andreas - Easily my favorite Margaret in terms of acting. Christine's Margaret is much more similar to Patti's than to Vicki's; she's a total firecracker. She has an amazing grasp on the humor and lands lots of laughs (pardon the alliteration) with some pretty fabulous sass. She's completely captivating every second she's onstage; I didn't want to take my eyes off her. She has great chemistry with Elena, and has some really amazing lineless moments I just needed to make note of. When Margaret runs on to save Clara during "Hsyteria," Christine tore into the scene and pushed the creepy "Mia cara" guy away from Elena with such panic and intensity, it was amazing. She was just as intense in the scene right before the reprise of "The Beauty Is." While Elena was doing the "Something is wrong..." lines, Christine was frantically going over the forms, trying to figure out what could have happened. She really has the character down.

As far as her singing, it's VERY Christine Andreas. You know what she sounds like, and I thought she sounded amazing. It was great to hear a slightly different stlye on the songs, especially "Dividing Day." She sounds great with Elena on the opening number.

Elena Shaddow - I can now die happy. I'd been waiting to see Elena in this role since she broke the news on her website, and it was well worth the wait. She's easily as good as Kelli O'Hara, and in my opinion, better (and I LOVED Kelli). Her acting was really beautiful. In the same scene before the reprise of "The Beauty Is" when Margaret is trying to convince her that everything is fine, Elena was very quietly straightening out the chairs... brilliant.

Her singing is incredible. She has just as gorgeous a legit as Kelli, but she straight-tones every now and then and it sounds spectacular (her "...from the heart" in the opening is magnificent). It was wonderful to hear this beautiful score sound the way it should again. "Say It Somehow" is gorgeous, and her "Tirade" is so amazing (she's a real master of the belty-soprano stuff). "The Beauty Is" and the title song (especially the title song) are also stellar (it was refreshing to hear a Clara who can open her throat on that "Soooomeoooooone could be looking for a someone like you..." again). And "Clara's Interlude" finally sounds beautiful again (seriously missed that open throat!).

David Burnham - I'm happy to report that David has gotten even better since his days as the Broadway understudy. I caught David as Fabrizio towards the end of the run, and, while I was very impressed with his sense of musicality and his singing, his acting... would have been much more appropriate for Giuseppe. To be more direct, he was kind of a shmuck. Adorable, but shmucky. Now, he's finally found the happy medium between creating his own character, but not crossing the Giuseppe line, and it's wonderful. Totally endearing; Clara wasn't the only one who fell for Fabrizio.

His singing is just as impressive as it ever was. He really has such a good sense of musicality; his singing is so dynamic, it's a joy to listen to. He won the audience over immediately with his powerful (and funny) "Il Mundo..." and he doesn't let up from there. "Say It Somehow" - like I said - sounds amazing, and "Love to Me" is as sweet as could be. Sidebar - there's no bench to play with in "Passeggiata," so on the "Ahhh" break in the middle of the song, he runs up to Prudence Wright Holmes, who's just strolling by, and gives her this big, goofy hug. It's really cute.

Laura Griffith - I'd heard great things about her Franca and was pleased to see for myself how true they were. Sarah Berry is a pretty tough act to follow, especially in this role, but Laura strutted onto the stage in such a fury of shoulders and hips, it would have made Sarah proud. She's definite got the sass down. And I'm very pleasantly surprised to report I think Laura sounds even better than Sarah in the role. "The Joy You Feel" really sounded fantastic (and Laura nailed the comedy on top of that). Brava!

Jonathan Hammond - Probably the biggest surprise of the night. Absolutely wonderful. He's certainly not the dancer Michael B. is - but who is? - but he knocks the comedy so far out the park, the audience completely eats him up every time he's onstage. I can't say enough about how funny he was... truly delightful.

David Lendingham - Does a great job in the role. He was exactly what he needed to be in every scene, definitely landed all of his jokes, and had a great confrontation scene with Christine before "Let's Walk."

Diane Sutherland - Being a huge fan of Patti Cohenour as Margaret, I got to see Diane as Signora quite a few times on Broadway, and I'm happy to report she's still as great as she was. She delivers a very spunky "Aiutami" and splits many a side in the scenes sandwiching "The Joy You Feel."

Brian Sutherland - I just have to add a little about this man (and not just because Roy is so very important to bythesword). In the completely thankless role of Margaret's husband, I thought Brian was perfection. I was watching the show and thought he was absolutely everything I would expect Roy to be. You could see why Margaret would have fallen for him in the first place, but you could also see why she sings "Dividing Day" shortly after the first call ends.

Also, Evangelia Kingsley is delivering a hysterically dry Tour Guide.

The entire cast is really very good. I honestly can't say enough good things about them. The show is in very good hands.

Now the downside... the technical aspects of the tour. Definitely far from bad, I just really missed the Lincoln Center production at times. The lighting and costumes are intact (and Elena is back in the original yellow dress for the title song, not the peach version Katie Clarke wore).

The set, obviously, had to be tweaked, and it looks good, it just seemed a little claustrophobic at times because they would have the building facades make an inverted V that came to a point upstage center, so it really closed off the space and made an abrupt end to the Firenze onstage. Also, there's no trap door (at least not at the Orpheum), so Signor's desk and the bed in Margaret's room couldn't just float on and off, which was sad. There was a lot of stuff being dragged on- and offstage as a result, which is certainly not the fault of the creative team - they didn't build the stage; it was just a little dinky.

Lastly, the blocking had to be tweaked bigtime. At Lincoln Center, a lot of the entrances and exits were made through those little tunnel things that went into the house. Clearly, this wasn't an option for a huge house with a proscenium stage, so all the entrances are made from the wings, like you'd expect. It felt a little static at first, but overall the show wasn't really effected. The only time I really missed the Lincoln Center staging was at "Clara's Interlude." The set didn't really get pulled out as quickly (and I saw the show twice) and it just seemed like Elena didn't have as much room to play with, especially having to enter from the wing and just run across the stage, as opposed to the big, dramatic, Lincoln Center entrance. It felt like it lost a little something (though Elena more than made up for it with her acting and vocals).

All in all, see the tour as soon as you can. The cast is really spectular and the show is holding up extremely well. The Vivian Beaumont might be dark, but the light has certainly not gone out. Too easy...

Updated On: 8/12/06 at 03:26 AM

[IssaMe]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 11:38am

Thank you for this wonderful and detailed review. Having flown in from London last week to see it during previews, I couldn't agree with you more.

Can't ever remember a tour edition of a show being in better shape than "Piazza" is - and this is at the very beginning after a hectic period of getting the show ready in its touring form. With only several days in the theater itself (after rehearsals elsewhere), this one got up to speed really fast.

A simply spectacular cast (every bit as good as in NYC)... and re-adapted and re-staged as necessary for the tour in the most careful and intelligent manner. Lots of subtle differences which really work.

Things that are missed here (mostly, the audience feeling of being part of Firenze at the Beaumont with the entrances and exits all around you being replaced by the more distant proscenium layout) are compensated for by the restaging and various little tweakings.

You mention several of these - (the bench-jump replaced by Fabrizio's sudden and charming hug of strolling Prudence during the walk instead), the new first entrance by Fabrizio reading Sartre with his funny glasses and the scattering of his papers in the wind before Clara's hat is blown away by it as well.

The stronger echo added to Margaret and Clara's visit to the Duomo. Clara clinging to the wall during "Clara's Interlude" when the set doesn't separate as quickly to allow her a wider running space. The sly museum tour guide (who thought ANYone could replace Felicity LaFortune in this role??)

Also, there is greatly heightened flirtation between Margaret and Signor Naccarelli which has far more potency here (he is played somewhat lighter by David Ledingham than by Chris Sarandon... and closer to how New York understudy Joseph Siravo played him). The stronger Southern accent for Margaret. Re-costuming which is particularly attractive (particularly on Shaddow, Burnham and Andreas). Margaret's dismissal of Fabrizio at the museum in the way she pronounces his name and waves him off with her handkerchief is one little thing which is emphasized more and very funny.

Lots of little re-stagings and changes in line delivery which work beautifully. And a new mix on the orchestrations (or re-orchestration) which show all kinds of new nuances in the score.

The acting seems to be more emotional and intense than ever. It was love at first sight with Andreas. Such depth of feeling, such total dramatic commitment to the character... and THAT voice! She was born to sing Guettel and he was born to write songs which are perfect for her (just as was the case with his grandfather's "Oklahoma" revival---- when she was the best Laurie ever).

I agree that her performance is somewhat closer to Patti's than to Vicky's. But in the end, it is totally her own interpretation, and it is a new Margaret which really works!!

Sooo.....The Light shines on - brighter than ever.

P.S. For all you soccer ball fans... "The Ball" is more bounced (by the Priest) than kicked in this production.
Updated On: 8/12/06 at 11:38 AM