THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA Premieres In John Hopkins Univ's Swirnow Theater 6/12

Theatre Hopkins will open its final production of the season, the area premiere of the Tony award winning musical, The Light in the Piazza, on Friday, June 12, at the Swirnow Theater in the Mattin Center on The Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus, 3400 N. Charles St. in Baltimore. With a Tony-winning score and lyrics by Adam Guettel and book by Craig Lucas, the production is directed by Todd Pearthree.

Based on a novella by ElizaBeth Spencer, the story is set in luscious Italy in the summer of 1953 where two American tourists, mother and daughter, dream of romance but their elegant luggage also contains family secrets.

With musical direction by R. Christopher Rose, the company is led by Helen Hayes Best Actress nominee, Nancy Asendorf as Margaret Johnson, Amy Pierson as her daughter, Clara, and Robert Tucker as Fabrizio. The cast also features Kerry Brady, Tom Burns, Joey Hellman, Tamarin Lawler, Molly Massa, Michael Salconi, Josh Seims, and Alyson Shirk.

The production will run four weekends through Sunday, July 5. Curtain time for Friday and Saturday performances is 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees begin at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 for Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees. Student rush tickets for $5 are available at curtain time for all performances, if space allows. For reservations or information, contact Theatre Hopkins at (410) 516-7159, or by e-mail to thehop@jhu.edu.