The Light in the Piazza

The Light in the Piazza had its amateur premier recently at the Athenaeum Theatre in Lilydale and I caught the opening night of a return season at the Malvern Theatre, so it was a very well-oiled production and the sets appeared to have been designed for this theatre.

The Light in the Piazza debuted in 2005 with music written by Adam Guettel, Richard Rodgers’ grandson. There was no similarity in style between the two composers. I didn’t come away whistling the tunes, though more familiarity might help. It was not easy to sing.

There was much to like about it. With a small stage and no flies, the innovative sets changed from a square (piazza) to a church, family home, hotel room and shop with the addition or subtraction of some furniture. At some points actors would freeze while another scene played out in front of them. It worked very well.

I particularly liked the projections in the arch at the back of the stage. The actors appeared to do most of the set moving and it was all very slick. The lighting was very effective.

The direction was very good with scenes of bustling activity and others of stillness. I was particularly impressed with the love scene towards the end of the first act. It could easily have been tacky, but was played with great sensitivity.

The show was a tour-de-force for Gabrielle O’Brien as the mother of a mildly intellectually disabled daughter, and her struggle between the impulse to protect her with needing to let go. There was a regal stillness in her portrayal which commanded attention. Her timing was excellent.

As the daughter and her new boy-friend, Alexandra Clover and Daniel Mottau were a tender couple and a striking contrast to the older brother and his wife feistily played by Ian Frost and Leonie Thomson.

There were no weak links in this show with some playing multiple characters. The small band of piano, violin and two keyboards worked well and no microphones were required.

This is a very good production of a new musical well worth seeing.

Graham Ford

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