PROVO — When I saw that a student production at BYU requested a review from our organization, I was thoroughly intrigued. Because student productions only perform for a few days and have a limited budget, I assumed that they would be more focused on ensuring that their performances went according to plan instead of also receiving reviews! With that in mind, I walked into the small BYU black box theatre and was transported into a beautiful Italian painter’s studio. With breathtaking set design, breathtaking choreography, and impeccable Italian speaking and singing, this production of The Light in the Piazza proves it is thinking much bigger than “just a student production.”
The Light in the Piazza tells the story of a mother, Margaret, and her twenty-something daughter, Clara, who are vacationing in Florence, Italy from the American South. Whilst on their trip, Italian men continuously fall in love with the young Clara, but none more than gentle Fabrizio Naccarelli. In this summer of 1953, Margaret is torn between protecting Clara from falling too far in love with her new Italian beau and her own desire to believe in the power of true, unselfish love again. The score of this musical, composed by Adam Guettel, contains soaring operatic music with lyrics in both English and Italian. The script by Craig Lucas encourages audience members to laugh at the situation’s absurdity and be moved by the characters’ authenticity.
Director Dakota Clement wisely utilizes the small theatre space by setting the story in a painter’s studio of Margaret’s mind. To emphasize the musical’s themes of art and love, every set piece has a connection to some art medium. Scenic designer Seth Woodbury astonishes with the simple yet stunning set pieces, including large drapery, dangling frames, and a larger-than-life painting of an Italian statue. This painting, combined with the nearly dozen others that act as scene guides throughout the show, showcases Woodbury’s creative talent. His work, combined with prop masters Keri Griggs and Drew Handley, bring The Light in the Piazza into a realm of magical realism that thoroughly immerses audiences. (In fact, it immerses audiences into the world of painting so much that the production might have to implement a “splash zone warning” for the front row.)
Similar to the beauty of the set, choreographer Olivia Martin utilizes every inch of the theatre to tell the love story through movement. In the post-show discussion, Clement and Martin described that they wanted to enhance the theatricality of the piece by utilizing dance to evoke emotion. Not only do they accomplish this with principal dancers Miori Kennedy and Cole Martin, who effortlessly lull audience members into a trance with their impeccable lifts, spins, and musical embraces, but the entire cast breathes life into the story with their choreography.
While it can be easy to focus solely on the actors’ rhythmic agility, their dialectic ability is equally impressive. Not only does Fabrizio speak in Italian, but so does his entire family, and many ensemble members. Dialect coach Anson Bagley expertly trains the actors to speak fluent Italian, and to even more impressively, speak English with an Italian accent. The accents, combined with the stylish, period-specific costumes by Jenessa Ihrig and Emily Carter, as well as the delicately gelled-back hair of the student performers makes the audience feel as though they are watching real Italians onstage.
A highlight of the production is Christian McCleary’s command of the Italian language. His performance proves mind-bogglingly outstanding – especially when considering that he is cast as the understudy swing of Fabrizio, and this was opening night. In addition to Christian McCleary’s skill with the language, his vocal ability raises the bar that invites all his fellow cast members to meet him. His voice is silky smooth, evoking a Tom Holland-esque boyish charm to his Fabrizio that pairs well with his counterpart, Anne Blotter as the southern Clara Johnson. Up to the challenge of matching Christian McCleary’s charisma and vocal prowess, Blotter hits extremely high operatic notes with skill. Blotter’s voice is a nice contrast to Christian McCleary’s, having a sharper, more powerful timbre that conveys Clara’s characteristic American naivety.
While Christian McCleary and Anne Blotter portray the young characters who are about their same age, Carlie McCleary carries the weight of playing a character twice her age as Margaret Johnson, Clara’s mother. Not only does Carlie McCleary handle this responsibility with humor and grace, she embodies the mature role, making me, as an audience member, forget that this is a production of solely students. McCleary’s Margaret finds a counterpart in Signor Naccarelli, Fabrizio’s father, who is played skillfully by Zech Wilhongi-Combs. In the multiple scenes that they share, both Carlie McCleary and Wilhongi-Combs become older through subtle gestures that communicate their age and status. The subtleties of their performances cement the relationships between their families, making this fanciful story much more grounded and realistic.
The entire cast is noteworthy, but the final pair of significant standouts are Lucy Daurio as Franca Naccarelli and Josh Pond as Giuseppe Naccarelli. Their characters differ from the other pairs in that they act as opposites to each other, not mirrors. While Pond brings his Giuseppe to life with physical comedy and suave flirtations, Daurio portrays a laser-focused Franca, full of pain and determination. Daurio’s vocals soar in her songs, making the audience wish she had even more time onstage.
Looking at the script of The Light in the Piazza itself, this musical takes unexpected twists and turns that can, at times, be confusing. However, Director Dakota Clement boldly utilizes her creative team and cast to create a production that drives home what Clement herself values from the show: art, love, and authenticity. The production is sold out for the rest of its run, but there is a standby line. If you are looking to be dazzled by set design, choreography, and Italian language, I recommend grabbing a spot in line tonight for BYU’s The Light in the Piazza.
INFO: THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA is a student production in BYU’s Black Box Theatre that runs from April 9-11, 2026. Tickets are $13, and there is a standby line. For more information, visit 4thwalldramaturgy.byu.edu/light-in-the-piazza-2026.