The light Ryan Finzelber designs for freeFall Theater’s piazza illuminates American mother Margaret and her daughter Clara visiting Florence, Italy, in 1953. An overture, much like an opera’s, leads into the intertwining stories of three women and three marriages. And a gorgeous statue (Joshua Romero, perfect) comes to life to bring unerring dance and shift of architectural elements to create scenery and scenes. When he carries a hat on the wind, it leads to a whirlwind romance but with unromantic challenges. In the piazza, as Margaret explains relevant Italian “Statues and Stories” to Clara, the latter’s windblown hat gets returned to her by Fabrizzio. It’s love at first sight. The lovers exchange plans to meet, with lack of encouragement from Margaret, who explains her daughter’s too young. In a way that’s true, but the whole truth is more complicated. It even lies behind Clara’s fascination with a nude male statue in which she ponders “The Beauty Is.” Fabrizio (sweet Nick Lerew) works on his clothing, manners, “American Dancing,” and English to court Clara. She and Margaret accept a meeting with his family. Sister-in-law Franca (Jennifer Byrne, understandably acidic) flirts with Fabrizio to show her skepticism about “The Joy You Feel,” her husband Giuseppe’s been philandering (cool Robert Teasdale). Margaret’s view of Signora Naccarelli (Elizabeth Sackett, nice) as well as conversation on a walk with her husband, the Signor (commanding but charming Stephan James Jones), make her consider -- “Dividing Day” -- her own hardly joyful marriage. On the phone with her husband (Rand Smith, blustering), Margaret’s been given orders to stop “whatever’s going on over there.” When Clara loses her way to secretly meeting Fabrizio, being surrounded by some street people causes her “Hysteria.” Despite Fabrizio calming Clara, when Margaret walks in on a tryst where each has proposed marriage, Margaret decides to spirit her away to Rome. In Act II, Fabrizio cries to his entire family – “Aiutami” -- to help end his suffering. Meanwhile Clara begs her mother to end hers and accuses her father of being unfeeling. In The Light in the Piazza -- superbly lit as Roman -- Clara designates it as her love which remains unmoved. There’s still a hurdle after Margaret and Clara return to Florence and Signor Naccarelli discovers a truth about Clara during the signing of the marriage permit during the wedding rehearsal. He and Clara’s father will need the insistence of acceptance by one mother and the truth from and willingness to let go from the other mother. In the finale, the theme of the plot and the music comes through clearly as Love. A few of Adam Guettel’s most beautiful and lyrical songs come at the finale. Though I realize his music is unique in his mixed-genre style, I do feel a few of the songs here do not jibe with the period or place. I’d have liked more the kind of blending done in the excellent use and translations of some of the Italian dialogue and lyrics. The orchestral accomplishment is consistent throughout, as is the choreography. Melissa Minyard’s acting and vocalization as Margaret are worthy of Broadway as well as the Opera di Firenze or its Teatro Auditorium al Duomo. Kelly Pekar wouldn’t quite make either. Still, her dramatic embodiment of Clara (by birth and accident, what used to be called a simpleton) is on the money (another consideration in the plot). The women’s costumes -- including short gloves, modest pastel purses, and hose with seams -- represent from the start David Covach’s apt designs. The Italian characters come to just life via all the pertinent actors-singers. Their handling of the language is praiseworthy, as are the translations. Craig Lucas’s book dramatizes the original book well and has worthy additions. He and Guettel have brought the American musical into a contemporary classical development both national and global. At freeFall it’s on a high plane that lifts an audience and never lets it feel in any way down.
