The Light in the Piazza at HCT

When HCT announced the 2022 season this time last year, the show I was most excited for was The Light in the Piazza. I had the opportunity to see it last night and I was not disappointed because it is one of the most beautiful productions I've seen! In 1953 Margaret Johnson (Michelle Blake) and her daughter Clara (Rachel Tregeagle) are touring Italy for the summer. When a strong wind blows Clara's hat across the Piazza Della Signoria in Florence, a young man named  Fabrizio Naccarelli (Matthew Sanguine) retrieves it for her and the two of them fall instantly in love. Margaret immediately separates them and continues to do so as Fabrizio pursues them to the Uffizi Gallery and the Duomo. Margaret finally gives in and agrees to a meeting with Fabrizio's family, including his father (Danny Inkley), mother (Mandi Barrus), brother Guiseppe (Landon Horton), and sister-in-law Franca (Cecily Bills), during which they are all enchanted by Clara. When it becomes clear that Fabrizio and Clara want to get married, Margaret takes her to Rome to get her away from him. It turns out that Clara is intellectually and emotionally delayed as the result of a tragic accident in her childhood and Margaret has always felt the need to protect her. However, she soon comes to realize that Fabrizio is the light in Clara's darkness. This is a very sweet and old-fashioned story where true love overcomes all obstacles and I found it to be charming. Every one in the cast is outstanding but I was particularly impressed by the three leads because they have beautiful voices.  Blake is formidable as a mother protecting her child but also shows a lot of vulnerability when she realizes that her own darkness might be influencing her decisions, Tregeagle is very effective at portraying wide-eyed wonder at everything Clara is experiencing, and Sanguine is incredibly charismatic as a smitten young man searching for the right words to express his love. I also really enjoyed Horton as Fabrizio's philandering brother because he can dance and his facial expressions are hilarious. The best part of this show is the music and I loved seeing the musicians (Sebastian Neugebauer on piano, Julie Beistline on violin, Hannah Brown on cello, and Alyssa Holman on harp) performing live on stage. My favorite songs are "Statues and Stories" because it describes the excitement Margaret feels as she discovers all of the history found in Florence (I felt the same way when I was in Florence), "Say It Somehow" because it is swoon-worthy as Clara and Fabrizio find a way to express their love without words, and "The Light in the Piazza" because it shows that, even with all of the beauty surrounding her in Italy, all Clara can see is Fabrizio's love. I had goosebumps through most of the songs because they are so beautiful. The set, designed by Jenn Taylor, features Roman columns that rotate on a turntable with various pieces that are brought in to create different scenes (my favorite was the Uffizi Gallery with paintings coming down from the rafters).  The attention to detail is incredible and I especially loved a cut-glass lamp used in Margaret's hotel room. Projections can be hit or miss with me but in this production they are literally works of art because they feature amazing impressionistic paintings of locations in Florence created by Madeline Ashton. Finally, the costumes, designed by Joy Zhu, are gorgeous! Every dress features textured, embellished, or embroidered fabrics and every outfit includes shoes, a hat, gloves, a purse, and jewelry (the brooches!). Everything about this show, which runs on the Sorensen Jewel Box Stage through June 18, is absolutely delightful and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets).

Note:  Don't miss out on seeing some insanely talented kids rock out in School of Rock now playing on the Young Living Main Stage through May 28 (go here for tickets).