Light in the Piazza

Amazing musical. Amazing! Ani and Jean and I went into downtown LA last night to see Light in the Piazza at the Ahmanson. We bought tickets at the door, which was a huge gamble since it was the night before closing, slimming the chances that there would be tickets left over. But, lo and behold, there were, and we saw a spectacular Broadway musical..... for a mere twenty dollars.

So it was a magnificent success in that we arrived just in time, there were tickets still for sale and they were cheap, our seats were marvelous..... and the musical was incredible. It is half in Italian, and you have to concentrate pretty carefully to get everything that's going on, but that's what makes it wonderful. I understood most of the Italian, so I had an advantage - several of the songs and scenes are completely in Italian, between Fabrizio and his family, and a non-Italian speaker would have to rely on expressions and movements to understand what's going on. But perhaps just because I understood it, I LOVED IT. The mother in the musical, Margaret, spoke a little too softly at times, and Ani disliked the lighting, but those flaws seemed minor because the singing was so phenomenal.

Plus, every scene of the musical had me sighing and reminiscing, and promising myself that I'll go back to Italy as soon as possible. It wasn't all that realistic, but simply because I miss the romance of Italy so much right now, I was willing to believe and be drawn in by Clara's and Fabrizio's whirlwind romance. Oh, dear, I'd better get back to Italy soon, because the more I think about it the more I idealize it, and quite frankly, the reality is better! The dirty streets and the hot, dusty weather, and the whiff of baked goods that permeates the air, and the Italian voices arguing, and the passeggiata with families and elderly singles strolling, and the lingerie shops on every corner, the gelato, the piazzas lined with little restaurants....

Mi manca Italia!

Labels: Italy, Los Angeles

posted by Holly @ 9:40 PM