Theater Review: "Light in the Piazza"

“Light in the Piazza” Ahmanson Theatre Oct. 31
through Dec. 10

They say that theater is the willful suspension of disbelief.
Rarely does a show come along that does not require the will. When
that happens, you know you’re witnessing exceptional theater.
“Light in the Piazza” is one of those gleeful
aberrations that truly captures its audience from the first to last
curtain. Now, the Tony award-winning show has come to Los Angeles
in the Center Theatre Group’s current production, which runs
at the Ahmanson Theatre until Dec. 10. The show, set in 1953,
follows an American mother and daughter, Margaret and Clara
Johnson, as they vacation in Florence, Italy. Much to
Margaret’s dismay, Clara meets a handsome young Italian man
named Fabrizio Naccarelli, and the two quickly fall in love. The
unexpected twist of the show comes when Margaret reveals that the
stunningly beautiful Clara is mentally challenged. The question
that then arises is whether Fabrizio and his family will find out
and reject Clara. The true strengths of the show are the brilliant
music and lyrics by Adam Guettel and the vocal talents of the
virtuoso cast. Christine Andreas transforms herself into the role
of Margaret with an ease that belies the age difference between
herself and the character. Elena Shaddow keeps her character
Clara’s secret masterfully, playing Clara as a inquisitive
and unguardedly honest young woman. David Burnham stole more than
one heart, and possibly the show, as the lovesick Fabrizio. To call
“Light” a musical would be a disservice to this
unbelievable production. The show rises above what we know as
musical theater; the music is closer to an aria than a sing-along
Disney melody. What makes “Light” a rare find is that
it makes the audience care. You feel the pulse of Florence, relate
to Margaret’s parental dilemma, and leave inspired by the
unconditional love between the Italian and the American.

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