The Light in the Piazza

Musical (2005)
Book by Craig Lucas
Music and Lyrics by Adam Guettel
Based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer
Directed by Loretta Greco
Huntington Theatre Company
Huntington Theater
Symphony Hall area, Boston
May 9 – June 15, 2025

Music Director: Andrea Grody; Choreographer: Daniel Pelzig; Scenic Designer: Andrew Boyce; Lighting Designer: Christopher Akerlind; Sound Designer: Megumi Katayama; Projection Designer: Yuki Izumihara; Costume Designer: Alex Jaeger

With Emily Skinner (Margaret Johnson), Sarah-Anne Martinez (Clara Johnson), Joshua Grosso (Fabrizio Naccarelli), William Michals (Signor Naccarelli), Rebecca Pitcher (Signora Naccarelli), Alexander Ross (Giuseppe Naccarelli), Rebekah Rae Robles (Franca Naccarelli), Rob Richardson (Roy Johnson), Ensemble: Kate Fitzgerald, Russell Garrett, Daniel A. Lopez, Sherée Marcelle, Morgan Mastrangelo, Sarah Oakes Muirhead, David Rosenthal

Joshua Grosso as Fabrizio Naccarelli, Sarah-Anne Martinez as Clara Johnson in 'The Light in the Piazza' — Joshua Grosso as Fabrizio Naccarelli
Sarah-Anne Martinez as Clara Johnson
in “The Light in the Piazza”
Photo: Julieta Cervantes
Courtesy of Huntington Theatre Company

A beautifully produced musical about an American mother and daughter on a trip to Italy and the unexpected romance the daughter finds there.

In the 1950s, Margaret (Emily Skinner) and her twenty-something daughter Clara Johnson (Sarah-Anne Martinez) are traveling together in Florence, Italy when Clara comes into contact with a young Italian named Fabrizio Naccarelli (Joshua Grosso). There is much more than a passing flirtation between them, and, before long, it appears that a serious romance has developed. Margaret meets Fabrizio’s father, Signor Naccarelli (William Michals) who invites Margaret and Clara home to meet the family. As the romance develops, Margaret expresses concern about some mysterious debility of Clara’s. Clara mentions a scar on her neck to Fabrizio, but there is not much clarification of what the ailment is. As things progress, Margaret talks on the phone with her husband, Roy (Rob Richardson), Clara’s father, who is back home in the States and who cautions Margaret strongly to put Clara’s and Fabrizio’s romance to an end. But, despite these efforts, and some additional complicating developments, the fervor of Clara’s and Fabrizio’s romance persists and inspires some reflections by Margaret on her own marriage and life.

Sarah-Anne Martinez as Clara Johnson, Emily Skinner as Margaret Johnson in 'The Light in the Piazza' — Sarah-Anne Martinez as Clara Johnson
Emily Skinner as Margaret Johnson
in “The Light in the Piazza”
Photo: Julieta Cervantes
Courtesy of Huntington Theatre Company

This production is truly excellent, with superb singing, excellent acting, and wonderful staging.

The music by Adam Guettel is full, lush and symphonic, providing a constant landscape of textures throughout. The orchestra, conducted by Andrea Grody, plays the very complete and demanding score admirably well. Guettel writes with a Romantic sweep, calling to mind some of the feeling of his grandfather, Richard Rodgers, while maintaining a very distinctive tonality. The music pervades the action, often accompanying stage movement and interspersed with dialogue. In this sense, this musical has some of the flavor of opera, and its modality, rather than being of the punchier pop sort favored by many contemporary musicals, has a more seductively lilting sway. It’s unique and quite compelling.

The singing by all the leads is really excellent, with solos by Emily Skinner as Margaret, Sarah-Anne Martinez as Clara and Rebekah Rae Robles as Franca Naccarelli that display the richness of tone and sophistication of phrasing that make these great accounts.

With many excellent singers in the cast, the vocal performance of Joshua Grosso as Fabrizio stands out as strikingly good, fabulous in tone and expression. The quality of his voice radiates a palpable warmth that deeply evokes a sense of his character. It’s a remarkable performance.

The sets for this production by Andrew Boyce are exquisitely designed, with a kind of eloquent spareness and ease of movement that makes them highly effective. And the lighting Christopher Akerlind that enhances the set is conceived beautifully and persuasively.

Extra info: contains spoilers

Clara, at least in this production, does not seem too impaired, which makes the essence of the plot less than persuasive. And, if she were so impaired, how is it that Fabrizio falls so much in love with her? There is a gotcha scene where Signor Naccarelli sees something that Clara is writing and he storms out, declaring that the relationship with Fabrizio is over. This is indeed strange because he has been so warmly inviting to Clara and Margaret to this point. What’s the big deal? At first he makes mention of Clara’s childish handwriting, which may seem a giveaway for her supposed brain damage, but it turns out that Clara was filling out a form with her age and he sees that she’s several years older than Fabrizio which the Signor regards as unacceptable. This gets ironed out later on, but it seems like a whole lot of melodrama over nothing. The fanfare about how Clara and Fabrizio are so in love weighs on Margaret who is having serious issues with her husband. But the husband, Roy, is really depicted as a kind of straw man and one has to stretch quite a bit to get a sense of who he is and what’s wrong with their relationship. In any case, does it make sense that Margaret is so unsettled by her daughter’s very new love affair and does not acknowledge any of the complications that arise in a longer relationship, such as her own, as significantly different? Apparently, that all gets swept away in the plot and the lushly romantic music, which does not sweep away these narrative shortcomings. Nonetheless this production of the musical is indeed beautifully done.

Overall: A lovely production, with interesting music, great vocal performances all around, and one that is truly distinctive.

– BADMan (aka Charles Munitz)

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