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TRANSCRIPT
Theatre Calgary’s Play Guides and Interactive Learning Program
are made possible by the support of our sponsors:
The Play Guide for The Light in the Piazza was created by:
Shari Wattling
Associate Artistic Director
Zachary Moull
Artistic Associate
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The Light in the Piazza runs from April 26 to May 22, 2016
For tickets, visit theatrecalgary.com or call (403) 294-7447
Table of Contents
THE BASICS
The Company .................................................................... 01
Who’s Who? ...................................................................... 02
Time and Place ................................................................. 02
The Story .......................................................................... 02
EXPLORATIONS
Capturing the Light ............................................................ 03
The Wonders of Florence ................................................... 05
Italy and the Allies in World War II ..................................... 08
Post-War Italy ................................................................... 09
The Light in the Piazza Miscellany ....................................... 09
CONVERSATIONS
Conversation Starters ........................................................ 11
Helpful Italian Words and Phrases ...................................... 11
Big Reads from Calgary Public Library ................................. 12
Movie Night in Italy ........................................................... 14
Sources ............................................................................ 15
THE BASICS - 1 -
The Company
Theatre Calgary presents
THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
Book by Craig Lucas
Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel
Produced by arrangement with Turner Entertainment Co.,
owner of the original motion picture Light in the Piazza,
based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer
THE CAST Priest Gab Desmond Margaret Johnson Susan Gilmour Roy Johnson Christopher Hunt Signor Naccarelli David Keeley Tour Guide, Ensemble Marie McDunnough Franca Naccarelli Tracy Michailidis Clara Johnson Anwyn Musico Fabrizio Naccarelli Louie Rossetti Signora Naccarelli Kate Ryan Ensemble Farren Timoteo Giuseppe Naccarelli Michael Torontow
THE CREATIVE TEAM Director Michael Shamata Musical Director Jonathan Monro Set & Costume Design Christina Poddubiuk Lighting Design Alan Brodie Sound Design Chris Jacko Choreographer Anita Miotti Voice Coach Jane MacFarlane Italian Coach Luigi Riscaldino Dramaturg Shari Wattling Stage Manager Jennifer Swan Assistant Stage Manager Carissa Sams Assistant Stage Manager Sara Turner
THE BASICS - 2 -
Who’s Who?
Margaret Johnson: An elegant, practical American woman in middle age
Clara Johnson: Margaret’s 26-year-old daughter, young for her age
Fabrizio Naccarelli: A charming 20-year-old Florentine
Giuseppe Naccarelli: Fabrizio’s older brother
Franca Naccarelli: Giuseppe’s wife
Signor Naccarelli: Fabrizio’s father
Signora Naccarelli: Fabrizio’s mother
Roy Johnson: Margaret’s husband, who has stayed back in America
Others played by the ensemble, including a tour guide and a priest
Time and Place
The Light in the Piazza takes place in the Italian cities of Florence and Rome,
during the summer of 1953.
The Story
Margaret Johnson and her daughter Clara have just arrived on vacation in
Florence when a gust of wind carries Clara’s hat to the feet of Fabrizio
Naccarelli, a handsome young Tuscan man. Soon Fabrizio is running into
Clara at tourist sites all over Florence, and their friendship leads to love.
But as the Johnsons get to know the Naccarelli family and Clara falls more
and more in love, Margaret must decide whether or not to share a secret
that could destroy her daughter’s happiness.
EXPLORATIONS - 3 -
Capturing the Light
In the introduction to her novella
The Light in the Piazza, American
author Elizabeth Spencer writes,
“The first time I saw Italy was in
August of 1949. Italians were
glad to be alive in a life that was
possible to live, and their
gladness filled the air and
reached out to all corners.” The
warmth and beauty of Italian
culture and landscape, along
with this sense of awakening to
life, inspired Spencer’s writing a
decade later, during her first cold
and dark winter after moving to
Montreal. The Light in the Piazza,
so full of the light of Italy, was
published in The New Yorker in
1960. It was released as a novella
the following year and was soon made into a Hollywood film starring Olivia
de Havilland, George Hamilton, and Yvette Mimieux.
After reading the story in The New Yorker, writer-composer Mary Rodgers
suggested a musical adaptation to her father, the legendary composer
Richard Rodgers (Oklahoma!, South Pacific). The elder Rodgers found the
story and the idea “lovely, but not for him.” Almost forty years later, in 1998,
she made the same suggestion to her son, composer Adam Guettel (Floyd
Collins, Myths and Hymns), who was looking for his next creative project.
“The sounds of being in love were waiting to spill out of me,” Guettel later
said. “I wanted to find a vessel for those sounds.”
The replica of Michelangelo's David in the
Piazza della Signoria in Florence
(photo by Shari Wattling)
EXPLORATIONS - 4 -
At his mother’s suggestion, Guettel read the novella and was instantly drawn
to it, sensing that he had “the sounds available” to capture the hope and
romance of the characters. Guettel contacted Elizabeth Spencer and inquired
about getting the stage rights. “He seemed very eager about it, and he was a
very attractive young man,” recalls Spencer, “But he looked much younger
than he was, and I thought, ‘He’s too young to do all that.” Thankfully, a bit
of research and some CDs of Guettel’s earlier work convinced Spencer to
grant permission.
After several attempts to find a writing partner, Guettel connected with
playwright Craig Lucas (Prelude to a Kiss, Reckless) and they began a three-
year process of adapting the book into a musical. The play premiered at
Seattle’s Intiman Theatre in 2003, and then underwent further development
before appearing at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre in 2004. The following year,
the Lincoln Center Theater invited the production to New York, with Kelli
O’Hara, Victoria Clark, and Matthew Morrison in the leading roles. The
production was nominated for multiple major theatre awards, receiving six
Tony and five Drama Desk Awards in 2005. In 2006, the New York
production was broadcast on the PBS television series Lincoln Center Live,
drawing more than two million viewers.
On accepting the Tony Award for Best Original Score, Adam Guettel
remarked, “As a writer, you feel so happy just to have people take your show
to heart.” For Elizabeth Spencer, the musical captured the essence of her
original story and the sensations she felt in Italy so many decades ago:
“Though we’re really worlds from each other, he got it. That’s the amazing
thing. The music is just soaring; it catches you up right away. It’s almost
miraculous.”
“The sounds of being in love were waiting to spill out of me. I
wanted to find a vessel for those sounds.”
–Adam Guettel
EXPLORATIONS - 5 -
The Wonders of Florence
Florence is renowned as the birthplace of the Renaissance and is a popular
tourist destination for lovers of art and culture. The capital of the central
Italian region of Tuscany, Florence rose to economic power in the 14th
century and reached its zenith during the ascendancy of the powerful
Medici family, who ruled the city for much of the 15th through 17th
centuries. The family’s patronage of the arts and support for new
explorations in science and architecture were central to the rise of
humanism and the flourishing of ideas that we now call the Renaissance.
Here are some of the places and works of art that Margaret and Clara
experience during The Light in the Piazza:
Piazza della Signoria
This public square has been the
heart of political, cultural, and
social life in Florence for
centuries. At its centre is the
Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace),
which was once the residence of
Cosimo I de Medici, the first
Grand Duke of Florence, and
still serves as city hall today.
All around the Piazza della
Signoria stand statues by
famous Florentine artists, as
well as antique Roman
sculptures. The famous statue
of David by Michelangelo stood
in this square from 1504 to 1873
when, like many of the original
statues, it was moved inside for
The Palazzo Vecchio in the Piazza della
Signoria (Colby Blaisdale, flickr)
EXPLORATIONS - 6 -
preservation and replaced with a copy. The statue was originally intended
for an upper niche in the
Cathedral of Santa Maria del
Fiore, but upon completion, it
was deemed too perfect for
display so high up.
The Piazza della Signoria was
the site of the infamous Bonfire
of the Vanities in 1497, when
followers of the hardline friar
Savonarola burned thousands
of books, paintings, and other
items that they deemed to be
sinful. The friar himself was
executed in the square a year
later, after he had been
excommunicated by the Pope.
The Uffizi Gallery
The world’s finest collection of
Italian Renaissance paintings lives at the Uffizi Gallery, alongside an
impressive collection of sculptures, drawings, and prints. Masterpieces by
the likes of Raphael, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and
Caravaggio grace its halls. The
building was commissioned by
Cosimo I de Medici in the 16th
century to house magisterial
offices (Uffizi means ‘offices’ in
Italian), and many of the works
on display were once part of the
Medici family’s vast private art
collection.
Fra Filippo Lippi’s Madonna with Child and
Two Angels, part of the Uffizi collection
Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation, part of
the Uffizi collection
EXPLORATIONS - 7 -
The Duomo
One of the largest churches in the world, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del
Fiore is nicknamed “the Duomo” for its enormous brick dome, designed
and engineered by Florentine
architect Filippo Brunelleschi.
The massive structure is more
than 100 metres tall and
contains at least four million
bricks. Its completion in the
15th century was a major
moment in architectural history
and is considered one of the
landmark achievements of the
Renaissance.
Piazza della Repubblica
A large public square created as
a result of a late-19th century
urban redevelopment plan, the
Piazza della Repubblica is home to many shops and cafés. It has been a
favourite meeting spot for artists and writers since the early 20th century,
and today it is a lively public gathering place.
Piazzale Michelangelo
A hilltop square overlooking Florence and the valley of the Arno River,
the Piazzale Michelangelo’s stunning panoramic views make it popular
with tourists and locals alike, especially at sunset.
The Duomo, with Giotto's Campanile in the
foreground (Shari Wattling)
Florence at sunset from the Piazzale Michelangelo (Steve Hersey, flickr)
EXPLORATIONS - 8 -
Italy and the Allies in World War II
In 1939, Benito Mussolini, the
fascist Prime Minister of Italy,
chose to align Italy's forces with
Germany and Adolf Hitler.
Italy joined the war against the
Allies in 1940 and were soon in
battle on several fronts. After
German and Italian forces were
defeated in North Africa, Allied
troops crossed over to Sicily in
July 1943 and took the island in
thirty-nine days.
The loss of Sicily, along with
food shortages and frustration
with the Nazi presence, led to
growing frustration with the
regime. Mussolini was removed
from office and arrested. Italy
signed an armistice with the
Allies, allowing Allied forces to
cross to the Italian mainland. Germany sent several army divisions into
Italy and took control of the country’s central infrastructure. The Allies
made slow progress north towards Rome, liberating the city in June, 1944.
As the German forces retreated northwards, they caused much death and
destruction in central and northern Italian cities. Florence was liberated by
the Allies on August 4, 1944. Many of the city’s buildings were damaged,
and almost all of its bridges were destroyed to slow the Allied advance
across the Arno River. Only the historic Ponte Vecchio was spared,
reportedly on Hitler’s orders. The fighting contined in Italy until the
German surrender in May, 1945.
Florentines cross the Arno using the ruins
of the Ponte alla Grazie in August 1944
(Capt. Tanner, British War Office)
EXPLORATIONS - 9 -
Post-War Italy
Italy bounced back quickly after World War II, thanks in large part to
emergency support from the Allies and assistance from the Marshall Plan,
the American aid initiative to help rebuild the economies of Western
Europe after the devastation of the war. During the two decades after the
war, Italy would develop into a modern economic powerhouse, known in
particular for producing luxury goods such as fashionable clothing and
elegant automobiles.
These post-war years were a time of modernization and urbanization in
Italy. Many people from rural and southern parts of the country, where
there was less industrial development, migrated to the large cities of the
north. With city life came social change. Birth rates started to fall after the
war, and Roman Catholic church attendance, while still at 70% in the
1950s, began a steady decline as well. All the same, Italian society at the
time of The Light in the Piazza was still traditional by many standards: for
example, laws permitting divorce weren’t passed until 1970.
The Light in the Piazza Miscellany
Intellectual Disability in the 1950s
In The Light in the Piazza, Margaret tells the audience that her adult
daughter Clara is “very young for her age” – and she has a doctor’s
diagnosis to back up this assessment. Today, our society takes an inclusive
approach to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and
programs like special education are viewed as a public responsibility. But
in the early 1950s, there were fewer support services available and less
public acceptance. As well, some attitudes were still informed by the
eugenics movement of the first half of the 20th century, whose proponents
advocated for the segregation of people with disabilities into custodial
care facilities and discouraged them from marrying and having children.
EXPLORATIONS - 10 -
Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem is one of the largest cities in North Carolina and a historic
centre of the tobacco industry. The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company,
founded in 1875, is one of the leading cigarette manufacturers in North
America. The company’s prominent place in Winston-Salem led to the
nickname “Camel City” after the famous brand of cigarettes. In the 1950s,
nearly a third of the city’s workforce was employed in the tobacco
industry. It’s also one of the most devout cities in the United States, with
the largest religious affiliations being Baptist and Methodist.
Van Johnson
Van Johnson was a matinee idol who reached his peak popularity in the
1940s. Known for his freckle-faced boy-next-door image, Johnson was a
heartthrob for many young girls and at one point rivalled even Frank
Sinatra. Johnson frequently appeared in musical comedies and war films,
starring alongside performers such as Judy Garland and Gene Kelly.
The Roman Forum
Located between the Palatine and Capitoline hills, the Forum was the
political, financial, and religious centre of ancient Rome. Some ruins on
the site date all the way back to the 7th century BCE. Efforts to excavate
and preserve the Roman Forum
began in the 18th century and
continue to this day. The
Triumphal Arch of Septimius
Severus, a white marble arch
erected in 203 CE at the
northwest end of the Forum, is
one of the best preserved
structures. The famous Roman
Colosseum and other major
tourist sites are nearby.
The Roman Forum, with the
Arch of Septimius at centre
(Carla Tavares, Wikimedia)
CONVERSATIONS - 11 -
Conversation Starters
Do you believe in love at first sight?
What makes two people well matched for each other?
Did your parents approve of your first love?
Is it hard for parents to start letting children make their own decisions?
Have you ever had a transformative experience while travelling or
otherwise away from home? How were you changed?
If you could travel to any place in the world, where would you go?
Is starting a romantic relationship while travelling abroad a good idea?
What’s the biggest misunderstanding you’ve faced due to a language
barrier or cultural difference? How did you handle the situation?
The Light in the Piazza is set in 1953. Do you think any events or
decisions would happen differently if the story took place today?
Helpful Italian Words and Phrases
Aiutami (ay-YOO-tah-me) – Help me
Amarmi (ah-MAR-me) – Love me
Andiamo (an-DYAH-mo) – Let’s go
Bacio (BAH-chio) – Kiss
Bella (BELL-ah) – Beautiful
Bene (BEH-nay) – Good
Capisce (cah-PEESH-ay) – Do you understand?
Ciao (chow) – Hello/Goodbye
Firenze (fee-REN-say) – Florence
Grazie (GRAHT-zee-ay) – Thank you
Mi dispiace (me dees-PYAH-chay) – I’m sorry
Luce (LOO-chay) – Light
Passeggiata (pah-se-JAH-tah) – A leisurely walk
Ragazzo/Ragazza (rah-GAH-zo/za) – boy/girl
Si (see) – Yes
CONVERSATIONS - 12 -
Big Reads from Calgary Public Library By Rosemary Griebel
The Light in the Piazza, by Elizabeth Spencer
Novella, 1960. This novella, which tells the story of a mother and
daughter intoxicated by the beauty of Florence in the 1950s and
the more tragic tale of dark family secrets, inspired the 1962 movie
and award-winning Broadway musical.
Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes
Memoir, 1996. Prolific author and gourmet Mayes recounts the
purchase and renovation of an abandoned Tuscan villa and life in
the Tuscan countryside. Also included are dozens of seasonal
recipes from Mayes’ traditional kitchen and garden.
Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walter
Novel, 2012. In 1962, on a rocky patch of Italian coastline, a young
innkeeper spies a woman approaching in a boat and learns that
she is an American starlet who is said to be dying. What unfolds is
a dazzling rollercoaster of a story spanning 50 years. Gloriously
inventive and constantly surprising, Beautiful Ruins is an award-
winning novel of flawed yet fascinating people navigating their
lives while clinging to improbable dreams.
Click on the book covers
to check availability at
Calgary Public Library!
CONVERSATIONS - 13 -
La Bella Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind,
by Beppe Severgnini
Non-fiction, 2006. More a primer on Italian culture than a
travelogue, this book is designed to reveal the authentic Italian
soul beyond the stereotypical image. The author offers insight into
everything from shoe shopping to train travel to help the reader
understand why Italy, as Beppe says, "can have you fuming and
then purring in the space of a hundred metres or ten minutes."
The Italians, by John Hooper
Non-fiction, 2015. With a contemporary focus, Hooper draws
upon his experience as a journalist in Italy to explore the country's
culture and character from medieval times to the present. How did
a land that spawned the Renaissance also produce the Mafia? Why
does Italian have 12 words for coathanger but none for hangover?
Brimming with fascinating insights unavailable in guidebooks, The
Italians will surprise even the most die-hard Italophile.
Passion on the Vine, by Sergio Esposito
Memoir, 2008. Esposito's luscious accounts of the food and wine
that are so much a part of Italian life, and his poignant and often
hilarious stories of his relationships with his family and Italian
friends, make Passion on the Vine an utterly unique and enchanting
work about Italy and its culture.
CONVERSATIONS - 14 -
Movie Night in Italy
These films set in beautiful Italy will get you set for a vacation to Florence:
Roman Holiday
Dir. William Wyler, 1953. In this classic romantic comedy, Audrey
Hepburn plays a princess from an unnamed country who slips away from
her entourage and goes on adventures through Rome with an American
reporter (Gregory Peck). The screenplay, which won an Oscar, was co-
authored by blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo under a pseudonym.
La Dolce Vita
Dir. Federico Fellini, 1960. Fellini’s stylish masterpiece follows a journalist
who tries to lose himself in the dolce vita (sweet life) of post-war Rome
while searching for meaning. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and is one
of the most critically acclaimed films of all time.
A Room with a View
Dir. James Ivory, 1985. Adapted from E.M. Forster’s 1908 novel of the
same name, A Room with a View tells the Edwardian era story of a
sheltered young Englishwoman who falls in love while on holiday in
Florence. Starring Helena Bonham Carter and Maggie Smith.
Tea with Mussolini
Dir. Franco Zeffirelli, 1999. This semi-autobiographical film by the great
opera and film director follows the childhood of an Italian boy raised in a
circle of American and British expatriate women in Florence before and
during World War II. Starring Cher, Judi Dench, and Maggie Smith.
Under the Tuscan Sun
Dir. Audrey Wells, 2003. The film adaptation of the popular memoir by
Frances Mayes, which chronicles the journey of an American writer who
moves to Tuscany and renovates a dilapidated villa. Starring Diane Lane
and Sandra Oh.
CONVERSATIONS - 15 -
Sources
Cipriette, Elena. “10 of the Best Movies on Italy.” Walks of Italy, Jan 16, 2014.
www.walksofitaly.com/blog/all-around-italy/movies-on-italy
Di Palma, Giuseppe. “The Economic Miracle.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
www.britannica.com/place/Italy/The-economic-miracle
Green, Jesse. “A Complicated Gift.” New York Times, July 6, 2003.
“Guettel and Lucas Step into the Light with Rapturous Results.” Rodgers and
Hammerstein Music Library, Oct 1, 2003.
www.rnh.com/news/637/Guettel-And-Lucas-Step-Into-the-Light-With-
Rapturous-Results
Kivesto, Lois. “Statues and Stories.” In house programme for The Light in the
Piazza, Shaw Festival, 2013.
Nesbit, W. and D. Philpott. “The Plight of Individuals with Cognitive
Disabilities: Social and Educational Facets of an Arduous Evolution.” The
Morning Watch 36:1-2 (Fall 2008).
www.mun.ca/educ/faculty/mwatch/Nesbet%20and%20Philpott%20The
%20Plight%20of%20Individuals.pdf
“The Light in the Piazza.” Playbill, Lincoln Centre Theater production, Oct 2005.
Saunders, Anne. “World War II in Italy.” The Florentine, May 5, 2011.
Woods, Byron. “Elizabeth Spencer and the Musical Adaptation of The Light in
the Piazza.” Indy Week, Feb 7, 2007.