Let your light shine

Sometimes all the elements of a production meld together so well they should be bottled up and used for future productions. Such is the array of actors, singers, musicians, directors and production designers who team up for the Green Valley Theatre Company's current production of The Light in the Piazza.

The Light in the Piazza is a grand old-school operatic musical which burst onto Broadway in 2005 amid lighter fare and special-effects-laden shows. Based on a novella by Elizabeth Spencer, the story is set in the 1950s and revolves around a mother-daughter trip to Italy and explores past, present and future loves of both women.

Green Valley's impressive staging of this odd yet compelling romantic tale of a two-culture mashup manages to overshadow some of the show's shortcomings, including a rather hinky ending. Coming together is a 10-member cast of gifted vocalists, seamless stage directing, a 12-member live orchestra, and a creative team responsible for wonderful costumes and clever, beautiful stage designs.

This is a challenging undertaking, since the music and songs are not only classical, operatic and soaring, but some of the dialogue and songs are in Italian. But the dual-language aspect isn't problematic, since the story's elements are somewhat universal: innocence, romance, family, relationships and dramas. In fact, the language differences play a major part in the plot.

The twist, which is played out with sweet subtleties, is that a 26-year-old daughter—with a very protective mother—suffered a blow to her head when she was a teenager and has mental and emotional challenges. This doesn't stop her from becoming the love-interest of a young Italian with a boisterous family, thus the conundrum of Mom: How to discourage an emerging love affair between two adults?

Under a tight directing crew, the cast is a swirl of musical and acting talents—most notably Carly Giroux as the mother, who achingly coveys hope and heartache while belting out impressive vocals. Every member of this cast combines noteworthy acting and musical talents, backed up by pure skill.