Clarke reprises her role as Clara opposite the Margaret Johnson of Christine Andreas and the Fabrizio Naccarelli of David Burnham. The company is currently playing the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN, through March 25.
In a statement director Bartlett Sher said, "Katie's story is a classic Broadway story. When we could find nobody in New York who could play the part of Clara, we discovered her literally fresh out of college in Texas, with all of her extraordinary talents. We moved her to New York and put her in the Broadway show, which she starred in and in which she was dazzling. It has made all of us just unbelievably thrilled that there was a window of time in her schedule when she could make a return to Piazza."
Diana DiMarzio, who played the Beggar Woman in the recent Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd, will join the Piazza company March 27 when the show begins a limited engagement at the Buell Theatre in Denver, CO. DiMarzio will succeed Evangelia Kingsley as Signora Naccarelli; Kingsley plays her final performance March 25.
The Piazza touring cast also includes Wendi Bergamini as Franca Naccarelli, Jonathan Hammond as Giuseppe Naccarelli and David Ledingham as Signor Naccarelli. The ensemble comprises Amy Arbizzani, Craig Bennett, Jane Brockman, Betsy DiLellio, Laurent Giroux, Leslie Henstock, Prudence Wright Holmes, John-Charles Kelly, Adam Overett, John Procaccino and Andrew Ragone.
The current tour itinerary follows: March 20-25 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN
March 27-April 8 at the Buell Theatre in Denver, CO
April 10–15 at the Keller Auditorium in Portland, OR
April 17–29 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, WA
May 1–13 at the Orange County PAC in Costa Mesa, CA
May 15-20 at the Gammage Auditorium in Tempe, AZ
May 29–Jun 9 at the Colonial Theatre in Boston, MA
June 13–24 at the Community Center in Sacramento, CA
July 10–22 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, IL
The lush, romantic, soulful musical has a book by Craig Lucas, based on the novella by Elizabeth Spencer, and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel (he won the 2005 Tony for Best Score and shared the Best Orchestrations Tony). Bartlett Sher directs, and the original design team has re-imagined the scenic elements for proscenium houses on the tour.
The Light in the Piazza tells the 1950s-set story of a North Carolina mother, Margaret, on holiday in Italy with her sensitive daughter, Clara. Margaret searches her heart when Clara falls in love with an Italian boy, Fabrizio, in Florence. Themes of parental responsibility, letting go, holding on, the nature of marital love and the joy of true love percolate like espresso in the rarefied romantic musical.
Visit www.piazzaontour.com for more information.
