What happened to the Piazza love?

Posted: 12/5/05 at 8:07pm

For Piazza lovers:
I think this musical deserves its own love thread by now!

Winner of the most Tonys at the 2005 Tonys
Best Original Score - Adam Guettel
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical - Victoria Clark
Best Scenic Design of a Musical - Michael Yeargan
Best Costume Design of a Musical - Catherine Zuber
Best Lighting Design of a Musical - Christopher Akerlind
Best Orchestrations - Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel, Bruce Coughlin

Nominations [that also should have been wins ] 11 Total
Best Musical
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical - Matty Morrison
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical - Kelli O'Hara
Best Direction of a Musical - Barlett Sher
Best Book of a Musical - Craig Lucas

May the loving begin
~JKor
Updated On: 1/11/06 at 08:07 PM

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 8:08pm

Ooo, even using my name - nice!

Count me in!

[JudasIscariot]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 8:13pm

It's overrated.

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 8:13pm

how does it use your user name?

I adore Piazza! Victoria Clark is amazing in the show. I saw it a few weeks ago for the second time, met her afterwards and she was a doll!

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 8:16pm

No. I came up with enlightist as a name.

[Piazzaslight]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 8:24pm

This was such a good show! I named myself after it. (Piazzaslight.) What do you all think of my name? I remember the sets. The gorgeous sets. I liked the Duomo scenery the best. The way they used all those candles. What's YOUR favorite set from this show?

[greenegirl87]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 8:27pm

I love the tobacco shop. Even though every time they are in it ,they smoke those nasty herbal cigarettes. I also love that little cafe they go to. The whole set is great!

yay for Piazza!

[rose&lark]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 8:40pm

I haven't seen it, but I have been captivated by the score. The music, the lyrics, the performances by the ENTIRE cast are superb. This is quality theatre.

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 9:23pm

Loooooooooooooooove!
Loooooooooooooooove!
Loooooooooooooooooooooooove it!

[Kevo711]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 9:30pm

Ohh of course I love Piazza! Both Matt and Kelli truly deserved a Tony for this show!

[WholeLottaShakin]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 10:25pm

I wholeheartedly agree - Matt and Kelli deserved Tonys for this! Their performances were so touching and truly exquisite.

[freeadmission]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 11:25pm

I haven't seen it (yet . . . *crosses finger*), but the music won me over from the very first harp glissando. *faints*

Guettel seems the perfect blend of Rogers and Sondhiem. It's marvelous. I'm in love.

[Composer9]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 4:58am

I LOVE PIAZZA! Thank you Kor! We finally have a love thread! I wish I thought of it myself! Long may Piazza's beautiful music soar in the Vivian Beaumont!

Updated On: 12/6/05 at 04:58 AM

[bschneid76]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 9:55am

I went in not knowing anything about it, except for my professor saying it was an "ok" show. But I felt it was one of the best musicals i've seen in ages! It took me back to the olden day musicals of the 40s and 50s. I felt it was 100% better than Spamelot (which was also good, but not best musical material) I totally say Piazza was brilliant!

Posted: 12/6/05 at 5:25pm

How did everyone hear about Piazza?
[bschneid76 reminded me to ask a question, haha]

~JKor

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 5:42pm

I was at Lincoln Center seeing Dessa Rose in February and saw posters for it at the Box Office. In April, I decided to see it having heard some positive buzz around it and finding out that Victoria Clark was in it.

[Composer9]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 6:09pm

I had heard of it on a chat site, and when i saw the short blurb on the Tony's I was hooked. When Kelli sings, "Was there a king, was there a queen?!" I was captured...and I saw it over the summer as many times as my wallet would allow.

[Piazzaslight]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 6:16pm

That's a funny question, because when I saw the show, there was one lady and her daughter (14) there. The mother asked me, "So what made you choose this one?"

How I heard of it was tht I remembered something about the show, and thoight maybe it would be about Mike Piazza (Don't shoot me.) I look at the plot, and thought that it didn't look too interesting. Anyways, there was really positive buzz about the show emanating from ATC, but I pretty much ignored it. So there was a Broadway.com opening night video of it. I think, "Ah, I'll take a look." I liked what I heard of the music so far. Then, when it got to Kelli singing, "I don't see a miracle shining from the sky. I'm no good at statues and stories. I try." That just had me at... "Woah, that was beautiful." I show my dad, and I'm trying to get him int it, without much luck. The only song he liked was the title song, which is my favorite song from the show. (What's yours?) So then I see that a C. D. is coming out, and I listen t the four songs that I could get on the computer via Nonesuch.com. I liked what I heard, and liked it better with each listen, especially the Octet (Yes, people, I like the Octet, so deal with it.) i listen to the samples on amazon, and thught that they were just so-so. However, I know it takes you a few listens to get into these kind of things. After a month of survivng with the sons I have, I venture out to Borders and bought the cast recording. I found myself very moved by the end. I HAD to go back and listen to the final lyrics of 'Fable.' (Clara.. The light in the Piazza...) I had that single title song stuck in my head for the rest of the night.

A few months later, in August, my mom had a conference to go to in New York. I had this plan in my head for months: When that time arrives, go to TKTS with dad, and get tickets to TLITP, closest to the center, as we all know the seating at that theatre. So I get seats in the Loge, third row and we venture up to the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. I really loved the area. So, I see the show. I enjoyed it so much. It was a little slow towards the end, but Vicki's "Fable" told me that this show will become a classic. That's how I came to be Piazzaslight (Call me piazzas, cool nickname given to me by Elphaba and Gav.)

[WholeLottaShakin]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 6:18pm

I knew nothing about it when a friend had an extra (read: free) ticket during previews and asked if I wanted to take it. That night, I was happily surprised to open the playbill and learn Matt Morrison was in it. Then, to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I love when that happens.

Kelli's last show was the sixth time I'd seen it. :)

[freeadmission]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 7:43pm

For the longest time, all I heard was buzz. A friend told me to listen to samples on the website, but I didn't because I'm a loser. I saw the Tony performance and wasn't impressed, but what DID impress me was that it won for all the important stuff but best musical. Expecially Best Score and Orchestrations. That caught my eye.

I first HEARD it while I working on a set for a show I was in. It was a come in if you can thing and when I got there it was just me and the set designer and he was playing Piazza over the sound system and I fell in love. I'm not sure what song it was that I heard first, but I know that he immediatly changed it to "Love To Me" and I fell in love with that. Then I heard "Fable" and loved it and he started the CD over.

Now "Fable" is my favorite. It's such a journey! ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGH!! I must get to NYC!!!

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 8:30pm

Nothing wrong with the Octet. Anybody messin' with the Octet has to answer to me.

[lvpblues]

Posted: 12/7/05 at 12:25am

I first heard of the musical adaptation of Piazza a couple years back when it was being prepped for its first regional tryout in Seattle. About five years ago (or some point in high school) I had caught the film on TCM and liked it and the story it told. (I'm a big fan of Olivia de Havilland). So I followed its out of town progress and reviews and anticipated its arrival more than any other production to open last season.

Needless to say I wasn't disappointed. I went on opening night (I scored a $20 student ticket to that one) and fell madly in love with it. Broke my own rule and actually bought the album at Colony the day before its release while I was in the city for the Theatre World Awards. Literally didn't stop listening to the album for about 2 weeks.

Have now seen the show 7 times and look forward to an 8th return in the near future.

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 12/7/05 at 6:05am

I heard about it from all the buzz on here and other sites. Unfortunately, my only internet connection is here at work, and as it won't play flash player (or any audio) I had to wait until the album came out (which I ordered from Amazon.com, despite the shipping charges). I was hooked from the first bars, and fell in love with the whole score immediately. The next day I booked a flight to New York for mid November specifically because I wanted to see the show so much - in fact I managed to see it twice during my six day visit (along with DRS, Wicked, In My Life and Purple) and it didn't disappoint!

Now if only the National Theatre over here would get a move on and put on a production; we're having to wait two years for Caroline or Change, so if they do produce LITP, it won't open until 2007/8 at the earliest
Updated On: 12/8/05 at 06:05 AM

[IssaMe]

Posted: 12/7/05 at 12:18pm

Demos of the score Adam Guettel made for his own use over the years as he developed it, were enough to make ANYbody a major fan. Wish he'd go the "Sondheim Sings" route and release them!!!!!

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 12/7/05 at 2:07pm

i heard about it from the tonys (pretty usual, but yeah), and thought it looked good with 6 awards and all, and ordered tickets june 20th! saw it august 8th i think, and got my program signed by kelli, victoira, matt, mark, and patti :) i loved this show soooo much, started crying during "love to me" and "fable" is the all around best song of this show, and Broadway season, victoria is tooo unbelievable for words, just so intact with the role in every possible way, and i loved that is still had humor in it too (fave line, but not quoted exactly "must be like a father and son team!"-cracked me up!!!!)

:)
I LOVE PIAZZA!