Margaret Johnson News

The regional premiere of THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA opened at the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival and runs through July 15.  1950s Florence, Italy.  A love story for everyone. On a trip to Florence, Margaret and her daughter Clara have a chance encounter with a young Italian man named Fabrizio. Clara and Fabrizio begin to fall for each other while Margaret wrestles with her concerns over Clara and her future. Book by Craig Lucas, Music and Lyrics by Adam Guettel.

Gigi, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's beloved Oscar and Tony Award-winning musical comedy, celebrates its opening tonight, April 8, at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd Street). Scroll down to learn more about the company, and watch highlights from the show below!

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full company for the Washington, D.C. premiere of Christopher Durang's Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

The Collegiate Chorale presents the New York City premiere of Eric Idle and John Du Prez's Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) at Carnegie Hall, December 15-16, 2014 at 8pm.

Before Victoria Clark returns to Broadway next season as 'Mamita Alvarez' in Gigi, she heads back to school as the artist in residence at Pace University. Clark directs The Light in the Piazza, the show for which she picked up a Tony Award in 2005, running through November 8 at the Loretto Theatre at The Sheen Center. The Light in the Piazza, by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas, is based on the novella of the same name by Elizabeth Spencer. Taking place in Italy in the late summer of 1953, it is the story of an American woman Margaret Johnson, who travels to Florence with her daughter Clara, who falls in love with a young Florentine man. As details emerge about Clara's past, their trip turns out to be very much a romantic and psychological journey as Margaret must decide what is best for her daughter, her family, and for herself. The winner of six Tony Awards in 2005, The Light in the Piazza has become one of the great classics of the American Musical Theater, with its lush score and cliff-hanger story. Clark took the time out of her busy schedule to update BroadwayWorld on her adventures in directing, revisiting PIAZZA, preparing for GIGI and more. Check out the full interview below!

The Collegiate Chorale presents the New York City premiere of Eric Idle and John Du Prez's Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) at Carnegie Hall, December 15-16, 2014 at 8pm.

Tony Award-winning actor Victoria Clark will be Pace School of Performing Arts' third artist-in-residence in Musical Theater. The Artist-in-Residence program is made possible through an anonymous endowed gift.

The Light in the Piazza is a beautiful evening of theater, with a great story, lovely singing, and excellent acting. Get your tickets while you can-they're selling fast-and this show is one you'll want to see.

Cape Rep Theatre presents THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, the Tony Award winning musical by Craig Lucas (book) and Adam Guettel (music) running now through August 23, 2014. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Cape Rep Theatre presents THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, the Tony Award winning musical by Craig Lucas (book) and Adam Guettel (music) running July 29 through August 23, 2014, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7 pm, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sunday, August 10 and 17 at 2 pm. Tickets are $30-35. Pay-What-You-Can-Night is the first Friday, August 1. Student Rush Tickets also available. Call the Box Office for details. Cape Rep Indoor Theatre. North Side Route 6A E. Brewster. 508.896.1888 or www.caperep.org.

Actors' Theatre Grand Rapids (www.atgr.org) is pleased to announce the upcoming productions of their 34th season. Known for providing West Michigan with the best works of contemporary theater, the 2014-15 Season exemplifies this commitment.

The LakeArts Foundation will present the World Premiere of TROPHIES, a unique collaborative performance piece that blends sculptural masks by Roland Gebhardt, choreography by Mercedes and music by Moondog, performed live by HalfMoon Consort, under the direction of Louis Nicolia. It will be performed on June 26 at Jack Hanley Gallery.

The audience might have a hard time telling the good guys from the bad guys in 'Sin, Sex & the C.I.A.,' the next show in Hanover Little Theatre's (HLT's) 65th season. This laugh-out-loud farce is written by Michael Parker and Susan Parker, authors of last season's hit comedy 'Sex Please, We're Sixty.'

The audience might have a hard time telling the good guys from the bad guys in 'Sin, Sex & the C.I.A.,' the next show in Hanover Little Theatre's (HLT's) 65th season. This laugh-out-loud farce is written by Michael Parker and Susan Parker, authors of last season's hit comedy 'Sex Please, We're Sixty.'

Villanova Theatre presents The Light in the Piazza, book by Craig Lucas, music and lyrics written by Adam Guettel, directed by Dr. Valerie Joyce, PhD., and on stage April 1-13, 2014. A mother's need to protect her daughter comes in conflict with her desire to set her free into life, love, and happiness. Triumphant, gorgeous, and courageous, Villanova's production of The Light in the Piazza proves that love truly can conquer all.

The audience might have a hard time telling the good guys from the bad guys in 'Sin, Sex & the C.I.A.,' the next show in Hanover Little Theatre's (HLT's) 65th season. This laugh-out-loud farce is written by Michael Parker and Susan Parker, authors of last season's hit comedy 'Sex Please, We're Sixty.'

The entire cast of thirteen sang with pure feeling, and the rafters rang with their astonishing voices.

Like a beautiful painting Adam Guettel's The Light in the Piazza is a true work of art. With discordant music not unlike that of Stephen Sondheim, written for a small chamber orchestra, feelings of love - from all kinds of people -fuel passionately. Without the right actresses to play the American mother and daughter visiting Florence, the play loses its fragility and inner beauty. This production could not be more divine. Patti Cohenour as Margaret Johnson and Erin Mackey as her decidedly different daughter make sparks fly with their glorious acting and singing.

Truly one of the most elegant, though underrated musicals of the new century, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA---now on stage in a lovely new production at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa through February 23---follows the uneasy journey that a loving, though over-protective mother must embark on when her daughter discovers the wonderfully vulnerable world of adult love. Filled with a gorgeously sweeping score by Adam Guettel and an insanely talented cast, this Italian journey surely ranks as one of the best, most attractive musicals SCR has mounted in recent years.

The CLIO Awards, esteemed international advertising, design and communications competition, opens the field for entries for its 2014 awards show, taking place in New York City on October 1, 2014. Agencies from across the global creative landscape are invited to submit their best work from the past year, in eighteen media types, for review and selection by a panel of esteemed CLIO jurors. The period for entries lasts through April 11.