About the work
The Light in the Piazza is a musical by Adam Guettel (music and lyrics) with a book by Craig Lucas, premiered on Broadway in 2005. Based on a novella by Elizabeth Spencer, it won six Tony Awards, above all for its extraordinary score.
Plot
In 1950s Florence and Rome, the American Margaret Johnson and her daughter Clara spend a summer. The young, naive Clara falls in love with the charming Italian Fabrizio, and the feelings are returned. But Margaret guards a secret: since a childhood accident, Clara carries a mental impairment. Between maternal concern, cultural misunderstandings, and the question of whether Clara may be granted a happiness of her own, Margaret wrestles with a difficult decision.
Cultural significance
The Light in the Piazza is regarded as one of the most musically demanding American musicals of its generation. Adam Guettel's lyrical, almost operatic score, partly sung in Italian, builds on the great melodic tradition of his grandfather Richard Rodgers and carries it into more modern harmonic territory. The work is a tender, moving meditation on love, letting go, and the longing for happiness.