The Light In The Piazza, Life Like Company, Playhouse Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, Friday November 4th 2016

The Light In The Piazza, Life Like Company, Playhouse Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, Friday November 4th 2016

"The Light In The Piazza" was presented by Life Like Company at the Playhouse Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne on Friday November 4th 2016

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre. I buy my own tickets. So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights.  Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases.  I write for my memories of what I have seen, and is more of a stream of consciousness.

The pre-show announcement was in Italian and was fun but with a serious message for patrons to show restraint and respect. Thankfully no mobile phone distractions occurred during the show - which is sadly a rare event.

"The Light In The Piazza" had great singing, acting and costumes.  The relationships between the characters seemed connected and the actors seemed to be listening to affect each other.  These fine performers transported us on a journey of intrigue, hope, and love.

The opening and closing tableau were strong by capturing each character's essence and their intertwining relationships.

Set Design by Tom Willis was simple and effective with the raised stage, paintings and a few movable set pieces.  However, a ramp or two could have been incorporated to make a more seamless production.  The use of the paintings flying in and out created an instant image of Italy.

The staging was fair, though it was a bit clunky at times due to the raised central area.  For example, the flow was broken when the pram or bicycle had to lifted on and off the raised area.  The raised stairway was also a bit problematic.

Lighting Design also by Tom Willis varied in the qualities of the various atmospheres and sense of locations.  It needed more finesse or sharpness to define locations.  There were some lost opportunities to melt into the next scene in accord with the sumptuous score.

The best aspect of the lighting showed the development of the story from Clara's innocence to the confusion of when she loses her way.  It was as if the lighting was showing us her neurological pathways and confusion.

Some of the set/scene changes were very clunky from a stage management perspective and needed to flow more with the quality of the score.  We needed to be swept away from scene to scene - rather than be jolted around like a turbulent flight.

Sadly the cross was not in the final scene corresponding to an earlier scene in the church.  I appreciate we saw a different perspective of the church, but it would have given the scene a visual polish.

Director, Theresa Borg has amassed an amazing cast and honoured this beautiful score by Craig Lucas and Adam Guetel   Theresa Borg has created a a realistic version of this at-times-heart-wrenching story.  The relationships with each of the characters seemed honest and real compared with another production of this musical.

Musical Director, Vanessa Scammell has soared with the cast's magnificent singing and luscious harmonies.

Chelsea Plumley is too visually too young for the role of the mother, Margaret Johnson.  Take that as a compliment as she is a tour de force in creating a believable character with her sumptuous and strong singing and honesty in her acting.  Chelsea Plumley was terrific and showed enormous restraint in not revealing her daughter Clara's impairment.  She could have played the mother as obsessively caring, but instead gave us a richly concerned character of depth.

Genevieve Kingsford's Clara was sensational, as she played the daughter exquisitely with her restraint and hints of impairment.  She gave us a beautifully considered performance with a lovely range of texture in her emotions - including innocence, determination, wonderment and exploration.

Jonathon Hickey as Fabrizio Naccarelli was also sensational as masculinity personified as this quintessential romantic Italian.  What a voice!  What an actor!  I cannot wait to see him again.

Josh Piterman as the sparring husband Giuseppe Nacarelli was also terrific.  So much great talent.  He was especially effective in his sparring scenes with his wife Franca Nacarelli played by Madison Green.   The Octet in Act Two is a highlight and contained the requisite tensions between each character.

There were some sound issues in the opening as Chelsea Plumley's levels were wrong and it took at least one minute to correct the balance.  With such a short season they are rushed to technically perfect their shows.

Roy Johnston the husband of Margaret was played ably by the ever reliable Jeremy Stamford.  Him dragging the golf clubs on as a prop were a bit much as the Argyle jumper would have sufficed and given us enough of a hint for the father's phone call scene.

Great timing was displayed in the first international phone call between Margaret Johnson and her husband, Roy.  They created us with a little light relief in the time lapses that further added to the drama of the story.

Costumes by Kim Bishop paid tribute to the 1950's elegance with his stylish designs.  Wigs and Hair Design by Corrine Day showcased her inimitable talent.

I particularly liked the haunting historical figures as if they were ghosts overseeing proceedings or as caretakers of the story.

Choreography by Jo-Anne Robinson was not as forced as in another production.  Her choreography melted into the show without being an add-on distraction.

Life Like Company have a reputation for showcasing excellent talent and great shows and I look forward to seeing more of their work in the future.

Singing wise this is my favourite production of the year.  Sadly some of the staging reflected in my overall rating of this production.

This is easily one of the musical highlights for 2016.

Overall "The Light In The Piazza"  obtained a 8/10.

PS  I wrote this review on December 21st from my notes and sadly cannot elaborate more on some of the other sensational performances.