“Guettel’s score is drenched in a lush, autumnal style, with orchestrations that are truly gorgeous”
The Light in the Piazza lands in its London premiere with a level of prestige – it scooped up no less than six Tony Awards during its Broadway run in 2005. While the musical consequently carries with it an inherent air of quality, it also finds itself emblematic of the genre as a whole, as it glosses over and romanticises subject matter which deserves a little more nuance.
Adam Guettel’s score is drenched in a lush, autumnal style, with orchestrations that are truly gorgeous, and Kimberly Grigsby’s conducting makes the music feel like it fully lives and breathes with the characters and the story. Despite that the style starts to feel somewhat overfamiliar in the latter half the show, there are still a variety of hugely enjoyable numbers, such as Say It Somehow and Let’s Walk. Guettel’s lyrics and Craig Lucas’ libretto are full of quirks, wit, and humanity, but neither feel like they genuinely facilitate any true depth to the themes or characters. Despite this, there are some excellent performances on display in Piazza, particularly Fleming as Margaret, who keeps guilt and uncertainty bubbling underneath a frothy exterior, and Alex Jennings as Signor Naccarelli, whose charm and self-assuredness beautifully counterbalances the more melodramatic facets of the other characters. Every single member of the cast delivers immaculate vocals, and Robert Jones’ scenic design and Mark Henderson’s lighting harmoniously provide some stunning aesthetics. Piazza is undoubtedly a visual and aural treat.
However, the substance simply isn’t there to support it. Understanding and misunderstanding are prominent themes in Piazza – the Johnsons don’t speak great Italian and the Naccarellis don’t speak great English so their meanings aren’t always perfectly conveyed to each other, and some scenes and songs are entirely in Italian, so that the audience have to rely on the visual storytelling alone (which, thanks to Daniel Evans’ direction, is stellar). It suggests that the love between Clara and Fabrizio transcends barriers such as language or disability, but the fact that Fabrizio falls so swiftly for a woman with the mental and emotional capacities of a twelve-year-old draws allusions to the seedy over-sexualisation of young girls in society, and the fact that Fabrizio isn’t made aware of long-term effects that the disability will have on the relationship makes the romance feel unearned and untrue. And unfortunately, Piazza hinges itself on the romance.
Ben Forster will extend his run as βThe Phantomβ until Saturday 2 September in the smash hit Andrew Lloyd Webber musical βTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAβ. Now in its 31st year at Her Majestyβs Theatre in the West End, the show also stars Celinde Schoenmaker as βChristine Daaeβ and Nadim Naaman as βRaoulβ.
Ben Forster is probably best known for winning the ITV1 show, βSuperstarβ – Andrew Lloyd Webberβs TV talent search for βJesusβ in βJesus Christ Superstarβ. His other theatre credits include: βBuddyβ in βElf The Musicalβ and βMagaldiβ in βEvitaβ both at the Dominion Theatre.
Nadim Naaman most recently appeared as βCharles Clarkeβ in βTitanicβ at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. His London theatre credits include βAnthony Hopeβ in βSweeney Toddβ at Harringtonβs Pie & Mash Shop; βOne Man, Two Guvnorsβ at The National Theatre and Theatre Royal Haymarket and βThe Sound of Musicβ at the London Palladium.
SiΓ΄n Lloyd most recently appeared in βTitanicβ at the Charing Cross Theatre.Β His other recent theatre credits include: βThe Bodyguardβ on tour; βThe Pajama Gameβ at the Shaftesbury Theatre; βAvenue Qβ at the Noel Coward Theatre and βThe Full Montyβ at the Noel Coward Theatre and UK tour.
Mark Oxtoby most recently appeared in βCharlie and The Chocolate Factoryβ at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. His other theatre credits include: βJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoatβ at the Adelphi Theatre; βA Model Girlβ at the Greenwich Theatre; βBrighton Rockβ at the Almeida Theatre and βOh, What a Lovely War!β at the National Theatre.
Paul Ettore Taboneβs previous theatre credits include βLove Never Diesβ in Melbourne, Sydney and at the Hamburg Stage Operettenhaus. In 2013 Paul was accepted as a βYoung Artistβ in the prestigious Luciano Pavarotti Foundation of Modena; performing with Placido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli at the Arena in Verona, Italy. He made his professional operatic debut in 2014 in Verdiβs βRigolettoβ at the Opera NaΘionalΔ BucureΕti.
Daisy Hulbert made her West End debut in the corps de ballet in βThe Phantom of the Operaβ. Previously as a company member of the National Moravian-Silesian Ballet in the Czech Republic she performed in βThe Nutcrackerβ, βSwan Lakeβ and βSnow Whiteβ.
Lara Martins has appeared in many operas around the world. Her credits include βQueen of the Nightβ in βThe Magic Fluteβ, βSusannaβ in βThe Marriage of Figaroβ and βDespinaβ in βCosi fan Tutteβ.
Continuing until 2 September the full cast is: Matt Blaker; Bridget Costello; Maria Coyne; Scott Davies; Hadrian Delacey; Morven Douglas; Ben Forster; Lyndsey Gardiner; Lori Gilchrist; Ryan Goscinski; Philip Griffiths; Hettie Hobbs; Lily Howes; Daisy Hulbert; Ellen Jackson; Harriet Jones; Richard Kent; Tim Laurenti; Adam Robert Lewis; SiΓ΄n Lloyd; Lara Martins; Luke McCall; Leo Miles; Fiona Morley; Tim Morgan; Paul Morrissey; Jacinta Mulcahy; Nadim Naaman; Mark Oxtoby; Danielle Pullum; James Roxby-Brown; Celinde Schoenmaker; Tom Sterling; Joanna Strand; Paul Ettore Tabone; Claire Tilling, Charlotte Vaughan; Victoria Ward and Georgia Ware
βTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAβ became the longest running show in Broadway history on 9 January 2006 when it celebrated its 7,486th performance, surpassing the previous record holder βCatsβ. This coincided with the Broadway company and the US national touring company celebrating an unprecedented 20,000 performances in the United States. On 26 January 2013 the Broadway production celebrated an amazing 25 years on Broadway. In October 2011 the London production celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a spectacular staging of βThe Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hallβ which was screened live in cinemas all over the world and subsequently released on DVD and in August 2015 the show celebrated 12,000 performances in the West End. On 9 October 2016 the London production celebrated 30 years in the West End with a very special charity gala performance in aid of The Music in Secondary Schools Trust. To celebrate this milestone, the current stellar cast were joined onstage by members of the original company and special guests for a spectacular finale. Footage from the evening including red carpet arrivals, interviews and the finale itself was streamed live on Facebook, gaining over 1 million views and reaching a global audience of 5 million people.
βTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAβ has won over 70 major theatre awards, including seven Tonyβs on Broadway and three Olivier Awards in the West End. It most recently won the βMagic Radio Audience Awardβ, voted by the public, in the 2016 Laurence Olivier Awards. βTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAβ, which opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre on 9 October 1986 starred Michael Crawford as ‘The Phantom’ and Sarah Brightman as ‘Christine.’ It is produced by Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Theatre Company Limited.
βTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAβ became the first stage production to reach worldwide grosses of $6 billion, which it did last summer. Revenues far surpass the worldβs highest-grossing film βAvatarβ (at $2.8 billion), as well as such other blockbusters as βTitanicβ, βThe Lord of the Ringsβ, βJurassic Parkβ and βStar Warsβ. Worldwide, a staggering 140 million people have seen βTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAβ in 35 countries and 160 cities in 15 languages.
βTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAβ is currently showing in London, New York, Budapest, Stockholm and on tour in the US.
