North Central College’s theatre department recently brought Craig Lucas’s book “A Light in the Piazza” and Adam Guettel’s music and lyrics to life, thanks to guest director Adam Goldstein.
The show ran for four performances, from Nov. 5 to Nov. 8 in Pfeiffer Hall. The musical became a reality as a result of a detailed set production, a ten-piece orchestra, and a slightly bigger cast, who all worked together effortlessly.
Set in the 1950s, “A Light in the Piazza” tells the story of a wealthy southern woman named Margaret Johnson, portrayed by junior musical theatre major Rachel Rodewald, and her daughter Clara, portrayed by junior theatre major and communications minor Maddie Burke.
The two Johnson ladies spend a summer together in Italy where Clara falls in love with a young man, Fabrizio Naccarelli, whom she sneaks out with and wants to marry. Due to an injury Clara received when she was younger, Margaret wants nothing more than to protect her daughter, and does her best at trying to keep the lovers away from each other.
Burke explains that, “Clara is 26. [She] and her mother are on vacation in Florence, Italy. She suffered an injury at the age of 12 so she processes things a little differently, which makes her seem younger than she is.”
“My character is a no-nonsense powerhouse of a woman,” Rodewald says of Margaret. “She knows how to get what she wants and she’s very confident, strong and brave, but on the inside she is emotional and soft.” “She’s [also]very protective over her daughter and has to let her go at the end. That’s what I admire most about her; she knows the right thing to do is the hardest thing, but she does it anyway and makes peace with it.”
One of the most important aspects of breathing life into a musical is the cast, and NCC’s production of “A Light in the Piazza” is no different.
“Working with the cast was incredible,” says Rodewald. “We had such a close bond and everyone put so much hard work into this show. We had each other’s backs and it was so fun to go through this process with all of them,” she says, explaining that, “We were such a unit and it was so fun to play on stage together.”
Burke adds, “It was one of the most supportive casts I have ever worked with and I had a blast working with such a hardworking group of people.”
When it came to the best part about being in “A Light in the Piazza,” Burke says it was “bringing the beautiful and complex story to life and being able to put myself in the story.”
In addition to this, Rodewald says, “It’s such an intense, beautiful story, and to get to share that with the audience was such a pleasure. The team of directors were also amazing to work with and they taught us so much.”
However, the hardest parts for Burke “were putting the different elements together with the difficult music as well as having to learn the dialect and putting it all together.”
Rodewald agrees, saying, “The hardest part, I think, was the music because it was such a difficult score, but also just making sure I did Margaret justice and really conveyed her emotions and story.”
The musical focuses on the mother-daughter relationship and the growth and changes they both encounter during their summer trip. In the end, “A Light in the Piazza” upholds the idea that no matter what happens, love always finds a way.
