The Light in the Piazza, 6/7/07

The Colonial Theater, Boston, MA
Seat: Balcony Center

I had seen Piazza in January of 2006, featuring the second cast (Victoria Clark as Margaret, Katie Clarke as Clara, Aaron Lazar as Fabrizio). I enjoyed the show then quite a bit, but wasn't blown away by the show. The performances were quite good, headed by the Tony Award winning Clark, and a very strong (in my opinion) Broadway debut by the young Katie Clarke (I say my opinion because the majority opinion on Broadway message boards were negative, something I didn't quite see).

I'll say this about the national touring production: I was blown away.

I'll start with Clarke, who is the commonality between my two Piazza experiences. Last year, her acting was spot on, really capturing the youthfulness and innocence of Clara, coupled with a very nice voice. However, it was the voice that was a bit of a struggle at times - her break was very apparent, causing her "mixed" voice to waver at times. In all, I saw a great deal of potential in Ms Clarke, and hoped to one day see her again in a show... fast forward to the present, with Ms Clarke (now using her middle name as well, Katie Rose Clarke). Any issues at all with her break have now completely disappeared and her acting has gotten even better (which isn't surprising, as I saw her a month into her run). I thought after first seeing her that she has the potential to be a very solid Broadway star, but now I know it: Ms. Katie Rose Clarke is going to be a star.

Likewise, we have David Burnham as Fabrizio. While Aaron Lazar gave an admirable performance on Broadway, singing the role beautifully, I didn't feel much from an acting standpoint. Burnham, on the other hand, left everything he had on the Colonial stage. Everything I wanted as an audience member from Lazar was given to me by Burnham, and then some. It is truly refreshing to see a passionate performance by a performer who actually pours his heart into the role.

Finally, we come to the role of Margaret. With all due respect to the wonderful Christine Andreas, nothing she could have done on the stage could compare in my mind to the phenomenal Victoria Clark. Clark's performance was stunning, a true star turn in every sense of the word. Every gesture, every word was meaningful, leading to a truly nuanced performance. Her touring counterpart, Ms. Andreas, gave a wonderful performance, don't get me wrong, but completely different. Andreas was more animated on the stage, a much bigger Margaret, which may be due to the size of the venue (the Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center is large but intimate; this is often not the case in touring venues). In any case, Andreas' Margaret was in no means a weak link in a strong cast, just not quite at the level of Ms. Victoria Clark. As unfair as it may be to compare the two, it is an inevitable comparison, and rather hard to avoid.

Overall, the show is breathtaking, possessing one of the strongest scores I've ever heard. It's particularly telling when it comes to the Italian lyrics: the audience may not understand what the characters are saying, but it just does not matter - it is obvious what they mean in context with the production. Truly wonderful.

If you can see this show in Boston or any of the (unfortunately dwindling!) remaining tour schedule, I strongly urge you to do so. While this show will likely be a hit in regional theaters across America in the coming years, this cast and production should not be missed.

The Boston tour stop (and the 2006-2007 Broadway Across America season) concludes on Saturday, June 9.