Review: freeFall Theatre's Exquisite THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA

Bad reviews are almost too easy to write. You slam bitchily at the foe that has wasted your precious time, and you never look back at your resentment at the group that put you (and your fellow audience members) in this unenviable position. As critic Pauline Kael once said, "Panning can be fun--you roll up your sleeves and head into the Augean stables. But it's also show-offy and cheap--it isn't sustaining."

In a bad review, you can easily pinpoint each mistake, each false moment, each misguided bit of staging. It can be a hoot to tear apart mediocre productions, especially ones where the egotistical cast is clueless at their abilities and the whole enterprise is unapologetic in its awfulness. But that's not what I am here for. I am here to elevate, and even the worst shows have at least something to offer, even if it's for all the wrong reasons, like an Ed Wood film (so bad it's good, or at least so bad that we can laugh giddily at it in retrospect). So a critic often and all too easily relishes the chance to tear a work the way a lion shreds an antelope.

But sometimes when a show is so good, so transcendent, it can oftentimes become difficult to write about. How can my words ever hope to reflect the joy that I felt watching a beautiful production where everything goes right? People will see it as fawning, gushing. Pauline Kael, known for her slaughtering of sacred cows (she hated some of my favorite movies, like Network, A Clockwork Orange or Raiders of the Lost Ark), was often attacked for gushing far too often (read her review of Last Tango in Paris for the most gushy review ever scribed; she even dares compare it to Le Sacre du Printemps).

But if a work honestly deserves such gushing, then that is what I must do. And that's where freeFall's current production, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, comes in. This musical is deserved of every accolade, every enthusiastic cheer, and every award it should win. Everything comes together here--the score, the libretto, the cast, the direction, the choreography, the set, the orchestra, even the setting (my favorite city in the world, Florence, Italy). Watching this beautifully realized production, I sat in awe, knowing that this is what we go to the theatre for. To learn, to grow, to be entertained, to empathize, to laugh, to cry, to understand, and to love.

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA is the show that we didn't know we've been waiting for. It is the finest local musical I have seen since freeFall's Into the Woods almost two years ago and a must-see tonic in these troubled times.

Adam Guettel's and Craig Lucas' lovely musical has some of the most gorgeous songs and harmonies in recent memory. The story is simple: It's 1953, and a wealthy Southern mother, Margaret (Melissa Minyard), brings her daughter, Clara (Kelly Pekar), to Italy where Clara meets an Italian youth, Fabrizio (Nick Lerew), to whom she falls in love. A mystery of sorts remains at the heart of Clara's problems, and the questions as to whether love can overcome differences in customs and language are all spotlighted.

Minyard as the smart and loving Margaret gives perhaps the finest local performance of the year. She is always in the moment, always there to both overprotect her daughter and to eventually love her so much to set her free. Her songs, especially "Dividing Day" and the final number, "Fable," are beautifully sung.

As her daughter, Pekar becomes loveliness incarnate. With her Tuesday Weld blonde hair, she matches up perfectly to Minyard. Pekar is one of two people that are part of the freeFall rep--they are in every show, and we, the audience, are thankful for this gift. With her expressive eyes--where we understand her limitations, confusions, and pure love for Fabrizio--this is her strongest performance I've seen (and she is sterling in every role she conquers). Her Clara is so layered--innocent yet on edge, child-like with the passion of a young adult. And she doesn't fall into the trap of overplaying her affliction, but we know something is wrong from the start. It's an astonishing performance.

As Fabrizio, Nick Lerew is equally as good. He is the other freeFall rep member, and he turns in one of his strongest performances here (it's up there with his work in Into the Woods and Burnt-Part Boys). Interestingly, several of his songs are sung in Italian, and yet we understand much of what he is singing (you don't need to study Berlitz to enjoy these numbers). We love to see his Fabrizo connect with Pekar's Clara; it makes us smile at the power of love. And his rendition of "Love to Me" near the end of the show is simply breathtaking.

As Fabrizio's traditional father, Signor Naccerelli, Stephen James Jones is an imposing figure yet so likable and so real (his Italian accent is spot on). His other son, Giuseppe, played by Robert Teasdale, is almost as good. And as Giuseppe's wife, Franca, the striking Jennifer Byrne gives one of the strongest performances in a show filled with extraordinary performances.

Filling out the cast are Elizabeth Sackett as Fabrizio's mother, who has a lovely voice, and the entertaining Rand Smith as both Clara's father (only seen while on the telephone) and a priest. He is able to differentiate both roles and make them unique (it takes a moment to realize that they are played by the same person).

There is a seventh cast member: Joshua Romero as a half-naked statue who dances throughout, moves the set, and gives the production an extra bit of artistry. He is onstage almost at every moment and yet we never tire of this; he is a presence that adds to the mystique of Florence. His statue poses fit each piece, including one where he dons a helmet and sword when Margaret and Clara briefly venture to the ruins of Ancient Rome.

Director Eric Davis, outshines himself here. Yes, the performances are all stellar, but the staging is balletic and glorious. It's like the most beautiful chess game you have ever seen--set pieces moving about, bodies in motion but never seeming too busy. Seamless. As so often is the case, the movement isn't just for movement's sake, to keep the masses entertained; it's part of the lovely tapestry of the show.

The music is luxurious, heavenly. It makes you melt in love, and music director Michael Raabe is to thank for this. His musicians do outstanding work: Michael Amos on cello, Marta Bukacek on violin, Meredith Coffman on harp, Irving Goldberg on bass and Raabe himself on the piano.

Leann Alduenda's choreography is quite creative, and Michael Murdock Lucas' scenic design is somewhat minimal and yet, with its few set pieces, we feel as if we are smack dab in the middle of Italy. David Covach's costumes are impressive and fit the times perfectly, and Michaelle Hart's wigs really complete the picture. Ryan Finzelber's lighting works wonderfully well, and Stephen Kraack's sound is superb.

You feel as if you personally had fallen in love after watching THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA. And there's no higher praise. At the end of the first act, I wrote a single word in my notebook: "Exquisite." Without seeing my notebook, the person with me said, "There is only one word to describe this show...Exquisite." I showed him my notebook. There was the word I had just jotted down. "Exquisite." It's the best word to describe the walk-on-air joy of watching THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, which runs through July 17th.

Just exquisite.