Winner of six Tony Awards
“A wondrous fable that is as simple and complicated as its ineffable subject—love.
The Light in the Piazza
has ravishing power. It’s as if Guettel were determined to capture the golden light of Tuscany in a bottle. His lyrics are remarkable, and the book, written by Craig Lucas, is written with characteristic empathy and humor. Brilliant.” –Frank Rich
“
beautifully captures the eternal allure of Italy. . . . The story wraps itself around your heart.”—
Chicago Sun-Times
“Sumptuous and romantic. Guettel’s music and lyrics represent a genuine expense of spirit.
offers a complex contemplation of the well-defended emptiness of every man and woman. It doesn’t want theatergoers to feel good; it wants to make them feel deeply. And it does.”
–New Yorker
Composer Adam Guettel, best known for his
Floyd Collins
, has teamed with
Prelude to a Kiss
playwright Craig Lucas to create a passionate and soaring new musical. Based on Elizabeth Spencer’s 1960 novella,
is the story of a young American woman whose chance encounter with a charming young Italian man in a Florentine piazza sets off a whirlwind romance, with an unsettling revelation.
Craig Lucas
is a playwright, screenwriter and director. His plays include
Prelude to a Kiss, Reckless, Blue Window, God’s Heart, The Singing Forest
and
Small Tragedy
. His screenplays include
Longtime Companion
,
The Secret Lives of Dentists
The Dying Gaul
, which he also directed. Mr. Lucas’ awards include the L.A. Drama Critics Award, an OBIE Award for Best Play and Best Director, and the Excellence in Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Adam Guettel
is a composer/lyricist living in Seattle, where he is Artist in Residence at the Intiman Theatre. His other work includes
Saturn Returns
(recorded by Nonesuch Records as
Myths and Hymns
). Mr. Guettel’s awards include the Stephen Sondheim Award, the ASCAP New Horizons Award, and the American Composers Orchestra Award.