Arena Stage’s latest production, “The Light in the Piazza,” follows a seemingly average plot: Girl goes to Italy, meets cute Italian boy and they fall in love. But the thin, overused basis for the plot is filled out by a dark, uncomfortable twist — one that is hinted at without subtlety — that gives the audience more than just another romance.
“Piazza” tells the story of Margaret and her daughter Clara’s trip to Florence. There, beautiful, naîve Clara is courted by the handsome and comically earnest Fabrizio Nacarelli, played by the very buff Nicolas Rodriguez. Fabrizio is drawn to her sweetness and innocence and wastes no time declaring his passionate love for her. Early in the plot, the audience receives hints about Clara’s secrets in the form of asides from Margaret.
Margaret and Clara meet Fabrizio’s family of loud-talking, wildly-gesticulating Italian stereotypes. To the supporting actors’ credit, they inject as much depth as possible into the two-dimensional characters.
As Clara, leading actress Margaret Anne Florence — a musical, film and commercial actress — has the crystal clear voice that is expected from a musical theater ingénue. Clara’s secret affliction makes the role difficult to play, and Florence, despite his imperfections, gives the character both the girlish innocence and gut-wrenching internal conflict required.
Rodriguez is easily the strongest cast member vocally. His slightly operatic voice and dramatic styling — perhaps developed during his stint on the soap “One Life to Live” — are swoon-inducing. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a nice guy who can also sing like an angel?
Hollis Rensik plays both the matron of her family and of this production. As Margaret, a doting Southern mother, Rensik plays the role with a nature as soothing as her menthol drawl. “Dividing Day” and “Fable” allow Rensik to show off her strong yet sweet soprano voice. Her character often breaks the fourth wall to explain the story to the audience.
Her counterpart Signoria Nacarelli, played by Mary Gutzi, effectively destroys the fourth wall when she begins speaking English and telling the audience about her family’s secrets. The scene, centered on the characters singing “Aiutami” or “Help Me” in Italian, is one of the strongest in the production.
“Piazza” suffers the most from the scaled-back set and orchestration (which has been reduced from 15 musicians to five for this chamber performance). That is not to say that the playing was not well done. The five musicians, including a harpist, gave the singers as much support as they could. But in the end, the dramatic nature of the plot and the music requires more power than five musicians can give.
The set failed to showcase the centerpiece of the musical: the city of Florence. In the opening scene, Margaret tells her daughter about the city’s landmarks as Clara walks around in a daze, amazed at its beauty. The barebones set fails to match either the grandness of the music or the historical city. Something feels off when the characters are wandering around the dull stage. Luckily, Arena’s Crystal City location is only temporary. The theater will be moving into the 20,000-square foot Mead Center this fall.
The musical is based on the novella of the same name by Elizabeth Spencer, which was originally serialized in the New Yorker. The novella, published in 1960, was turned into a film starring “Gone With The Wind” actress Olivia de Havilland as Margaret. The musical went to Broadway in 2005 and won six Tony Awards including Best Original Score.
“Piazza” is not “The Sound of Music,” but at least it’s not another pop musical like “Mamma Mia” or “Moving Out.” The production suffered from lack of oomph, a driving force that would have pushed the production from decent to something memorable.
“The Light in the Piazza” runs through April 11 at Arena Stage in Crystal City. Students with a valid I.D. can receive a 35 percent discount off the regular ticket price. To buy tickets, go to www.arenastage.org.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
