Customer Reviews

The Light in the Piazza (2005 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Adam Guettel's soaring melodies and passionate, romantic lyrics combine to make "The Light In The Piazza's" score one of the most stunning I have heard in ages. Mr. Guettel's work brings rare wonder to the musical stage. It almost belongs in a genre of its own. Certainly, his contemporary score is not recognizable in any of your mother's Broadway show tunes, nor is it quite opera. This extraordinary album, featuring the original cast, was released recently by Nonesuch Records. I immediately bought a CD and have listened to it repeatedly over the last weeks. Beautifully arranged and orchestrated by the composer, with Ted Sperling and Bruce Coughlin, the more you listen to "The Light In The Piazza," with its swirling sound of strings and harp, and slight dissonances, the more you want to hear.

Based on the novella by Elizabeth Spenser, the musical is set primarily in Florence, Italy, in the summer of 1953. Margaret Johnson, (Victoria Clark), is touring the Tuscan countryside with her daughter, Clara, ((Kelli O'Hara). While sightseeing, beautiful, young Clara meets Fabrizio Naccarelli, (Matthew Morrison), a handsome, spirited Florentine. Her hat is blown off by a gust wind and the young man recovers it for her. Fate sounds a chord, romance resonates. The protective Mrs. Johnson is determined to keep the two lovers apart. Clara is not all she appears to be at first glimpse, and her mother is finding this increasingly difficult to keep secret.

Silver-voiced, Mrs. Johnson, (the magnificent Ms.Clark), reflects on her empty marriage in the heartbreaking "Dividing Day," a song in the first act which is one of my favorites. Another major highlight is her poignant closing number, "Fable." Throughout, the music and lyrics eloquently articulate the actors' feelings. Kelli O'Hara's radiant version of "The Light in the Piazza" and the gorgeous love duet between O'Hara and Morrison, "Say It Somehow" provide absolutely memorable moments. The young couple struggle with a language barrier, and Mr. Morrison's receives my kudos for the way he communicates in broken English....and, of course, in song. His talent is so evident as his voice, time and time again, soars to the proverbial rafters. The CD offers some fantastic group numbers also.

I cannot write enough good things about this album. I can only promise that if you listen, and let the glorious music speak for itself, you will be more than satisfied.
JANA

When we have to suffer through a Broadway season that includes the likes of Dracula and Good Vibrations, The Light in the Piazza is HOPE. Adam Guettel's score is the best in YEARS, and this recording is breathtaking. While not perfect (some of the songs don't quite work and the lyrics can become a bit general), the music moves in such intricate and beautiful ways. The orchestrations (with great string parts and a little guitar sneaked in there) are BEAUTIFUL; sadly, no recording could give justice to the experience of hearing those orchestrations in the real space.

Plus, there are many noteworthy performances. Victoria Clark's voice has so much character and emotion, Kelli O'Hara just floats through those notes like it's nothing, and Matthew Morrison does such a great job with a difficult score that calls for him to sing an Italian aria, and it's so funny to think that this is the same guy who starred in Hairspray :)

The CD is a MUST HAVE; if you don't know Adam Guettel you need to get acquainted. He is the new voice of musical theatre.

The Light in the Piazza is incredible. Guettel's score is outstandingly beautiful. There is not one song on this recording not worth listening to over and over again.

Guettel said in an interview that the goal of this show was to make people feel as if they were in Italy, in the piazza, and in love. Although this obviously works better in the theater, (Definitely worth $100 dollars to see-even the best recording could not emulate the beauty of the production-go see it, you'll be glad you did) the recording captures this feeling incredibly.

The orchestrations are lush and full, absolutely stunning. Despite being musical theatre, Piazza's musical style borders on modern opera, with classical Italian influences.

The story is not your average romance. It is complex and intricate. It examines all of the main characters' views of love, some jaded and weary, others young and hopeful.

Performances given are wonderful. Victoria Clark, especially, is brilliant in her role. Her voice soars, and her emotion overwhelms. Kelli O'Hara's beautiful voice is exactly what Guettel's music needs to satisfy it. Matthew Morrison is also extremely good- as is the entire remainder of the cast.

As the previous reviewer said, this show gives hope for the future of musical theatre. This is the kind of show to revive broadway- and Guettel is the composer to do it.

There are two words to describe the show: INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL.

This musical is one of the strongest things ever to grace Broadway. It won't last as long as Phantom of the Opera, and Spamalot will more than likely outlast it, but that is only because it isn't a crowd pleaser but more of a thought-provoking musical.

The overture is one of the most beautiful things in the world. It slowly calls you to it. It bubbles up slowly with the opening harp, with thoughts of more as more insturments join it, and it breaks out into the violins which breath the sound of unrequited love. Then a solitary voice joins, Clara's, and then you hear her questioning her mother, Margaret, on what happened there in Italy, in a prophetic statement, Margaret says, "I played a tricky game in a foreign country."

People have given this low ratings because they say this is too boring. If you look at any other good musical cd on Amazon you will find the same complaint. This is because it is a CD, it's not going to get up and dance and give you any emotion other than sound (not to step on the emotion given in this CD.)

On a final note The Light in the Piazza needs a couple of listens before it starts to sink in. Like most good music.

Whether or not you agree with his opinions, Frank Rich is inarguably an influential voice when it comes to musical theater. So when a show boasts a glowing set of CD liner notes written by Mr. Rich, one can't help but stand up and take notice.

Such are the bragging rights afforded to "The Light in the Piazza," the new chamber musical at Lincoln Center whose cast recording is now available from Nonesuch. This new, Tony-nominated work has a score composed by Adam Guettel, the grandson of the famous Richard Rodgers, which is not to imply that Guettel needs the benefit of nepotism to earn praise--this recording takes care of that.

"The Light in the Piazza" takes place in 1953 Italy and centers on a very simple and seemingly-overused theme: love. However, Guettel is anything but simple, and his treatment of the material is anything but ordinary. Toeing the line between musical theater and light operetta, Guettel's score is rich, lush and full of the exuberant joy and energy one expects when expressing the feeling of new-found love.

If your taste in music extends no further than pastiche tunes that retreat from challenging their listener, then avoid this recording. Adam Guettel asks quite a lot from his audience, but the rewards are well worth the effort. Guettel's work--also exhibited in "Floyd Collins" and "Myths and Hymns"--is theatrical in its storytelling, but daring in harmonic structure and pensive in its lyrics. However, gorgeous and hummable melodies are not at all missing either--"Say It Somehow" is inarguably one of the most gorgeous love duets ever written for the stage.

The score ranges from soaring ballads (the aforementioned "Say It Somehow," "Love to Me" and the title song) to more traditional scene songs (the opening number "Statues and Stories") and even flirts with opera ("Il Mondo Era Vuoto," which is sung entirely in Italian). The brilliance lies in Guettel's talent and gift for creating music that seemingly heads in one direction, then takes an unexpected turn--not in a negatively distracting way, but rather in such a way that challenges the ear and ultimately engages the listener.

The orchestrations are top-notch, utilizing to full effect a bevy of strings (including 12 violins). The lightness and etherealness of the score evoke the feelings of new love--anyone who has experienced love will understand.

The cast is phenomenal, including the much-touted Victoria Clark, who seems a shoo-in for all major acting awards this season; Kelli O'hara, whose light soprano seems effortless and as innocent as her character; and Matthew Morrison, who handles his Italian characterization masterfully.

I am fortunate enough to have tickets to this show in August (2nd row center Orchestra) and have heard that this cast recording cannot adequately capture the magic of seeing the show live. If this is true, then I am certainly in for a magical experience. On disc, this show (and ultimately its score) handsomely rewards those listeners who are not afraid to be challenged, and repeated listenings only serve to increase those rewards.

The Light in the Piazza is hands down the most goregous Broadway cast recording that I have encountered so far. The "Overture" alone sent chills down my spine with its sheer power and beauty. There is not one standout song on this recording, as they are all equally beautiful and enchanting, and the three stars, Victoria Clark, Kelli O'Hara, and Matthew Morrison, bring the whole production to life. If the show wasn't so expensive, I'd see it in a heartbeat. This is truly a masterpiece here, even for non-musical fans. If you are just a fan of classical music, this will work for you. If you are a Broadway fan that loves shows like Wicked and Spamalot, this might not be your fare. This recording is for those who want to hear beauty, majesty, and sheer grace.

DO purchase this CD. I love the rich orchestrations ("Piazza" is not synthesizer-driven like Guettel's earlier work "Myths and Hymns") and I love the raw emotions that only the distinctive "Guettel chords" can create.

Here's my major complaint: The liner notes did a pretty terrible job of telling me what's happening throughout the show, so I found myself stuggling for a plot and not listening to the music. You see, I'm an unwealthy 18 year old from Minnesota, so CDs and their liner notes are about the only way I can experience new Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals.

Once the CD was finished I flipped to the last page of the notes and there in small print at the bottom it says: "Synopsis of 'The Light in the Piazza' avaliable online at at www.nonesuch.com"

The site eventually leads you to: http://www.nonesuch.com/Hi_Band/piazzasynopsis.htm

On that page is a complete summary of "Piazza." The summary is written by Craig Lucas, the author of the musical's book, and it includes where each song is sung in the plot. I wish I had been able to listen to this CD and press pause between each track to read and understand how the storyline progresses.

You won't regret buying this CD - just print off the synopsis first so you won't regret your first impression.

This is a recording you have to grow into enjoying.

Adam Guettel's score is fresh, evocative and unique, but there is one problem and I believe it can be traced to the lyrics. The lyrics are not formal at all, and I think that leads to the lack of melody often heard in the score. Guettel writes well for instruments and creates a mood but often it is hard to hear a melody, and often after hearing great sounds, I'm just not satisfied. Also, I wish Mr. Guettel included less "Ah"s and lyrics in Italian.

The two female leads, Victoria Clark and Kelli O'Hara are superb and have a wide range they showcase beautifully. Their singing is perfectly placed with just the right emphasis. Matthew Morrison was a little off--he seems like a very good actor and singer, just a little off on both.

Best tracks are: "The Beauty is" (3), "Dividing Day" (8), "Say it Somehow" (10), "The Light in the Piazza" (12), "Let's Walk" (15).

And it's true, the more you listen, the more you'll find it rewarding.

Adam Guettel has often been described as the heir-apparent to the Sondheim throne--the next great artistic leader in musical theatre. It's always been my way of thinking that this title (as well as much of Guettel's success) stems more from his pedigree than it does from the merits of his actual work, which, if honestly appraised, tend to sit more like a modern-day enharmonic respelling of Lerner and Loewe than "the next Stephen Sondheim."

Lo and behold, as if to prove me right, out comes The Light in the Piazza. In fact, with little modification, the opening number (Statues and Stories) could easily have passed for a Loewe trunk song intended for his musical CAMELOT. The rest of the score, however, seems to owe more of its heritage to modern opera than theatre music. For example, musical interludes seem to go on a bit too long for Broadway convention, often approaching the 24 or 32 bar standard in opera. The plot is thin and improbable, like opera, and the characters are stock, like opera.

The lyrics here are distinctly "purple," meaning they are not only in love with themselves, and not only full of themselves, but in love with how full of themselves they are. In another nod to this piece's operatic roots, often the cast will just give up singing words altogether and settle in for 32 bars of ahhing, and I can't say I blame them if the alternative was singing more lyrics like "[referencing a nude statue] These are very popular in Italy/It's the land of naked marble boys/Something we don't see a lot in Winston Salem/That's the land of corduroys."

Perhaps the biggest complaint that I have of the score is that it operates on only two levels: excessively complicated and sparse. Harmonic lines seem to either be constantly moving, as if they are afraid to commit to single a note, or rhythmically deceptive, as if they were designed to intentionally conceal the downbeat. Though this works well in some numbers (the delightfully hysterical Hysteria), building a whole score around one technique, particularly when that technique leaves most of the score feeling like one giant recitativo accompagnato, is tiresome.

Perhaps just because of the variety, the score succeeds the most when it breaks from the constant barrage of sixteenth notes. At these moments (The Beauty Is, Say It Somehow), Guettel proves that he is very much capable of writing emotionally complicated music without that translating immediately into dissonant splatter painting on manuscript paper, but these moments are fleeting, and more often than not get undermined by the otherwise gorgeous orchestrations, which mistake the lull in the music as an excuse to have the strings demonstrate their tremolo work, or for the 'cellos to soar one time too many and unintentionally rip at the fabric of the music.

It also must be said that many of the numbers are in Italian. There is nothing wrong with this, and it is especially appropriate since part of the story focuses on the language barrier that exists for a American mother and daughter vacationing in Italy. At times, the broken English of the Italian characters can be rather charming (Passeggiata). I can even overlook (as I did with Guettel's other work FLOYD COLLINS) the uneven and sometimes disastrous accents coming from both the supposed residents of Winston Salem, NC, and Florence, Italy, but there is a certain measured arrogance in one of the evening's later songs, during which the composer employs a translator for his Italian lyrics, as if the audience suddenly got dumber since the last bit of unaided Italian in the show.

The cast's performances are strong, if disjointedly represented on the CD. They seem to be able to intuit the exact moments when Guettel's music loses the connection between heart and mind, and end up truly exploiting (and sometimes fixing) his music.

If I seem harsh in this review, it's only because I wanted to break up the monotony of effusive praise that drips from every other review here. I must confess that I still find this material mostly intriguing, and I would definitely not contest its rightful title as the best musical of the 04-05 Broadway season. I encourage anyone who reveres the artistic potential of musical theatre to buy this CD and dissect it for both the positives (which are enumerated in the 30 or so other reviews available here on this site) and the negatives.

*Possible Spoilers*

There are three kinds of broadway fans: the kind who love big splashy musicals a la Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Wicked, Rent, etc. Then there are those who prefer the more "challenging" works of Sondheim and the post Sondheim generation, and finally there are those who like both. I fall into the last catagory. So, I think, does The Light in the Piazza.

This isn't the kind of broadway show we're used to. There isn't a show stopper or a pop ballad. The music rather carries you through the narrative. The story is lovely in itself. Margaret and her daughter Clara are on vacation in Florence in 1953. Clara (who was left mildly retarded by a childhood accident) falls in love with Fabrizio, a young Italian who doesn't speak much English. Their courtship causes Margaret tremendous worry: she wants to protect Clara from disappointment and the pain of love gone wrong (to a certain extent she projects her own romantic dissappointments onto Clara) but she also wants Clara to have her chance of a happy, normal life. She's torn between trying to spare her daughter the pain she experienced in her own life, and her desire to see her child have more than she did. Meanwhile Clara is aware of the differences between her and other girls her age, and she and Fabrizio struggle to communicate and build a relationship in spite of the fact that they don't speak the same language.

The lyrics range from Fabrizio's clumsy attempts to express himself in English ("Never am I unhappieness/ Now is I am happiness with you") to Maragaret frustration ("this is being patient/ this is blind acceptance/ I know.../ No I don't know...") to Clara's unique ways of getting at the truth and the heart of what matters ("I don't see a miracle/ Shining from the sky/ I'm no good at statues and stories/ I try-- That's not what I think about/ That's not what I see/ I know what the sunlight can be" and "Why don't you trace it on my skin/ Or make a sound/Do anything/ Say it somehow I will understand/ You are good/ You are good to me"). However many of the songs gradally fade from lyrics into "Ahhhs"- which is beautuifully appropriate as Clara and Fabrizio find a way of cmmunicating without words- something crucial to the success of their relationship. As the show ends with Margaret's wish for her daughter: "Love if you can/ Oh my Clara!/ Love if you can and be loved/ May it last forever" You recognize that the sentiment is hardly original or groundbreaking but it doesn't matter- you recognize that Margaret feels it and you feel it too.

The cast is wonderful. Victoria Clark goes from comical American tourist mode to the universal concerned mother figure seamlessly. Her finale "Beauty Is (reprise)" and "Fable" are exquisitely heartfelt. Often actors can come across as cold and lifeless on a studio recording- not so with Clark who pours ever emotion of her performance into her vocals. Matthew Morrison sounds young and fresh as Fabrizio. Kelli O'Hara is a youthful, exhuberant, confused and luminous Clara. As she sings the title song you get the essence of the character, the story and they show though the music and the lyrics. It begins softly, and leads to a climactic explosion while the lyrics ("Tiny sweet/ and then it grows/ and then it fills the air") mirror what the music and Clara herself are doing: breaking boundries and soaring along with O'Hara's beautiful soprano.

If you're looking for a "feel-good" show this isn't what you should get. Nor should you get it if you want something to excite you or to make you sad. It does all these things but primarily (and perhaps most importantly) it makes you feel.