The Light in the Piazza (2005 Original Broadway Cast)

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Like a shimmering pearl, The Light in the Piazza emerged from a sea of revivals, rehashings, and movie adaptations to secure 11 2005 Tony nominations, including Best Musical. Based on an Elizabeth Spencer novella (which was also made into a 1962 film), it follows a mother, Margaret (Victoria Clark), and her daughter, Clara (Kelli O'Hara), as they take a vacation to Italy. There, Clara and a young Italian (Matthew Morrison) fall in love, but Margaret is determined to keep them apart.

The Light in the Piazza doesn't fit the model of most Broadway scores, with a splashy opener here, a swing number there, then the big ballad. The score is more of a unified whole, sometimes jarring, sometimes following the patterns of speech, and sometimes unfolding in glorious sheens of sound. (Heck, some of it's even in Italian!) In that sense, it's similar to another unconventional American musical set in Italy, Stephen Sondheim's Passion, which is more chamber opera than musical, and composer-lyricist Adam Guettel (song of Mary Rodgers, grandson of Richard Rodgers) seems the most likely heir apparent to Sondheim in the current generation of musical theater creators. O'Hara's voice soars in the score's most beautiful moments ("Say It Somehow," the title song), but Clark enjoys two exquisitely lyrical moments with "Dividing Day" and "Let's Walk." She was one of the show's six Tony winners (for Leading Actress), along with Guettel's score and the orchestrations, scenice design, lighting, and costumes, while O'Hara (for Featured Actress), Morrison, Craig Lucas's book, and Bartlett Sher's direction were also nominated. --David Horiuchi

Album Description
The Light in the Piazza is arguably one of the most highly anticipated theatrical events of the decade for serious Broadway theatergoers. The Los Angeles Times has already declared its creator, Nonesuch artist Adam Guettel, "a composer for the new century," on the strength of his two Off-Broadway productions, the 1996 Obie-Award winning "folk musical" Floyd Collins and the 1998 song cycle, Myths and Hymns, TIME has described him as "a startlingly original songwriter." Few theatrical composers have been watched as closely as Guettel, and few musicals in the course of their development have generated so much substantial press or been praised so highly on the road as The Light in the Piazza. Both the New Yorker and The New York Times magazine devoted in-depth coverage to the evolution of Guettel’s sophisticated, deeply moving score. New Yorker critic John Lahr decided,"Guettel’s kind of talent cannot be denied. He shouldn’t change for Broadway; Broadway, if it is to survive as a creative theatrical force, should change for him."

Tracks:

Overture
Statues and Stories
The Beauty Is
Il Mondo Era Vuoto
American Dancing
Passeggiata
The Joy You Feel
Dividing Day
Hysteria
Say It Somehow
Aiutami
The Light in the Piazza
Octet
The Beauty Is (Reprise)
Let's Walk
Clara's Interlude
Love to Me
Fable

Amazon.com

Like a shimmering pearl, The Light in the Piazza emerged from a sea of revivals, rehashings, and movie adaptations to secure 11 2005 Tony nominations, including Best Musical. Based on an Elizabeth Spencer novella (which was also made into a 1962 film), it follows a mother, Margaret (Victoria Clark), and her daughter, Clara (Kelli O'Hara), as they take a vacation to Italy. There, Clara and a young Italian (Matthew Morrison) fall in love, but Margaret is determined to keep them apart.

The Light in the Piazza doesn't fit the model of most Broadway scores, with a splashy opener here, a swing number there, then the big ballad. The score is more of a unified whole, sometimes jarring, sometimes following the patterns of speech, and sometimes unfolding in glorious sheens of sound. (Heck, some of it's even in Italian!) In that sense, it's similar to another unconventional American musical set in Italy, Stephen Sondheim's Passion, which is more chamber opera than musical, and composer-lyricist Adam Guettel (song of Mary Rodgers, grandson of Richard Rodgers) seems the most likely heir apparent to Sondheim in the current generation of musical theater creators. O'Hara's voice soars in the score's most beautiful moments ("Say It Somehow," the title song), but Clark enjoys two exquisitely lyrical moments with "Dividing Day" and "Let's Walk." She was one of the show's six Tony winners (for Leading Actress), along with Guettel's score and the orchestrations, scenice design, lighting, and costumes, while O'Hara (for Featured Actress), Morrison, Craig Lucas's book, and Bartlett Sher's direction were also nominated. --David Horiuchi

Album Description

The Light in the Piazza is arguably one of the most highly anticipated theatrical events of the decade for serious Broadway theatergoers. The Los Angeles Times has already declared its creator, Nonesuch artist Adam Guettel, "a composer for the new century," on the strength of his two Off-Broadway productions, the 1996 Obie-Award winning "folk musical" Floyd Collins and the 1998 song cycle, Myths and Hymns, TIME has described him as "a startlingly original songwriter." Few theatrical composers have been watched as closely as Guettel, and few musicals in the course of their development have generated so much substantial press or been praised so highly on the road as The Light in the Piazza. Both the New Yorker and The New York Times magazine devoted in-depth coverage to the evolution of Guettel's sophisticated, deeply moving score. New Yorker critic John Lahr decided,"Guettel's kind of talent cannot be denied. He shouldn't change for Broadway; Broadway, if it is to survive as a creative theatrical force, should change for him."

Customer Reviews:

thanks .......2007-05-15

On time, in good condition, thanks to you and PM's suggestion on his website.

Beautiful musical!.......2007-05-15

This musical is definitely not for everyone, but I disagree with it not being hummable. I found myself humming "Love to Me," "The Beauty Is," "Let's Walk," and others. I fell in love with it almost instantly. I saw it for the first time on a Wednesday and bought the CD (and the CD of the star of the show at the time) right away.

I even went back to see it a week and a half later and watched the Lincoln Center PBS special (which I'd recorded on Tivo before the tour was finalized when I'd already missed it in NYC, since my sister would have hated this one and was with me that year) not long after that.

My husband thought there was too much Italian, but I agree with those who said that they were trying to take you into the world of Clara and Margaret and showing you how they were seeing Italy at that time and how little they would have understood initially in Italy. Personally, the language didn't bother me. The music is so beautiful, that it wasn't an issue. The fact that I understand romance languages and sang a lot in other languages probably helped that, but with such beautiful music, I don't see what the big issue is even if you can't understand a word.

If that does bother you, translate it online when you get it home and then you're set. The music is gorgeous and the story is beautiful. It's also very heartbaeking at times. I highly recommend it - there's a reason it won the Tony Award for Best Original Score.

Save Your Money.......2007-05-07

"The Light in the Piazza" is not a very good show and the music is appropriate to the general qualtiy of artistic expression.

Amazing---But Not For Everyone.......2007-04-06

I first fell in love with this show when I saw it on "Great Performances" on PBS. I have since seen it live and now love it even more.

Some call it pretentious and over-the-top, but it seems that is from those who don't understand the show. Many of the devices used in the show are not incorporated in order to be pretentious, but rather are an essential part of bringing the story to life. For example: the use of Italian is meant to make the audience feel like the two Americans traveling to Italy on vacation--out of place and attempting to make sense of what's going on. Right away, the mood is set and we empathize with the lead characters because we are made to feel like foreigners right along with them. When the two lovers finally find a place of real emotion, they no longer need words and sing merely with AHs---their connection transcends the language barrier.

The mother's emotion is equally real as she is torn between letting her daughter live her life and feeling the terrible guilt of having turned away at the split second that her daughter's life-altering accident took place. Music conveying that kind of pain is rare in musical theater these days but, admittedly, can be difficult to understand, especially by younger audiences.

The performances are marvelous. Victoria Clark's in particular is perfect. She's funny, touching, and heart-breaking. One of the best musical theater performances I've ever seen.

This is a serious show---not a musical comedy---and will appeal more to parents or people who prefer fleshed-out characters. No, the show's music is not "catchy" or "poppy" in any way. You do not leave the theater singing the tunes you just heard. This music is meant to move the story along or shed light on a particular character or situation. If you want hummable, seek out a Weber show like "Phantom of the Opera." If you want real emotion, beautiful singing, and spot-on acting, give this one a try.

As good as this CD is...........2007-03-23

...it is no substitute for the live show. I saw it at Lincoln Center last year with about 2/3 of the original cast featured on the soundtrack, but with Aaron Lazar as Fabrizzio and a replacement actress/singer (making her Broadway debut) as Clara. For me, they were both fine replacements of their predecessors.

The songs were sung with much more emotion in the live show than on the soundtrack CD, or at least we get a feeling of that in the narrative context, and it does make a difference (duh!).

Beautiful music. Wish there were an accompanying DVD of the show.

The Love Goddesses/Hollywood's Greatest Themes

Average customer rating:

One More Great Percy Faith Twofer by Collectables
"Miklos Rozsa epic film scores ~ Percy Faith"
Uneven outing for Faith
Love Goddesses/Hollywoods Great Themes

The Love Goddesses/Hollywood's Greatest Themes

Manufacturer: Collectables
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music

Traditional & Vocal Pop | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Easy Listening | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Kismet/Music From Hollywood

ASIN: B0000636A6
Release Date: 2002-03-19

Tracks:

Love Goddess [Theme from The Love Goddesses]
Cheesecake
Marilyn
Surrender
Vamp
Keystone Kapers
Virginian [From "The Virginian"]
Our Love
Monaco Theme [From "A Look at Monaco"]
Chico Bolero
Celia's Waltz
Oba! (Bossa Nova)
Cid (Love Theme) [From "El Cid"]
Moon River [From Breakfast at Tiffany's]
Theme From King of Kings
Splendor in the Grass (Love Theme) [From "Splendor in the Grass"]
Maria [From West Side Story]
It Might As Well Be Spring [From State Fair][#]
Over and Over Again [From Jumbo]
Ben Hur (Love Theme) [From Ben Hur]
Too Late Blues [From "Too Late Blues"]
I Enjoy Being a Girl [From "Flower Drum Song"]
Theme From the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse " [From "The Four ...]
Theme from Light in the Piazza

Customer Reviews:

One More Great Percy Faith Twofer by Collectables.......2006-02-12

Two big qualities distinguish the late Percy Faith.

First of all he was an original arranger with all those strings combined as if in a brass section in a unique sound. Second of all, he was a staff arranger for Columbia Records what gave him the opportunity to work on memorable albums by Johnny Mathis and other singers.

This twofer shows two different approaches: the first 12 takes came from his splendid album 'The Love Godessess' full of Mr. Faith's own compositions for films and TV series like 'The Virginian'. They're such inspired songs like the title song and 'Celia's Waltz'.

The second 12 takes came from another album with a miscellaneous movie soundtrack repertoire. They're such great songs by great composers but Mr. Faith's arrangements do not add any special flavor to the originals.

A special note on Collectables Records regarding its extraordinary series of twofers which have finally issued virtually all Percy Faith material.

"Miklos Rozsa epic film scores ~ Percy Faith".......2003-07-04

Every week I would go to the downtown library and check out the latest albums (LP's) ~ my eyes would always look for the Percy Faith releases. One of my favorites was "The Love Goddesses", featuring compositions by Maestro Faith, something about his string arrangements drew me to this album. At that time I had a reel-to-reel recorder/player and cassette recorder, would tape every album by Mr. Faith I could get my hands on. Later I would go to Webster Records the local record store in Old Webster, Mo. and purchase his latest releases.

Entire album is a stand out, but here are some of the highlights ~ "MARILYN", beautiful haunting melody as strings and counter strings open, blending a harp that keeps reoccurring in your head ~ "THE VAMP", solo clarinet with plunking violins, enters the solo violin and full strings answer, simply beautiful ~ "OUR LOVE", is typical Percy Faith with an arrangement to die for ~ "CELIA'S WALTZ", a solo saxophone comes forward with counterpoints from Faith's famous string section, the melody gets under your skin and becomes intoxicating ~ "OBA! (BOSSA NOVA)", what is a Percy Faith album without Latin flavor, and this is what he does best.

Second half of the album is "Hollywood's Great Themes", opening with "EL CID(LOVE THEME), "THEME FROM KING OF KINGS" and "BEN HUR(LOVE THEME)" the legendary Miklos Rozsa could do no wrong when it came to epic films, Faith's brilliant arrangement puts the listener right up there on the big screen ~ "MARIA", the wonderful song from "West Side Story" that will go one forever ~ "THEME FROM LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA", a heart-wrenching film with a light floating melody that lingers on, just take a listen to Faith's strings in top form ~ what a classic arrangement from the git-go!

Total Time: 72:52 on 24 Tracks ~ Collectables 7478 ~ (3/19/2002)

Uneven outing for Faith.......2002-05-20

This twofer, with over 70 minutes of music, provides a showcase for Faith-penned tunes and some lesser known hits from Hollywood. The Love Goddess finds the Faith arrangements full of his trademark strings, but several hits are distinctive in that Faith employs the brassiness of a big band sound, especially on Cheesecake. Keystone Kapers, with whistles and bells, is forgetful, but other selections are an easy listen. Hollywood's Great Themes contains selections that certainly would not make anyone's list of great themes from Hollywood. Would you pick the love theme from Ben Hur, or the theme from Light in the Piazza, or how about Over and Over Again from Jumbo? The only real Hollywood classic here is Moon River, though Faith does add a smattering of Richard Rodgers, with Hart and Hammerstein.

Love Goddesses/Hollywoods Great Themes.......2002-03-23

The Love Goddesses from 1964 is a fairely good album by Faith and oneI'm glad to add to my collection.This album is more jazzeier than a lot of Faith's other albums.Some songs are very lush such as Marilyn Our Love,The Monoco Theme,The Love Goddess,Chico Bolero,and Celia's Waltz.The other songs on this album are upbeat with incarnations of jazz especially Cheesecake.Oba is a bossa nova and is pretty good.All songs from the Love Goddesses album was written by Percy Faith himself.Hollywood's Great Themes from 1962 is movie themes and some are very good.This album features light strings with the exception of the last two Theme From The Four Horseman Of The Apocalypse and Theme From Light In The Plazza These two have heavy strings.My favorite is Splendor In The Grass.This album was only available on cassette several years ago beforecollectibles,taragon,good music and ranwood came along with Faith reissiues.Back then only 4 albums were out by Faith and 2 cassettes this one and Deep Purple which were hard to find than.Liner Notes are included for the Love Goddesses but are not included for Hollywoods Great Themes.Another great 2 on 1 album with 2 great albums by Faith.

Music:

Music

Music