The musical version of The Light in the Piazza has had a long voyage from novella to film to the stage. The complex demands behind its seemingly simple songs make it an ideal vehicle for operatically trained singers, or an opera company. For its final production of the season, the Lyric Theatre @ Illinois will use our prime musical talent to bring this musical to Krannert’s Tryon Festival Theatre.

Its many incarnations started in 1960 with Elizabeth Spencer’s novella, The Light in the Piazza. This well-received story was almost immediately optioned to MGM and producer Arthur Freed. Although Freed is best known for his musicals, the 1962 film is a faithful dramatic screen adaptation of Ms. Spencer’s story with no songs. The film scripted by Julius Epstein and directed by Guy Green is a superb cinematic soap opera, with first-rate actors and location settings.