Kate Baldwin Captivates in the Romantic "The Light In the Piazza" at Opera Theatre of St. Louis
There are Five Additional Performances of "The Light in The Piazza" as Part of OTSL's 2026 Festival Season
Saturday evening at Opera Theatre of St. Louis (OTSL) the worlds of opera and musical theatre merged to create beautiful music. OTSL staged their premiere of Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas’ masterwork The Light in the Piazza by bringing together some of the most lauded talent in musical theater and opera.
The 2005 Broadway production, directed by the renowned musical theater and international opera director Bartlett Sher, ran for 504 performances before embarking on a national tour. The original production was nominated for 11 Tony awards, winning six including Best Original Score for Guettel’s Neoromantic operatic composition.
Set in Florence, Italy, The Light in the Piazza tells the story of two American women, a mother (Margaret) and her cognitively impaired daughter (Clara) visiting Florence. Clara meets Fabrizio, a dashing Italian man and falls head over heels in love. Margaret and her husband Roy have spent their entire lives protecting their impaired daughter who now wishes to remain in Italy and make a life with Fabrizio.
OTSL’s production of The Light in the Piazza stars the luminous Broadway soprano Kate Baldwin as Margaret Johnson. On stage the two-time Tony nominated actor is positively ethereal. Her Margaret is delicate and powerful. She wrestles with the emotional quandary of protecting her impaired daughter at the expense of sacrificing Clara’s happiness and her chance at living normal adult life.
Baldwin’s airy vocals soar with effortless grace. She is a theatrical virtuoso who is equally adept at dramatic and comedic acting. Her portrayal of Margaret gives her the opportunity to sink her teeth into both. She dons an authentic accent, is relatable as a mother torn between caring for her daughter and letting her go, and she looks absolutely striking in Ulises Alcala’s early 1950’s inspired costume designs.
Alcala’s refined costume designs are beautifully constructed and harken back to mid-century fashion. His feminine silhouettes have nipped in waists that flow into voluminous and pencil skirts. His fabric choices are glamorous and elegant. Alcala’s menswear is meticulously tailored. His attention to detail is carried through with accessories and headwear that compete the looks. His costumes are wearable art.
Soprano Katrina Galka and tenor Roy Hage enchant as the love-at-first-sight duo. Their richly textured vocals and palpable chemistry bewitch. They make a handsome and believable couple.
Galka’s second act breakdown painfully captures the frustration of a grown woman trapped by a traumatic brain injury. Her cognitive functioning is not commensurate with her chronological age. Her portrayal is heartbreaking. Kudos to her and director Crystal Manich for depicting Clara’s disability with tender sensitivity through the actor’s realistic characterization.
Manich captures the romanticism of Lucas’ book with the leitmotifs of Guettel’s lyrical and sweeping score. Her storytelling is so enrapturing that it makes it almost forgivable that Margaret marries off her disabled daughter without fully disclosing the disability to Fabrizio and his family.
Margaret’s husband Roy, played with strong-willed obstinance by the bankable Michael Jame Reed, is adamant that Margaret cannot allow Clara to marry. He is unyielding in opinion despite Margaret’s dismissiveness.
That is the one rising action in Lucas’ book that causes audience plot disagreement. The Light in the Piazza is rhapsodically romantic if you can look past a mother giving away her daughter who functions mentally as a preteen. It is the plot point in Lucas’ script that is most divisive and controversial.
Tony winning actor and international operatic superstar Paulo Szot, and local vocal powerhouse and St. Louis Theater Circle Award winner Debby Lennon plays Fabrizio’s parents. Szot and Lennon deliver magnificent portrayals and world-class vocals. The only issue is both of their featured roles are small. Their brief time on stage, their vocal stylings, and their acting leaves you wanting more of both Lennon and Szot.
Cameron Anderson’s functional set design of rolling Florentine Pointe Vecchio Arches is inspired. The oversized arches match the grandeur of Manich’s storytelling and the transcendent interpretation of the sweeping score performed by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Rob Berman.
OTSL’s production of The Light in the Piazza is as perfect a production of this musical as can be achieved. Manich’s storytelling is profoundly romantic. Baldwin’s spellbinding performance stands alone. She elevates her role to new heights and illustrates why she is a revered leading lady in American musical theatre. Galka, Hage, Lennon, Szot, Reed, and the rest of the company deliver flawless dramatic performances.
There are five more performances of The Light in the Piazza throughout the Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ Festival Season. Visit experienceopera.org for more information.