I saw the original Broadway cast of Piazza in New York in June of 2005,
from the front row of the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center,
and it was the highlight of my trip, truly one of the most gorgeous and
thrilling evenings of theater ever. Victoria Clark, Kelli O'Hara, and
Matthew Morrison were perfection in this tale of a 1950s well-to-do
Southern housewife who takes her "special" daughter to Florence where
the daughter meets and falls for a handsome young Italian. The music by
Adam Guettel, which may seem at times off-puttingly dissonant and
"unhummable" at first listening is simply too complex to be immediately
appreciated. But having bought the CD and invested in repeated
listenings, I found myself unable to forget its gorgeous melodies which
took me places I hadn't been before and are all the more memorable for
their complexity. The sets, costumes, and lighting design were absolutely
exquisite. Everyone in the cast matched the three leads talent for talent.
The Light in the Piazza in New York was in a word AMAZING.

I can confidently report the the National Tour, currently at the
Ahmanson, is every bit as good as the original cast, and in the case of the
three leads, arguably even better, an improvement on perfection, if such
a thing is possible.

Christine Andreas' voice is rich and varied, much more so than Victoria
Clark's admittedly lovely soprano, and she truly acts the songs, investing
in them deep layers of emotion. Very good comic timing too.  This is a star
of the first order!

Elena Shaddow blew me away as Clara. She brought out so much in the
role; you could really see the playful child, and both her joys and sorrows
had the childlike/childish intensity of her character's mental age.  If there
is justice, her performance in this tour should lead to originating a lead on
Broadway.

And finally there is David Burnham. In Burnham's more than capable
hands, Fabrizio becomes a young Italian in love with love and with being
in love, someone who's seen so many movies/operas about love that
meeting Clara provides him with his moment to become one of those
"over-the-top in love" romantic heroes. According to a musical theater
loving friend of mine, "many people think that Burnham is the best
Fabrizio ever (people who saw the show many times in NYC)." It's great to
see a local talent make good, and his remarkable performance makes
one wonder why he was not immediately given the role when Matt
Morrison left. Like Shaddow, a big Broadway role is clearly in his future.

Everyone else in the touring cast is quite wonderful too: Laura Griffith,
Jonathan Hammond, David Ledingham, and Diane Sutherland (whom I
had the good fortune to greet in the lobby after the show).

My Ovation voter seats this time were in Row S, quite a bit too far back
for my own taste, but as Piazza is such a beautifully designed show, being
farther back just gave me a different view of that beauty.

Fortunately, I'll be seeing it twice again later this month, both times from
Row G, and I look forward to being closer to the stage.

Rest assured, though, no matter where you sit, this is one show to see and
see again. The tour will be moving elsewhere after December 10, so now
is the time to reserve your seats!

Just as Caroline, or Change was in 2004, and The Drowsy Chaperone in
2005, this is THE musical to see in 2006. Don't miss it!
NOVEMBER 2006, AHMANSON THEATRE, LOS ANGELES.

--Steven Stanley