Pictured The Light in the Piazza.
Playwright: Craig Lucas (book); Adam Guettel (music and lyrics)
At: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn
Phone: (312) 443-5151; $25-$55
Runs through: Feb. 15
'What happened here? I played a tricky game in a foreign country.' With that statement, made by a North Carolina mother traveling with her adult daughter in Florence in 1953, we begin a transformational journey. Margaret Johnson, middle-aged, middle-class, and yearning for lost love, slowly becomes a force to ensure her beautiful young—and 'special'—daughter does not meet the same fate. The opening for this new musical, with music and lyrics by Adam Guettel and book by Craig Lucas, takes place behind a scrim, whetting our appetites for the thrill and color of romance in a glorious foreign locale. When the scrim comes up, though, our expectations and reality don't quite mesh.
Not quite. Although The Light in the Piazza, based on a 1960 novel by Elizabeth Spencer, has ample opportunities to enchant with its blend of propriety, limerance, and longing, it hasn't gotten yet to the point where it truly delivers. And a metaphor for what this production lacks may lie in what's revealed when the afore-mentioned scrim rises. The set, designed by Michael Yeargan, is a towering marble piazza in shades of pale ochre, which gets the idea of light across and the feel of Italy, but tends to dwarf the characters; at times they seem lost on the massive Goodman stage, when the small, romantic story cries out for more intimacy. This misstep with the set informs other aspects of the production, from the placement and complexity of some of the songs, to the too-easy resolution of many of the plot points. In short, The Light in the Piazza requires a bit more tinkering to give it musical theater legs.
That's not to say, however, that the production, and the work, doesn't have much to recommend it. Guettel's score—with additional orchestration from Ted Sperling—is rich, with astonishing depth and range. Here is an example of where the artistry fits the intimacy of the story. The musical execution, by a five-piece ensemble consisting of harp, cello, bass, violin, and piano, complements the score delicately and with the necessary punch when required. Craig Lucas' lean book, for the most part, works. Margaret Johnson, the conflicted mother and wife, is a beautiful character; her transformation from a fearful matron to a fiercely protective mother and woman, is perfectly realized. But perhaps Lucas' book is a bit too lean. He needs to think more about the spark that ignites the romance between the two young lovers at the play's center. He also needs to resolve plot conflicts in a more believable manner: while a moment where the girl's mother and the boy's father 'take a walk' to resolve a major stumbling block in the wedding of their children is lovely and climaxes with an eloquent, quiet kiss, it needs a bit more explanation in order for the audience to buy it. Bartlett Sher's direction calls for a bit more movement and a lot less stasis … this is a story that could use some balletic flights, some passionate movement, and more eloquent gestures.
Even with its (minor and correctable) flaws, The Light in the Piazza is worth seeing. It's the kind of musical that harkens back to not just its 1953 setting, but to a time when musical theater meant more than aping the latest camp movie (which may have something to do with Guettel's own heritage—he is the grandson of Richard Rodgers). It is blessed with a remarkable performance by Victoria Clark as Margaret Johnson (who nails not only intricate musical demands, but also creates a full-bodied character with a very credible North Carolina accent). And a couple of its songs, including the title piece, are works of, appropriately enough, luminescence.