Joining Renée Fleming and Dove Cameron in the London debut of the acclaimed Broadway musical The Light in the Piazza at London’s Royal Festival Hall will be Rob Houchen, Celinde Schoenmaker, Liam Tamne, Malcolm Sinclair and Olivier-nominated international soprano Marie McLaughlin.
Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza will be performed in a full staging at the Royal Festival Hall in a limited run of only 20 performances (14 June to 5 July 2019) directed by Olivier Award winner Daniel Evans. The score will be played by the 35-piece orchestra of Opera North under the baton of Kimberly Grigsby, conductor of the original Lincoln Center production.
Joining Renée Fleming and Dove Cameron as (Margaret and Clara Johnson respectively) will be Rob Houchen as Clara’s suitor, Fabrizio Naccarelli. Houchen’s previous credits include West End productions of Les Misérables and Titanic and he was most recently seen in his Offie-winning performance in Eugenius!
Celinde Schoenmaker will play the role of Franca Naccarelli. Previously she has starred as Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, and played the role of Fantine in the West End production of Les Misérables.
Liam Tamne will play Guiseppe Naccarelli. Previously Tamne has taken the roles of Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, Enjolras in Les Misérables and Fiyero in Wicked as well as being a member of Will.i.am’s team on The Voice Season 2.
Fabrizio’s mother Signora Naccarelli will be played by Marie McLaughlin who has performed at many of the world’s leading opera houses including Covent Garden, The Metropolitan Opera, New York and Munich Opera.
Malcolm Sinclair will make a welcome return to the London stage as Margaret’s husband and Clara’s father, Roy Johnson. Sinclair’s career spans more than three decades and encompasses a vast array of West End, National Theatre and RSC productions alongside roles in films such as Casino Royale and V for Vendetta.
The rich singing talent in the company includes Matthew Woodyatt, Rhona McGregor, Tom Partridge, Molly Lynch, Nicholas Duncan, Chlöe Hart, Danny Becker, Monica Swayne and Simbi Akande. Final casting is currently taking place for the featured role of Signor Naccarelli, Fabrizio’s father.
The Light in the Piazza is designed by Robert Jones with costumes by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting by Mark Henderson and sound by Mick Potter. It is the debut production from Scenario Two, a new company founded by John Berry and Anthony Lilley to focus on commercial theatrical production in London, the rest of the UK and internationally. It is based on Berry’s critically-acclaimed ENO model of bringing together the very best talent from the world of opera and musical theatre, with top performers and creatives from other industries such as film, television and theatre. Following its London premiere, The Light in the Piazza will tour major venues in North America and Australia.
Based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer, The Light in the Piazza has a book is by Craig Lucas, with music and lyrics by Adam Guettel. Set in Florence during the summer of 1953, it’s a touching and heart-wrenching love story. A fateful gust of wind whisks Clara’s hat into the hands of local dreamer Fabrizio Naccarelli and It’s love at first sight. However, Clara isn’t quite what she appears and soon they must all confront a secret that’s been kept in the shadows for far too long.
