The Light in the Piazza
At a time when the light at the end of the tunnel must be an oncoming train, Lamb's Players is staging Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas's harbinger of hope. Based on Elizabeth Spencer's novella (1960), the musical tells the gentle story of star-crossed lovers, beneath which lurks a fierce, combative spirit waging war on negativity. Your trouble, you can hear the musical insist, is you're too rational. You don't believe the impossible can happen. And, the musical pushes hardest here, can continue to happen. It's 1953. Margaret Johnson and her daughter Clara vacation in Italy. Clara falls for young Fabrizio. But she shouldn't. She fell off a horse 14 years ago and has the mental development of a 12-year-old. Should they fall in love? Would it last? The Lamb's production boasts a golden-brown, piazza-like set, with a seven-piece orchestra tucked inside, Italian silk finery, and some quality voices (but some not). Deborah Gilmour Smyth's performance as Margaret, however, makes the show definitely worth seeing. Her South Carolinian twang's just right. And her emotional range runs, you could say, from bass to soprano. She's convinced. She's torn. She's controlling. She's setting free. She sings three songs - "Dividing Day," "The Beauty Is," and "Fable" - so effectively that, sure you say, errant straw hats, like Clara's, will always find the proper hands, and maybe someone out there seeks your heart. And maybe there is hope after all, some, a soupçon - at least while the music lasts.
Worth a try.
When
Ongoing until Sunday, November 2, 2008
Hours
| Sundays, 2pm |
| Tuesdays, 7:30pm |
| Wednesdays, 7:30pm |
| Thursdays, 7:30pm |
| Fridays, 8pm |
| Saturdays, 4pm & 8pm |