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The Light in the Piazza

21^st May 2009, the Curve Theatre, Leicester

Cast

Clara Johnson … Caroline Sheen

Margaret Johnson … Lucy Schaufer

Franca Naccarelli … Eliza Lumley

Giuseppe Nacarelli … George Cougas

Signor Naccarelli … Graham Bickley

Fabrizio Naccarelli … Matt Rawle

Signora Naccarelli .. Jasna Ivir

Roy Johnson … Charles Diash

Priest … Garth Badesley

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A play I had no prior knowledge, at a theatre I had never visited before (The Curve, Leicester), going to see the "The Light in the Piazza" was a shot in the dark, but one I certainly enjoyed.

 The musical tells the story of Margaret Johnson and her daughter Clara, two American tourists who become entangled with an Italian family, the Naccarellis, when Clara falls in love iwth their son Fabrizio. But Clara is hiding her secret, and her mother refuses to let her marry for this reason. 

Though this play is a musical, I must confess that I cannto bring more than a single line of any song to mind. This is not to say that they were not well-written, sung or performed, they were just not particularly memorable. However, the characters did linger for quite some time, particularly the comic Naccarellis, seemingly a group of broadly-drawn Italian stereotypes (shrill, domineering mother, one layabout son, one a young dreamer) but as the play progressed the actors showcased their talents to reveal the depths behind their roles, particularly impressive was Graham Bickley as the patriarch, who shares a touching moment with Margaret as they take a walk in the moonlight to discuss their problems, while Jasna Ivir was a comedic gem as the mother. As an Anglo-Italian myself, I can certainly see reflections of my own family in these characters. The only comment on casting I would make is that while Clara is supposed to convince as being younger than her age, she almost convinces too much, making the reveal of her true age seem implausible.

So all in all, a memorable evening (my father leapt up onto the stage during pressn ight to take the page picture) with a show that impressed (though the Curve as a theatre failed to do so, resembling a car park/shopping centre more than a theatre). I only wish there was a British Cast Recording so that I could rediscover the songs.

Theatre Notes

• Matt Rawle (Fabrizio) is probably best known for playing the title role in the West End production of "Zorro".