Theatre Calgary’s Play Guides and Interactive Learning Program

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The Play Guide for The Light in the Piazza was created by:

Shari Wattling

Associate Artistic Director

Zachary Moull

Artistic Associate

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Send an email to zmoull@theatrecalgary.com

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The Light in the Piazza runs from April 26 to May 22, 2016

For tickets, visit theatrecalgary.com or call (403) 294-7447

Table of Contents

THE BASICS

The Company .................................................................... 01

Who’s Who? ...................................................................... 02

Time and Place ................................................................. 02

The Story .......................................................................... 02

EXPLORATIONS

Capturing the Light ............................................................ 03

The Wonders of Florence ................................................... 05

Italy and the Allies in World War II ..................................... 08

Post-War Italy ................................................................... 09

The Light in the Piazza Miscellany ....................................... 09

CONVERSATIONS

Conversation Starters ........................................................ 11

Helpful Italian Words and Phrases ...................................... 11

Big Reads from Calgary Public Library ................................. 12

Movie Night in Italy ........................................................... 14

Sources ............................................................................ 15

THE BASICS - 1 -

The Company

Theatre Calgary presents

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA

Book by Craig Lucas

Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel

Produced by arrangement with Turner Entertainment Co.,

owner of the original motion picture Light in the Piazza,

based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer

THE CAST Priest Gab Desmond Margaret Johnson Susan Gilmour Roy Johnson Christopher Hunt Signor Naccarelli David Keeley Tour Guide, Ensemble Marie McDunnough Franca Naccarelli Tracy Michailidis Clara Johnson Anwyn Musico Fabrizio Naccarelli Louie Rossetti Signora Naccarelli Kate Ryan Ensemble Farren Timoteo Giuseppe Naccarelli Michael Torontow

THE CREATIVE TEAM Director Michael Shamata Musical Director Jonathan Monro Set & Costume Design Christina Poddubiuk Lighting Design Alan Brodie Sound Design Chris Jacko Choreographer Anita Miotti Voice Coach Jane MacFarlane Italian Coach Luigi Riscaldino Dramaturg Shari Wattling Stage Manager Jennifer Swan Assistant Stage Manager Carissa Sams Assistant Stage Manager Sara Turner

THE BASICS - 2 -

Who’s Who?

Margaret Johnson: An elegant, practical American woman in middle age

Clara Johnson: Margaret’s 26-year-old daughter, young for her age

Fabrizio Naccarelli: A charming 20-year-old Florentine

Giuseppe Naccarelli: Fabrizio’s older brother

Franca Naccarelli: Giuseppe’s wife

Signor Naccarelli: Fabrizio’s father

Signora Naccarelli: Fabrizio’s mother

Roy Johnson: Margaret’s husband, who has stayed back in America

Others played by the ensemble, including a tour guide and a priest

Time and Place

The Light in the Piazza takes place in the Italian cities of Florence and Rome,

during the summer of 1953.

The Story

Margaret Johnson and her daughter Clara have just arrived on vacation in

Florence when a gust of wind carries Clara’s hat to the feet of Fabrizio

Naccarelli, a handsome young Tuscan man. Soon Fabrizio is running into

Clara at tourist sites all over Florence, and their friendship leads to love.

But as the Johnsons get to know the Naccarelli family and Clara falls more

and more in love, Margaret must decide whether or not to share a secret

that could destroy her daughter’s happiness.

EXPLORATIONS - 3 -

Capturing the Light

In the introduction to her novella

The Light in the Piazza, American

author Elizabeth Spencer writes,

“The first time I saw Italy was in

August of 1949. Italians were

glad to be alive in a life that was

possible to live, and their

gladness filled the air and

reached out to all corners.” The

warmth and beauty of Italian

culture and landscape, along

with this sense of awakening to

life, inspired Spencer’s writing a

decade later, during her first cold

and dark winter after moving to

Montreal. The Light in the Piazza,

so full of the light of Italy, was

published in The New Yorker in

1960. It was released as a novella

the following year and was soon made into a Hollywood film starring Olivia

de Havilland, George Hamilton, and Yvette Mimieux.

After reading the story in The New Yorker, writer-composer Mary Rodgers

suggested a musical adaptation to her father, the legendary composer

Richard Rodgers (Oklahoma!, South Pacific). The elder Rodgers found the

story and the idea “lovely, but not for him.” Almost forty years later, in 1998,

she made the same suggestion to her son, composer Adam Guettel (Floyd

Collins, Myths and Hymns), who was looking for his next creative project.

“The sounds of being in love were waiting to spill out of me,” Guettel later

said. “I wanted to find a vessel for those sounds.”

The replica of Michelangelo's David in the

Piazza della Signoria in Florence

(photo by Shari Wattling)

EXPLORATIONS - 4 -

At his mother’s suggestion, Guettel read the novella and was instantly drawn

to it, sensing that he had “the sounds available” to capture the hope and

romance of the characters. Guettel contacted Elizabeth Spencer and inquired

about getting the stage rights. “He seemed very eager about it, and he was a

very attractive young man,” recalls Spencer, “But he looked much younger

than he was, and I thought, ‘He’s too young to do all that.” Thankfully, a bit

of research and some CDs of Guettel’s earlier work convinced Spencer to

grant permission.

After several attempts to find a writing partner, Guettel connected with

playwright Craig Lucas (Prelude to a Kiss, Reckless) and they began a three-

year process of adapting the book into a musical. The play premiered at

Seattle’s Intiman Theatre in 2003, and then underwent further development

before appearing at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre in 2004. The following year,

the Lincoln Center Theater invited the production to New York, with Kelli

O’Hara, Victoria Clark, and Matthew Morrison in the leading roles. The

production was nominated for multiple major theatre awards, receiving six

Tony and five Drama Desk Awards in 2005. In 2006, the New York

production was broadcast on the PBS television series Lincoln Center Live,

drawing more than two million viewers.

On accepting the Tony Award for Best Original Score, Adam Guettel

remarked, “As a writer, you feel so happy just to have people take your show

to heart.” For Elizabeth Spencer, the musical captured the essence of her

original story and the sensations she felt in Italy so many decades ago:

“Though we’re really worlds from each other, he got it. That’s the amazing

thing. The music is just soaring; it catches you up right away. It’s almost

miraculous.”

“The sounds of being in love were waiting to spill out of me. I

wanted to find a vessel for those sounds.”

–Adam Guettel

EXPLORATIONS - 5 -

The Wonders of Florence

Florence is renowned as the birthplace of the Renaissance and is a popular

tourist destination for lovers of art and culture. The capital of the central

Italian region of Tuscany, Florence rose to economic power in the 14th

century and reached its zenith during the ascendancy of the powerful

Medici family, who ruled the city for much of the 15th through 17th

centuries. The family’s patronage of the arts and support for new

explorations in science and architecture were central to the rise of

humanism and the flourishing of ideas that we now call the Renaissance.

Here are some of the places and works of art that Margaret and Clara

experience during The Light in the Piazza:

Piazza della Signoria

This public square has been the

heart of political, cultural, and

social life in Florence for

centuries. At its centre is the

Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace),

which was once the residence of

Cosimo I de Medici, the first

Grand Duke of Florence, and

still serves as city hall today.

All around the Piazza della

Signoria stand statues by

famous Florentine artists, as

well as antique Roman

sculptures. The famous statue

of David by Michelangelo stood

in this square from 1504 to 1873

when, like many of the original

statues, it was moved inside for

The Palazzo Vecchio in the Piazza della

Signoria (Colby Blaisdale, flickr)

EXPLORATIONS - 6 -

preservation and replaced with a copy. The statue was originally intended

for an upper niche in the

Cathedral of Santa Maria del

Fiore, but upon completion, it

was deemed too perfect for

display so high up.

The Piazza della Signoria was

the site of the infamous Bonfire

of the Vanities in 1497, when

followers of the hardline friar

Savonarola burned thousands

of books, paintings, and other

items that they deemed to be

sinful. The friar himself was

executed in the square a year

later, after he had been

excommunicated by the Pope.

The Uffizi Gallery

The world’s finest collection of

Italian Renaissance paintings lives at the Uffizi Gallery, alongside an

impressive collection of sculptures, drawings, and prints. Masterpieces by

the likes of Raphael, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and

Caravaggio grace its halls. The

building was commissioned by

Cosimo I de Medici in the 16th

century to house magisterial

offices (Uffizi means ‘offices’ in

Italian), and many of the works

on display were once part of the

Medici family’s vast private art

collection.

Fra Filippo Lippi’s Madonna with Child and

Two Angels, part of the Uffizi collection

Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation, part of

the Uffizi collection

EXPLORATIONS - 7 -

The Duomo

One of the largest churches in the world, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del

Fiore is nicknamed “the Duomo” for its enormous brick dome, designed

and engineered by Florentine

architect Filippo Brunelleschi.

The massive structure is more

than 100 metres tall and

contains at least four million

bricks. Its completion in the

15th century was a major

moment in architectural history

and is considered one of the

landmark achievements of the

Renaissance.

Piazza della Repubblica

A large public square created as

a result of a late-19th century

urban redevelopment plan, the

Piazza della Repubblica is home to many shops and cafés. It has been a

favourite meeting spot for artists and writers since the early 20th century,

and today it is a lively public gathering place.

Piazzale Michelangelo

A hilltop square overlooking Florence and the valley of the Arno River,

the Piazzale Michelangelo’s stunning panoramic views make it popular

with tourists and locals alike, especially at sunset.

The Duomo, with Giotto's Campanile in the

foreground (Shari Wattling)

Florence at sunset from the Piazzale Michelangelo (Steve Hersey, flickr)

EXPLORATIONS - 8 -

Italy and the Allies in World War II

In 1939, Benito Mussolini, the

fascist Prime Minister of Italy,

chose to align Italy's forces with

Germany and Adolf Hitler.

Italy joined the war against the

Allies in 1940 and were soon in

battle on several fronts. After

German and Italian forces were

defeated in North Africa, Allied

troops crossed over to Sicily in

July 1943 and took the island in

thirty-nine days.

The loss of Sicily, along with

food shortages and frustration

with the Nazi presence, led to

growing frustration with the

regime. Mussolini was removed

from office and arrested. Italy

signed an armistice with the

Allies, allowing Allied forces to

cross to the Italian mainland. Germany sent several army divisions into

Italy and took control of the country’s central infrastructure. The Allies

made slow progress north towards Rome, liberating the city in June, 1944.

As the German forces retreated northwards, they caused much death and

destruction in central and northern Italian cities. Florence was liberated by

the Allies on August 4, 1944. Many of the city’s buildings were damaged,

and almost all of its bridges were destroyed to slow the Allied advance

across the Arno River. Only the historic Ponte Vecchio was spared,

reportedly on Hitler’s orders. The fighting contined in Italy until the

German surrender in May, 1945.

Florentines cross the Arno using the ruins

of the Ponte alla Grazie in August 1944

(Capt. Tanner, British War Office)

EXPLORATIONS - 9 -

Post-War Italy

Italy bounced back quickly after World War II, thanks in large part to

emergency support from the Allies and assistance from the Marshall Plan,

the American aid initiative to help rebuild the economies of Western

Europe after the devastation of the war. During the two decades after the

war, Italy would develop into a modern economic powerhouse, known in

particular for producing luxury goods such as fashionable clothing and

elegant automobiles.

These post-war years were a time of modernization and urbanization in

Italy. Many people from rural and southern parts of the country, where

there was less industrial development, migrated to the large cities of the

north. With city life came social change. Birth rates started to fall after the

war, and Roman Catholic church attendance, while still at 70% in the

1950s, began a steady decline as well. All the same, Italian society at the

time of The Light in the Piazza was still traditional by many standards: for

example, laws permitting divorce weren’t passed until 1970.

The Light in the Piazza Miscellany

Intellectual Disability in the 1950s

In The Light in the Piazza, Margaret tells the audience that her adult

daughter Clara is “very young for her age” – and she has a doctor’s

diagnosis to back up this assessment. Today, our society takes an inclusive

approach to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and

programs like special education are viewed as a public responsibility. But

in the early 1950s, there were fewer support services available and less

public acceptance. As well, some attitudes were still informed by the

eugenics movement of the first half of the 20th century, whose proponents

advocated for the segregation of people with disabilities into custodial

care facilities and discouraged them from marrying and having children.

EXPLORATIONS - 10 -

Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem is one of the largest cities in North Carolina and a historic

centre of the tobacco industry. The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company,

founded in 1875, is one of the leading cigarette manufacturers in North

America. The company’s prominent place in Winston-Salem led to the

nickname “Camel City” after the famous brand of cigarettes. In the 1950s,

nearly a third of the city’s workforce was employed in the tobacco

industry. It’s also one of the most devout cities in the United States, with

the largest religious affiliations being Baptist and Methodist.

Van Johnson

Van Johnson was a matinee idol who reached his peak popularity in the

1940s. Known for his freckle-faced boy-next-door image, Johnson was a

heartthrob for many young girls and at one point rivalled even Frank

Sinatra. Johnson frequently appeared in musical comedies and war films,

starring alongside performers such as Judy Garland and Gene Kelly.

The Roman Forum

Located between the Palatine and Capitoline hills, the Forum was the

political, financial, and religious centre of ancient Rome. Some ruins on

the site date all the way back to the 7th century BCE. Efforts to excavate

and preserve the Roman Forum

began in the 18th century and

continue to this day. The

Triumphal Arch of Septimius

Severus, a white marble arch

erected in 203 CE at the

northwest end of the Forum, is

one of the best preserved

structures. The famous Roman

Colosseum and other major

tourist sites are nearby.

The Roman Forum, with the

Arch of Septimius at centre

(Carla Tavares, Wikimedia)

CONVERSATIONS - 11 -

Conversation Starters

Do you believe in love at first sight?

What makes two people well matched for each other?

Did your parents approve of your first love?

Is it hard for parents to start letting children make their own decisions?

Have you ever had a transformative experience while travelling or

otherwise away from home? How were you changed?

If you could travel to any place in the world, where would you go?

Is starting a romantic relationship while travelling abroad a good idea?

What’s the biggest misunderstanding you’ve faced due to a language

barrier or cultural difference? How did you handle the situation?

The Light in the Piazza is set in 1953. Do you think any events or

decisions would happen differently if the story took place today?

Helpful Italian Words and Phrases

Aiutami (ay-YOO-tah-me) – Help me

Amarmi (ah-MAR-me) – Love me

Andiamo (an-DYAH-mo) – Let’s go

Bacio (BAH-chio) – Kiss

Bella (BELL-ah) – Beautiful

Bene (BEH-nay) – Good

Capisce (cah-PEESH-ay) – Do you understand?

Ciao (chow) – Hello/Goodbye

Firenze (fee-REN-say) – Florence

Grazie (GRAHT-zee-ay) – Thank you

Mi dispiace (me dees-PYAH-chay) – I’m sorry

Luce (LOO-chay) – Light

Passeggiata (pah-se-JAH-tah) – A leisurely walk

Ragazzo/Ragazza (rah-GAH-zo/za) – boy/girl

Si (see) – Yes

CONVERSATIONS - 12 -

Big Reads from Calgary Public Library By Rosemary Griebel

The Light in the Piazza, by Elizabeth Spencer

Novella, 1960. This novella, which tells the story of a mother and

daughter intoxicated by the beauty of Florence in the 1950s and

the more tragic tale of dark family secrets, inspired the 1962 movie

and award-winning Broadway musical.

Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes

Memoir, 1996. Prolific author and gourmet Mayes recounts the

purchase and renovation of an abandoned Tuscan villa and life in

the Tuscan countryside. Also included are dozens of seasonal

recipes from Mayes’ traditional kitchen and garden.

Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walter

Novel, 2012. In 1962, on a rocky patch of Italian coastline, a young

innkeeper spies a woman approaching in a boat and learns that

she is an American starlet who is said to be dying. What unfolds is

a dazzling rollercoaster of a story spanning 50 years. Gloriously

inventive and constantly surprising, Beautiful Ruins is an award-

winning novel of flawed yet fascinating people navigating their

lives while clinging to improbable dreams.

Click on the book covers

to check availability at

Calgary Public Library!

CONVERSATIONS - 13 -

La Bella Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind,

by Beppe Severgnini

Non-fiction, 2006. More a primer on Italian culture than a

travelogue, this book is designed to reveal the authentic Italian

soul beyond the stereotypical image. The author offers insight into

everything from shoe shopping to train travel to help the reader

understand why Italy, as Beppe says, "can have you fuming and

then purring in the space of a hundred metres or ten minutes."

The Italians, by John Hooper

Non-fiction, 2015. With a contemporary focus, Hooper draws

upon his experience as a journalist in Italy to explore the country's

culture and character from medieval times to the present. How did

a land that spawned the Renaissance also produce the Mafia? Why

does Italian have 12 words for coathanger but none for hangover?

Brimming with fascinating insights unavailable in guidebooks, The

Italians will surprise even the most die-hard Italophile.

Passion on the Vine, by Sergio Esposito

Memoir, 2008. Esposito's luscious accounts of the food and wine

that are so much a part of Italian life, and his poignant and often

hilarious stories of his relationships with his family and Italian

friends, make Passion on the Vine an utterly unique and enchanting

work about Italy and its culture.

CONVERSATIONS - 14 -

Movie Night in Italy

These films set in beautiful Italy will get you set for a vacation to Florence:

Roman Holiday

Dir. William Wyler, 1953. In this classic romantic comedy, Audrey

Hepburn plays a princess from an unnamed country who slips away from

her entourage and goes on adventures through Rome with an American

reporter (Gregory Peck). The screenplay, which won an Oscar, was co-

authored by blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo under a pseudonym.

La Dolce Vita

Dir. Federico Fellini, 1960. Fellini’s stylish masterpiece follows a journalist

who tries to lose himself in the dolce vita (sweet life) of post-war Rome

while searching for meaning. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and is one

of the most critically acclaimed films of all time.

A Room with a View

Dir. James Ivory, 1985. Adapted from E.M. Forster’s 1908 novel of the

same name, A Room with a View tells the Edwardian era story of a

sheltered young Englishwoman who falls in love while on holiday in

Florence. Starring Helena Bonham Carter and Maggie Smith.

Tea with Mussolini

Dir. Franco Zeffirelli, 1999. This semi-autobiographical film by the great

opera and film director follows the childhood of an Italian boy raised in a

circle of American and British expatriate women in Florence before and

during World War II. Starring Cher, Judi Dench, and Maggie Smith.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Dir. Audrey Wells, 2003. The film adaptation of the popular memoir by

Frances Mayes, which chronicles the journey of an American writer who

moves to Tuscany and renovates a dilapidated villa. Starring Diane Lane

and Sandra Oh.

CONVERSATIONS - 15 -

Sources

Cipriette, Elena. “10 of the Best Movies on Italy.” Walks of Italy, Jan 16, 2014.

www.walksofitaly.com/blog/all-around-italy/movies-on-italy

Di Palma, Giuseppe. “The Economic Miracle.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

www.britannica.com/place/Italy/The-economic-miracle

Green, Jesse. “A Complicated Gift.” New York Times, July 6, 2003.

“Guettel and Lucas Step into the Light with Rapturous Results.” Rodgers and

Hammerstein Music Library, Oct 1, 2003.

www.rnh.com/news/637/Guettel-And-Lucas-Step-Into-the-Light-With-

Rapturous-Results

Kivesto, Lois. “Statues and Stories.” In house programme for The Light in the

Piazza, Shaw Festival, 2013.

Nesbit, W. and D. Philpott. “The Plight of Individuals with Cognitive

Disabilities: Social and Educational Facets of an Arduous Evolution.” The

Morning Watch 36:1-2 (Fall 2008).

www.mun.ca/educ/faculty/mwatch/Nesbet%20and%20Philpott%20The

%20Plight%20of%20Individuals.pdf

“The Light in the Piazza.” Playbill, Lincoln Centre Theater production, Oct 2005.

Saunders, Anne. “World War II in Italy.” The Florentine, May 5, 2011.

Woods, Byron. “Elizabeth Spencer and the Musical Adaptation of The Light in

the Piazza.” Indy Week, Feb 7, 2007.