The Light in the Piazza tonight

I am kinda ashamed to say...
but I JUST saw Piazza for the FIRST time tonight and it will not be my last!
I am too tired to say too much. But basically I am in love with Aaronn Lazor....he was so completely exsquisite...the moment he sang his first note he had me in tears! I saw Patti Conehour...not Victoria...and I'm actually glad, Patti was phenominal and I am not much of a Victoria Clark fan. I loved Sarah Uriarte Berry....but I felt she was a bit vocally mis-cast but she was so beautiful and eloquent. Michael Beresse is the definition of charm and cool! Chris Sarandon was so incredible and his voice was lovely! Katie Clarke should've played this role from day one! Same with Lazor. He's just so....I don't even know....he sings like an angel and he looks like Adrien Brody....it was like HEAVEN!
I'm floating!

Not a fan of Victoria Clark, and Berry vocally miscast?

Whaaaa?

Booooo....no way.

Kelli was perfection.

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A not-talented-enough spaz?

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Kelli is fantastic but I never saw her in Piazza.
But I did see Katie and never have I been moved by a performance so much.

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Who's Kelly Clarke?

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flaemmchen...you have got it down absolutely correct and I agree with you 100%. What I loved about Kelly's portrayal is that you didn't really know what was wrong with her. Perhaps her "slowness" wasn't even caused by the accident but by the her mother's constant protective nature. She is supposed to be 28 and I loved that her singing voice showed her actual age and the woman that was inside of her while her actions showed the girl. If she acts too young and childish the Naccarellis might think something is up. I LOVED her portrayal! I also agree that she has to open and trusting from the beginning....that is her nature and that is what causes Fabrizio to fall immediately in love with him and that is what she teaches her mother.

I have only seen the show with Katie... she was fantastic.
Didn't see it with Kelli, but the soundtrack is wonderful

When I saw Kaite Clark it was quite obvious the music was a bit out of her league vocally. She wouldn't open up on any of her high notes and it felt like she was mixing the whole role. I was underwhelemed and there were points in the second act when her voice couldn't handle it and it seemed she would crack any second. Maybe she has gotten better, but my friend and I, both performers, left saying, "She should not be singing this role."

Katie's voice teacher actually introduced her to Kim Grigsby (the current conductor), but they only met once and didn't see each other again until they began auditioning for the new Clara. Grigsby remembered Katie and got her the appointment, but that was it. The creatives obviously saw something in her that made them cast her as Clara after a long and exhaustive search.

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Updated On: 4/26/06 at 04:22 PM

The Light in the Piazza is a wonderful show! Saw it three times, fell in love with it all times, listening to the recording every time.

In general I definitely agree with flaemmchen.

I saw Piazza waaay back in August with Patti Cohenour (one of the best performers ever!) and Kelli and Matt. Kelli's voice and her characterization of Clara was so right for the age. It was true that I could not figure out what was wrong with Clara, so much that it nearly became a mystery to me. I loved that. She was the epitome of "mid-twenties" - you wouldn't want her voice to sound pre-pubescent, and the fullness of her vocals - just amazing. Matt has an incredible voice and I enjoyed his performance so much. And Patti - I thought she was a fantastic, gripping Margaret with an absolutely astounding voice. I have become such a fan of her work that I even have her solo cd from her website (patticohenour.com).

At the beginning of the month, I went to see the show again. It had been such a long time that it was funny how much I had forgotten. This time, I saw Katie, Aaron, and Victoria Clark. Katie is a budding performer who added a VERY naive side to the character that I don't remember so much from before. She was just SO vulnerable. Aaron has, in my opinion, a much better Italian accent, and he was a much different Fabrizio that I believe I liked, character-wise, better. I don't think I enjoyed his vocals more than Matt (but Aaron still sings fantastically), but there was just something dorky-cute about the his less "hot and heavy" performance (to quote flaemmchen). And Victoria - well, the little things that she does with Margaret were fantastic. I enjoyed her accent, her little mannerisms, and how could you NOT love her gorgeous voice?!

I've had the pleasure of going backstage with Patti to meet several cast members and tour the the Beaumont. The entire cast is fantasticly talented and it is THE show to bump up the bar of musical theatre.

I saw the show last night for the first time ever. Even though I knew how much everybody loved it on these boards, I was afraid I might be a little bored after hearing the cast recording. I was completely wrong! The show was amazing! Aaron and Katie were both fantastic, and even though I like Victoria's vocals better, Patti was amazing. Patti gives all her heart and soul for this production. She was crying at the curtain call, and I found that very moving. She was also very appreciative after the show. I will definitley be going back before it closes.