THE HUNTINGTON ANNOUNCES THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM OF TONY AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gabrielle Jaques, Publicist
617-273-1520
PHOTOS available for download here
Members of the press, RSVP here
THE HUNTINGTON ANNOUNCES THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM OF TONY AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
Huntington Artistic Director Loretta Greco helms this major revival of the deeply moving musical love story
(BOSTON) – The Huntington announces the cast and creative team of The Light in the Piazza, a gorgeous contemporary musical based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer, with music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, book by Craig Lucas, and directed by Huntington Artistic Director Loretta Greco (The Triumph of Love). The Light in the Piazza runs from Thursday, May 8 – Sunday, June 15, 2025 at the Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115).
Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Original Score, The Light in the Piazza is a lush and soaring romance. Huntington Artistic Director Loretta Greco (The Triumph of Love) creates a brand-new production of Adam Guettel’s sweeping score and Craig Lucas’ profound book in this must-see story of a mother, a daughter, and the many meanings of love. Florence, summer 1953. Protective American mother Margaret Johnson brings her daughter Clara abroad for a glimpse of Italy’s romantic history. But when a real-life attraction sparks between Clara and a local boy, Margaret must ask: can she reconcile her own hopes with her daughter’s future?
“This mother-daughter love story absolutely wrecked me when I experienced the premiere 20 years ago,” says Huntington Artistic Director Loretta Greco. “Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas have crafted a stunning ode to the power of love in its many, many complicated guises.”
Called “the most intensely romantic score of any musical since West Side Story” by The New York Times and “the most soul-satisfying score written for Broadway so far this century” by the Chicago Tribune, The Light in the Piazza was developed as a musical at the Intiman Playhouse in Seattle in June 2003 and then at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in early 2004. The 2005 Broadway Production won six Tony Awards and five Drama Desk Awards.
“I am super happy to be returning to The Huntington where I performed as a student at Boston University in the 1970s, where I have attended countless memorable productions, and where I directed my play, I Was Most Alive With You, in 2016,” says book writer Craig Lucas.
The cast of The Light in the Piazza includes:
Emily Skinner as Margaret Johnson, Clara’s mother who brings her to Florence. Credits include: Side Show [Tony Nomination], Suffs, and The Cher Show on Broadway, and Schmigadoon at the Kennedy Center.
Sarah-Anne Martinez as Clara Johnson, a young woman who falls in love, Margaret’s daughter. Credits include: POTUS at Arena Stage [Helen Hayes Nomination], Leaving Eden at NYMF, and Peter and the Star Catcher at Festival 56.
Joshua Grosso as Fabrizio Naccarelli, a young Florentine man who falls in love with Clara. Credits include: Urinetown at NYCC Encores, In The Heights at PCLO, and Gatsby at ART.
William Michals as Signor Naccarelli, Fabrizio’s father. Credits include: South Pacific, Beauty and the Beast, and Bright Star on Broadway.
Rebecca Pitcher as Signora Naccarelli, Fabrizio’s mother. Credits include: The Phantom of the Opera and Carousel on Broadway, and the national tour of The Sound of Music.
Alexander Ross as Giuseppe Naccarelli, Fabrizio’s older brother. Credits include: The Book of Mormon on Broadway, the national tour of The Soldiers Play, and Romeo & Juliet at ART.
Rebekah Rae Robles as Franca Naccarelli, Giuseppe’s wife. Credits include: A Man of No Importance, Laughs in Spanish, and Songs for a New World at SpeakEasy Stage.
Rob Richardson as Roy Johnson, Margaret’s husband. Credits include: Jekyll & Hyde and A Tale of Two Cities on Broadway, and Kinky Boots Off Broadway.
The ensemble includes: Kate Fitzgerald, Russell Garrett, Daniel A. Lopez, Sherée Marcelle, Morgan Mastrangelo, Sarah Oakes Muirhead, and Nick Sulfaro.
Swings include: David Rosenthal and Tamara Ryan.
Extras include: Yuma Feldman, Millie Grace Gibson, Elsa Hancock-Happ, Mary Niederkorn, and Odin Vega.
The creative team for The Light in the Piazza includes scenic design by Andrew Boyce (Prayer for the French Republic at The Huntington), costume design by Alex Jaeger (Leopoldstadt at The Huntington), lighting design by Christopher Akerlind (The Triumph of Love at The Huntington), sound design by Megumi Katayama (The Light in the Piazza at NYCC Encores), projection design by Yuki Izumihara (Leopoldstadt at The Huntington), the hair, wig, and makeup design is by J Jared Janas (The Art of Burning at The Huntington). The assistant director is Alexandra Dietrich, the choreographer is Daniel Pelzig (Leopoldstadt at The Huntington), the fight and intimacy coordinator is Jesse Hinson, the music director is Andrea Grody, the dialect and text coach is Ashleigh Reade, the Italian culture, dialect, and text coach is Chiara Durazzini, and the dramaturg is Charles Haugland. The production stage manager is Kevin Schlagle and the stage managers are Ashley Pitchford and Pat-rice Rooney. NY Casting is by Janet Foster.
The Light in the Piazza is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. concordtheatricals.com
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Craig Lucas (Playwright) wrote Prelude to Kiss, I Was Most Alive With You, Reckless, Blue Window, The Dying Gaul, Stranger, Small Tragedy, The Singing Forest, Ode to Joy, & Prayer For My Enemy; the books for An American in Paris, Amelie, and Days of Wine and Roses; the screenplays for Longtime Companion, The Dying Gaul (which he directed), & The Secret Lives of Dentists among many others. He wrote the opera libretto for Nico Muhly’s Two Boys, which premiered at the Metropolitan opera. He has received 4 Tony nominations, the Excellence in Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Hermitage Greenfield Prize, the NY Film Critics Best Screenplay Award, Sundance Audience Award, and three Obies.
Adam Guettel (Music & Lyrics) Broadway: The Light in the Piazza, Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Orchestrations; To Kill a Mockingbird, Tony Nomination for Best Score; Floyd Collins, Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical and Obie Award for music; Saturn Returns (recorded as Myths and Hymns). Awards: Stephen Sondheim Award (1990), the ASCAP New Horizons Award (1997), The American Composers Orchestra Award (2005). Honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music. adamguettel.com
Loretta Greco (Director) is The Huntington’s Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director. Her extensive national directing credits include The Triumph of Love, Prayer for the French Republic, and Taylor Mac’s world premiere of Joy and Pandemic for The Huntington, the premieres of runboyrun and A Park in Our House at New York Theatre Workshop, The Story, Lackawanna Blues, and Two Sisters and a Piano at The Public Theater, Sweat, The Realistic Joneses, Speed-the-Plow, and Blackbird at American Conservatory Theater, and productions for California Shakespeare, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Long Wharf, La Jolla Playhouse, and Williamstown Theatre Festival, among others. She is a champion of groundbreaking artists and has longstanding working relationships with esteemed playwrights such as Taylor Mac, Mfoniso Udofia, Lloyd Suh, Barbara Hammond, Luis Alfaro, Octavio Solis, Linda McLean, and Sam Shepard, with whom she worked closely on a five-year Bay Area-wide legacy series and directed the critically acclaimed revivals of Buried Child and Fool for Love. Prior to The Huntington, she was the artistic director at San Francisco’s Magic Theatre for 12 years, as well as producing artistic director of New York’s WP Theater and associate director and staff producer of the McCarter Theatre. She is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect and the recipient of Bay Area Critic’s Association Awards, a Drama League fellowship, the Princess Grace Award, a Sundance/Luma Director’s fellowship, and the 2018 Zelda Fichandler Award.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION FOR THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
WHEN
Performances: May 8 – June 15, 2025
Evenings: Tues – Thurs at 7pm; Fri and Sat at 7:30pm
Matinees: Select Wed, Sat, and Sun at 2pm
Days and times vary; see complete schedule above.
Press Opening: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 7pm (RSVP here)
WHERE
The Huntington Theatre
264 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115
TICKETS
Tickets start at $29. Season ticket packages and FlexPasses are also now on sale:
- online at huntingtontheatre.org
- by phone at 617-266-0800;
- or in person at the Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Ave) or Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont Street)
Select discounts apply:
- $10 off: season ticket holders
- $40 “HYPE” tickets (Huntington Young Patron Events) for patrons 40 years-old and younger (valid ID required)
- $25 student and military tickets (valid ID required)
- Limited number of Pay-What-You-Wish tickets (not available online, please call or visit the box office to inquire using the contact info above)
The Huntington asks that any patron experiencing illness stay home and contact ticketing services for more information about exchanges.
ACCESS PERFORMANCES FOR THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
Tickets are $20 for each patron and their guests. To reserve tickets please email access@huntingtontheatre.org, call ticketing services at 617-266-0800, or visit in person at the Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave, Boston or the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont St, Boston.
Accessible performances are supported in part by the Liberty Mutual Foundation.
OPEN CAPTIONED PERFORMANCE: Tuesday, May 27 at 7pm. The Huntington offers open captioning at designated performances for any patron who benefits from having the text of spoken dialogue visible in time with the play.
ASL-INTERPRETED PERFORMANCE: Friday, May 30 at 7:30pm. The Huntington offers American Sign Language interpretation at designated performances for patrons who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE: Saturday, June 7 at 2pm. The Huntington offers audio description for patrons who are blind or low-vision at designated performances. Please visit huntingtontheatre.org/visit/accessibility for information.
Large Print and Braille Programs will also be available for patrons at performances.
BOSTON FAMILY DAYS
The Huntington is proud to be a part of Mayor Wu’s Boston Family Days, a program that provides students who live in Boston and their families free access to many of the City’s world-class cultural institutions. The Huntington will host two Boston Family Days performances for The Light in the Piazza on Friday, May 9 at 7:30pm and Sunday, May 25 at 2pm. Complimentary tickets for eligible students and their families can be arranged through the Boston Family Days program.
THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA SPECIAL EVENTS
“Stage & Screen” Summertime at Coolidge Corner: Tuesday, May 6 at 7pm
The Huntington and Coolidge Corner continue their “Stage & Screen” collaboration with an event on Tuesday, May 6 at Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, MA. After a 7pm showing of a sublimely bittersweet tale of romantic longing starring Katharine Hepburn, Summertime (directed by David Lean), guests connected The Huntington’s production of The Light in the Piazza will host a post-screening discussion.
Tickets to the Stage & Screen film and post-screening discussion can be purchased here: coolidge.org/programs/stage-screen
Student Matinee performance: Friday, May 16 at 10am
The Huntington Education Department hosts a student matinee of The Light in the Piazza on Friday, May 16 at 10am at the Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Ave). Student tickets are $20 each, chaperones attend at no cost, and one chaperone is required for every 15 students.
To reserve your school group and learn more information, please email Manager of Education Operations Bec Lowe at education@huntingtontheatre.org.
Actors Forum: Thursday, May 22 at 7pm
The Huntington hosts a moderated, post-show discussion with members of the cast after the 7pm performance on Thursday, May 22 at the Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Ave). Hear actors from The Light in the Piazza reflect on their roles and nuances of each character.
Humanities Forum: Sunday, May 25 at 2pm
The Huntington hosts a post-show discussion after the 2pm matinee performance on Sunday, May 25 at the Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Ave).
Actors Forum: Wednesday, June 4 at 2pm
The Huntington hosts a moderated, post-show discussion with members of the cast after the 2pm matinee performance on Wednesday, June 4 at the Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Ave). Hear actors from The Light in the Piazza reflect on their roles and nuances of each character.
MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
Any members of the media who are interested in speaking with the artists of The Light in Piazza, please contact Publicist Gabrielle Jaques at gjaques@huntingtontheatre.org or 617-273-1520 or Director of Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships Temple Gill at tgill@huntingtontheatre.org or 617-273-1560.
Press night for critics is Wednesday, May 14 at 7pm. Please RSVP here for press night or other available performances.
Production photos will be available for download online, and b-roll footage can be requested.
PHOTOS available for download here
ABOUT THE HUNTINGTON
Celebrating over 40 years of outstanding theatre, The Huntington is Boston’s theatrical commons and leading professional theatre company. On our stages and throughout our city, we share enduring and untold stories that spark the imagination of audiences and artists and amplify the wide range of voices in our community.
Under the leadership of Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director Loretta Greco and Executive Director Christopher Mannelli, The Huntington is committed to welcoming broad and diverse audiences, provides life- changing opportunities for students through its robust education and community programs, is a national leader in the development of playwrights and new plays, has acted as the host organization for a multi-year residency of The Front Porch Arts Collective, a Black theatre company based in Boston, and serves the local arts community through our operation of The Huntington Calderwood/BCA.
The Huntington reopened the historic Huntington Theatre in fall of 2022 after its transformational renovation, and is currently in phase two of the project; the renovation and building project of this storied venue with a bold vision for the future will allow us to innovatively expand our services to audiences, artists, and the community for generations to come. For more information, visit huntingtontheatre.org.
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