A musical worthy of opera singers Opera Santa Barbara’s Chrisman Studio Artists to perform ‘The Light in the Piazza’

By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR

There’s no need for any tap dancing. “The Light in the Piazza” is a musical that has everything young opera singers could ever need.

Love, trouble and Italy.

And on that note, Opera Santa Barbara’s Chrisman Studio Artists are performing their first Broadway musical, “The Light in the Piazza,” this weekend at Center Stage Theater, upstairs at Paseo Nuevo in Santa Barbara. The curtain first rose Thursday night, and more performances of the drama/comedy are set for 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Chrisman Studio is Opera Santa Barbara’s program for developing the talents of young opera singers.

And the studio’s director, Tim Accurso, said “The Light in Piazza” is well suited for them.

“The plot takes place in

Italy. There’s a big portion of the dialogue and music sung in Italian,” Mr. Accurso, who’s providing the musical direction for “The Light in the Piazza,” told the News-Press this week. “You have young love at first sight and a disapproving parent. It’s definitely going to be familiar to opera audiences.”

“The Light in Piazza” has a double cast for some of the roles.

The musical stars Chrisman Studio alumni who are husband and wife in real life: tenor Matthew Greenblatt and soprano Brooklyn Snow. Ms. Snow, who performed on Thursday, returns to the stage on Saturday to portray Clara Johnson, who goes on vacation in Italy with her mother, Margaret Johnson, who’s from the South.

The young American woman falls in love with a young Italian man, Fabrizio Naccarelli, played by Mr. Greenblatt, who performed Thursday and will go on stage again on Saturday.

Soprano Ariana Horner

FYI

Opera Santa Barbara’s Chrisman Studio Artists will perform “The Light in the Piazza” at 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Center Stage Theater, upstairs at Paseo Nuevo in Santa Barbara. Tickets cost $49 today and Saturday and $59 on Sunday. To purchase, go to centerstagetheater.org.

Sutherland and tenor Kyle Rudolf, who are both current students at Chrisman Artists Studio, are playing Clara and Fabrizio in tonight’s and Sunday’s performances.

The cast also includes soprano Adrien Roberts, mezzo sopranos Christina Pezzarossi and Georgia Jacobson, baritone Matt Peterson and bass-baritone Elijah Cineas.

The production is directed by Layna Chianakas.

“The Light of Piazza” premiered in 2005 and is based on the 1960 novella by Elizabeth Spencer and the 1963 movie starring Olivia de Haviland. The play’s music and lyrics are written by Adam Guettel, the grandson of musical composer Richard Rodgers, and the musical’s book is by Craig Lucas.

The 1963 film didn’t have musical components, but Mr. Accurso noted, “The best tenets of the novella and movie are all captured and taken to a more heightened level in the musical.

“There’s some comedy sprinkled throughout, but it’s more of a romance,” Mr. Accurso said about the story. “It’s quite funny, especially the dialogue. There’s some language barrier issues between the (American) mother and daughter and all the Italians.”

Mr. Accurso described the music as “full and lush” and noted that the score won a Tony in 2005. He praised the music for being fully lyrical and having modern harmonies.

The musical has been a popular production of opera companies across the country. And it was revived in 2019 by the Los Angeles Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

The Opera Santa Barbara’s Chrisman Studio Artists production of “The Light of Piazza” speaks to the need for today’s young opera singers to be versatile, Mr. Accurso said. “They’re making a career of doing some musical theater and some operas. We’re now at the point, after over 400 years of repertoire, that they have to do a little bit of everything.”

He said the Chrisman Studio Artists program serves singers at the beginning of their careers.

The program began originally with four singers who lived in Santa Barbara during the entire season and served as the face of Opera Santa Barbara, with performances of operatic music at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

“The last two years, we modified

PHOTO Storytelling: Native People Through the Lens of Edward S. Curtis” is on display through April 30 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays. For more information, visit sbnature.org.

The calendar appears Mondays through Saturdays in the “Life & the Arts” section. Items are welcome. Please email them a full week before the event to Managing Editor Dave Mason at dmason@newspress.com.

TODAY

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Entangled:

Responding to Environmental Crisis,” runs through March 25 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. The museum is open from 10 a.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It’s closed on Sundays and college holidays. For more information, call 805565-6162 or visit westmont.edu/ museum.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Storytelling:

Native People Through the Lens of Edward S. Curtis” is on display through April 30 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays. For more information, visit sbnature.org.

10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. “SURREAL

WOMEN: Surrealist Art by American Women” is on display through April 24 at Sullivan Goss: An American Gallery, 11 E. Anapamu St. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. For more information, www.sullivangoss.com.

Noon to 5 p.m. “Clarence Mattei: Portrait of a Community” is on view now through May at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, which is located in downtown Santa Barbara at 136 E. De la Guerra St. Admission is free. Hours are currently from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and from noon to 7 p.m. Thursdays. For more information, visit www.sbhistorical. org.

7:30 p.m. Opera Santa Barbara’s Chrisman Studio Artists will perform “The Light in the Piazza,” an acclaimed musical by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas, at Center Stage Theater, upstairs at Paseo Nuevo, in Santa Barbara. To purchase tickets, go to centerstagetheater.org.

MARCH 25

1 to 3 p.m.: “Holly Hungett: Natural Interpretations” will open with a reception with the artist at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara’s gallery, 229 E. Victoria St., Santa Barbara. The exhibit will run through May 20. The gallery is open 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and weekdays by appointment. For more information, call the foundation at 805-965-6307 or go to www.afsb.org.

4 p.m. Actor Max McLean will perform “C.S. Lewis on Stage: Further Up & Further In” at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. To purchase tickets, go to granadasb.org.

7:30 p.m. Opera Santa Barbara’s Chrisman Studio Artists will perform “The Light in the Piazza,” an acclaimed musical by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas, at Center Stage Theater, upstairs at Paseo Nuevo in Santa Barbara. To purchase tickets, go to centerstagetheater.org.

MARCH 26

2:30 p.m. Opera Santa Barbara’s Chrisman Studio Artists will perform “The Light in the Piazza,” an acclaimed musical by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas, at Center Stage Theater, upstairs at Paseo Nuevo in Santa Barbara. To purchase tickets, go to centerstagetheater.org.

Dave