The romance and charms of Florence, Italy, await all who experience the Tony Award winning musical, The Light in the Piazza to be presented at Chesterton's 4th Street Theater on Friday, October 30, Saturday, Oct. 31 and November 6, 7, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21 at 8:00 p.m. and on November 8, 15 and 22 at 3:00 p.m.

This area premiere features a lush, romantic score written by award winning composer and lyricist Adam Guettel and is under the direction of Glenn Hering with musical direction by David Markley and vocal direction by Lisa Woodruff.

The Light in the Piazza depicts the emotional awakening of Clara, a young attractive American tourist and the realization of her mother Margaret that the greatest act of love is letting go. Set against the romantic backdrop of 1950’s Florence, Italy, The Light in the Piazza features characters rich in complexity and depth.

The Light in the Piazza is based on the novella by Elizabeth Spenser, and tells the story of Margaret Johnson, a middle-aged woman from North Carolina, who takes her beautiful daughter Clara to Florence, Italy, for a vacation in the spring of 1953.

In the early morning of their first day there, Margaret reads from her guidebook to Clara as the piazza around them is waking up and coming to life. A breeze carries Clara’s hat off her head and across the square to where a young Italian man, Fabrizio Naccarelli, miraculously catches it, mid-air, and returns it to her. Fate sounds a chord, romance resonates. The protective Mrs. Johnson is determined to keep the two lovers apart. Clara is not as she appears to be, and her mother is finding this increasingly difficult to keep secret. In trying to protect Clara, Margaret breaks open all the pent-up doubts and yearnings that she herself has carried for years about love, facing the question of whether the chance of love may somehow outweigh the terrible risks.

The score breaks from the traditional Broadway popular or rock sound by moving into the territory of Neo-Romantic classical music and opera.

The cast features Lisa Woodruff of Munster as Margaret Johnson, Keri Burman of Valparaiso as her daughter Clara, Daniel Castro of Chicago as the romantic Fabrizio. The cast is completed by Maggie Reister Walters (Signora Naccarelli), Doug McMillan (Roy Johnson), JoBeth Cruz and Tom Luekens all of Valparaiso, Ric Heath (Signor Naccarelli) of Michigan City; Mary Herrod (Franca) of Chesterton, Shannon Stutler and Daena Sisk of Portage and Bernardo Madrigal (Guiseppe) of Hobart.

This talented cast is enhanced by the lighting design of Wayne Wendell, set design by Kevin Doler and costumes by JoBeth Cruz. The assistant director and stage manager for the production is Jude Tanter.

Admission is $15.00. Reservations can be made by calling the 4th Street Theater box office at 219-926-7875. The 4th Street Theater is located at 125 N. Fourth Street in Chesterton, Indiana.

For opening weekend only (October 30 and 31), reserve one seat at regular price of $15.00 and purchase a second for $8.00!

For additional information regarding The Light in the Piazza, visit the theater website at http://4thstreetncca.org/

 and link to YouTube to view highlights of the production.

Posted 10/29/2009