It’s summer in Florence, Italy, and the year is 1953. A pretty, young American girl loses her hat in a gust of wind while on vacation, and a young Florentine boy who can’t speak a lick of English just happens to catch the hat and return it. The two stare into one another’s eyes, and the girl’s mother sees trouble coming before the two have even properly introduced themselves.
It’s the classic case of boy meets girl, only throw in a language barrier, a family secret, an overbearing mother and a city full of romance and whimsy, and you’ve got enough spell-binding twists to keep you on your toes for the rest of the night.
The mostly light-hearted first half is spent watching Clara Johnson, played by Elena Shaddow, and Fabrizio Naccarelli, played by David Burnham, fall in love. It is chock-full of sexual references and innuendoes that keep you gasping and giggling, much like sweet Clara does. However, there is also plenty of clean, innocent humor, such as the apparent awkwardness between the two lovers and the endearing way Clara insists on curtseying deeply with every “Bonjourno!”
Christine Andreas plays the mother, Margaret Johnson, and she is wary of their love from the beginning. She does everything she can to keep the two apart, avoiding Fabrizio at all costs. However, she is soon charmed by Fabrizio’s father, played by David Ledingham, and allows the two to continue to see each other.
The musical scores echo this feeling of young, whimsical love, with light hearted pieces such as “Passeggiata,” in which Fabrizio proclaims, “Now is I am happiness,” in his broken English.
However, just under the surface of this clever and quirky act lies a poignant and sad story. Margaret’s marriage is falling apart, and Clara has a secret that keeps her from being like other girls and keeps her out of normal relationships. The music that accompanies these moments, such as “Dividing Day,” sung by Margaret in her hotel room, is as powerful as the lyrics are sad.
Act One culminates in a tense scene in which Margaret walks in on Fabrizio and Clara together in bed, Clara kissing his chest, his shirt unbuttoned, and as Margaret gasps everything suddenly goes black.
If you were hoping to score a hot date during intermission, though, you should probably just spend the night at Glenwood South instead. However, if you’re in the market for a new grandparent, this is just the place.
Prepare yourself for the scent of Old Spice and Chantilly Lace, the clutter of canes and oversized pocket books and the slow gait that accompanies those with nothing but time to kill. And you may want to skip out of your seat a few moments before intermission if you expect to get through the line for the restroom before Act Two begins.
Now while Act One had its share of twists and turns, every moment of Act Two leaves you wondering what will happen next. The second half is much darker and more serious, and as the relationship between Clara and Fabrizio flourishes, her attachment to her mother weakens, and a mature, healthy relationship begins to develop between the mother and daughter.
The Light in the Piazza is charming enough to warm any love-hesitant heart, and the ability of the two lovers to rise above the odds will leave you skipping from the auditorium, much as Clara spent the night skipping across the stage. Who knows, you may even pick up a little Italian before the night is through.
