What a Night!
So it's almost 1am. Just got home from having some beers and pizza with friends to celebrate tonight's PBS broadcast. I haven't seen it yet, but from the voicemails on my phone, apparently it went well :)
Whew! It's over. It's been an incredibly stressful, strange, exciting last 3 days in the theater with the 9 cameras, crews, trucks, plasma screen TV's, altered lighting schemes, etc; in preparation for tonight. I was equal parts terrified, stressed, and thrilled. Now I'm just thrilled. It's totally surreal. The adrenalin build up to the show was so intense, now that it's over, I can't really believe it.
I'm just so grateful for the company of actors, crew, and orchestra that made tonight as special as it felt out there on stage. Grateful to be a part of this company of incredibly talented, devoted, and honest actors.
I've gotta go watch it! My wife's already asleep, but she called me 4 times in my dressing room crying to tell me how beautiful it was. Thanks to all at Live From Lincoln Center who made tonight so special and to all of you for watching.
Ah! I'm gonna watch!
35 Comments:
Aaorn,
I worked as an apprentice backstage with you at Music Theatre of Wichita when you were performing in The Scarlet Pimpernel.
I watched The Light in the Piazza tonight and it was amazing. You have such an amazing God-given talent.
Unfortunately the PBS special is the closest I'll ever get to seeing a Broadway show. But even though the show was aired on television I felt like I was transported to Italy and was going through the journey with you.
Thany you for all you do, and although I am hundreds of miles away you took me to Italy for two and a half hours.
Thank you and may God continue to bless you more than he already has.
Miriam Ayers
miriam.ayers@hotmail.com
Hey Aaron!
I just wanted to echo everyone else and say that your performance tonight was amazing. I saw the show (and met you and Katie!) when I was in New York over spring break and it was honestly the highlight of my trip. Watching it on PBS tonight was very close to as amazing and just as emotional. It was beautiful, and I'm still on a high just from seeing it on tv. I can't put how it made me feel any better than that. You were awesome. Thank you for sharing that depth of feeling. It truly touched me.
You were so wonderful that I'm actually considering spending thousands of dollars to fly out to New York in October to catch Les Miz. I hope you're not critical of yourself when you watch it - it was a really beautiful performance of an exquisite piece of work and I'm so glad I caught it.
Break a leg, and enjoy the next few weeks (and your vacation, if you get any break)!
you know, i've been reading your blog for a while now, and just from reading it, anybody can tell that you take acting VERY seriously, and that you always stive to be the best that you can be.
well, let me just say, that last night proved that whatever acting techniques you've been using... worked. i have never, EVER seen such an amazing performance on stage like the one i watched on TV, might I add, last night. it was BEAUTIFUL, energetic, emotional, and even though i had already seen the show and knew exactly what was going to happen after every scene, you all managed to make it seem like i was watching it for the very first time again; it felt like opening night.
it was amazing.
CONGRATS!! :)
Aaron,
It was a terrific broadcast and translated amazingly well to the small screen (although nothing matches seeing it in person!). I saw it last week at Lincoln Center and have been telling everyone I know to watch last night--and, if they can, get to NY before it closes next month.
Congratulations to you and the cast. Wonderful and inspiring.
Hey, Aaron! I wanted to congratulate you personally on last night's performance. You were so truly moving that I had tears in my eyes several times.
I saw the show last July with the original cast and the performance last night moved me so much more.
You are an incredible performer and I can't wait to see you again in Les Mis.
It really was wonderful and clearly well thought out. I'm so glad that this was the way the production was preserved.
And you were magnificent, sir! You've made a huge journey from the first time I saw you to now, and it's a joy to experience.
Enjoy the rest of the run! Hopefully I'll get to see the show one last time before it's all over.
That was the most amazing show I have ever seen! I was flipping through the channels last night when I discovered it on PBS! I enjoyed the whole experience of watching it because I felt like I was actually there! Congratulations!
Like I said before, your performance was flawless. You and the rest of the cast are truly an inspiration. Bravo!
The PBS special was wonderful! I wish that I could get up to New York in the next couple of weeks to see it live. :) It is such a beautiful, rich, moving show. Thanks for sharing it with us, even if we can't all come to New York to see it in person.
The broadcast was awesome! My family went down to NYC a few months ago and saw the show, so they decided to have Italian night at my house last night and watch it on PBS. I absolutely loved it and hope someday I can see it live!
Mr. Lazar, you were simply amazing last night. Your performance goes so over and beyond that of Matthew Morrison. You are the definitive Fabrizio just as Ms. Clark is the definitive Margaret - no one will ever play those roles like the two of you. It blew me away to no end. Thank you so much.
aaron,
i saw you last night and you were INCREDIBLE!!! i bet it was so nerve racking but to see the show on stage and know that people all over the country can FINALLY witness the amazingness that is piazza is fantastic.
im definitely going to try to come to one more before it closes. *crosses fingers for a revival*
keep up the fantastic work aaron!!!
love, Julia
IT WAS AMAZING! I LOVED IT SOOOOOOO----> MUCH! I HAVE ALREADY WATCHED IT A FEW TIMES SINCE LAST NIGHT :) CONGRATULATIONS YOU ARE AMAZING
Wow Aaron, I don't know what I can say that you shouldn't know or have heard already! You were amazing! Thank you and the whole cast for such a wonderful show, I couldn't have asked for anything more.
hey aaron,
you know i'm not going to lie, when i saw you sing shiksa goddess on the food network wedding special a while back i wasn't too terribly impressed. i didn't even realize you were the same person tonight while i was watching the light in the piazza because it was so amazing. this show is perfect for your voice, your look, your acting, GREAT job. you are so talented.
I had read in the paper that they were going to air The Light in the Piazza and I freaked out! I wanted to see it when I was in New York, but I didn't.
I really loved it (and I'm a pretty hard judge) and I'm sure it is a million times better in person!
I'm an actress in highschool from Texas (go Katie Clarke!) who wants to be on Broadway someday and seeing your performance reminds me of why I love acting so much.
Thanks again for an awesome performance!!!
I am so bummed I missed this PBS special -I had it written down on a reminder note for more than 1 month and obviously that didn't help because I forgot to set the DVR. Do you know if it will be re-played on PBS??? I sure hope so!
I saw you'll be joining Les Miserables in October!! Congrats!! I hope to make it to NYC to see it.
Aaron- I saw "Light In The Piazza" on Friday night at the LCT and I was absolutely blown away. My mother and I got last minute tickets while we were in town (which we almost didn't buy), then almost didn't make it to the theater as a result of hotel keys that stopped working. We got to the theater with literally seconds to spare... and thankfully so. The show was one of the stunning pieces of art I have ever seen. Glorious, beautiful, spellbinding... I'm not sure words can even express it. And you, sir, were the highlight of the show. I bought the soundtrack immediately afterwards and Matthew Morrison, albeit talented in his own right, has NOTHING on you. You will always be the definitive Fabrizio in my opinion. Unfortunately I didn't get to meet you after the show, I did meet Katie (such a beautiful person and so talented) but you must have left before we found the stage door. Hopefully PBS will re-air the taping of the show, I missed the original airing since I was still in the city and unfortunately was still fairly unfamiliar with the show at that time. Well, I guess the point of all this rambling is that your performance in particular made a deep impact on me and I am hooked. Best wishes, I hope to see you in many more Broadway shows in the future.
~Katybeth
Magical and pure.
I didn't know "Piazza" before Friday. You made it real.
Magical and pure.
I didn't know "Piazza" before Friday. You made it real.
You were absolutely amazing!!!! I have been in love with this show since I bought the cd last summer and I must say that watching you and seeing it peformed made me love Light in the Piazza even more...I'll probably never get to see it on broadway, so I am VERY thankful that it was on PBS!! I wish I had a recording of the show to listen to with YOUR voice on it!! What an amazing, beautifully produced, effortless, sound you produce...it's just glorious to hear...and you sound like a real Italian tenor...can't wait to hear about your next production!
Incredible! I think I have watched it five times since thursday night when it aired near me. It was all spectacular, everybody was right on the money, but you were especially magnificent. It's amazing how convincing you are as an Italian, your speaking adn singing are just perfecto!, it's like it's your natural accent. Amazing job aaron! Can't wait for Les Mis
hi aaron,
it is so late here in san diego (3:00am), and i've been up forever putting together a scrapbook from my recent NY trip. i just finished a few Light in the Piazza pages, and decided to see if you had a website...that's when i came across your blog page. it's great that you find the time to post messages. your thoughts and words are very inspiring and much appreciated.
my family and i went to NY the first weekend in june and were fortunate enough to be able to see FIVE bway shows!! (yes, i know that's a lot, but we love them!) we saw TLITP and had such a wonderful time. you (along with the rest of the cast) gave such a brilliant performance! we absolutely loved it.
i'm a little embarrassed to say this, but since my fam and i were really excited about seeing all the shows (some of us had never seen a show on broadway before), we were the nerds who hung out by the stage door after the shows ended! anyway, i just wanted to thank you for being so patient and kind to your "fans." i can only imagine how tired you all must be at the end of the night. we were very happy to be able to take a picture with you and some of the others, so thank you for that. :)
i read in some of the comments something about les mis...is it coming to bway again? will you be in it? i haven't been able to read everything on here...anyway, hope all is well and take care.
-natalie
nattijacobs@yahoo.com
You really sounded fantastic, man. Everyone's performance was heartbreaking. It's gonna be a sad day when Piazza leaves Broadway. Cheers!
Jonathan Root
Hi Aaron! Wow, I wonder if this is really you?? Anyway...
Congrats on your AMAZING performance the other night. My best friend called me up and told me that a live Light in the Piazza was going to be on PBS that night. I couldn't believe that it was actully going to be broadcast! I had been wanting to see the show for the longest time, but prices nowadays can force one to procrastinate!
Let me tell you...I am now officially IN LOVE with Light in the Piazza. I had previously listened to the music briefly, but after watching it on PBS I just cannot get enough. I'm watching it again at the moment. You completely mesmorized me with your performance. You have a fantastic, ear-pleasing voice and you completely convinced me that you were a 20 year old Italian guy in love with this strange, yet wonderful girl. Your wife is not alone...I was bawling as well! It was such a touching story, and combined with the amazing score and cast of actors, I would call it a masterpiece. I now consider you one of my favorite broadway actors and I hope I can get to see you in other roles now! Until then, I will be watching my tape of Piazza many times over I'm sure. Clara is now one of my dream roles (I learned The Beauty Is in about 10 min., I couldn't go on with my daily life until I did). Shows like Piazza and performances such as yours inspire me even more so to pursue my crazy and hope-filled dreams of Broadway. Thank you.
Keri
You were absolutely wonderful in Piazza. It was such a treat seeing it again, although a little is lost without it being at the theatre and all. I loved it- cried several times, laughed several times, and it really just made my day. My congratulations extend to you and the cast of Piazza! :)
I normally never do this, but I recently viewed the live production of your beautiful show and I was extremely moved. Your show was the last one my late drama director saw. She raved and raved about it to us before she passed away. I know exactly what she was talking about now. I can't tell you how much this show moved me. And how much it meant to me. I truly felt privileged to be able to see it. (Oddly enough, I saw the 2nd act Saturday night, and just happened to catch the 1st act Wednesday night at midnight.) Do you think you would be able to post when, if ever, PBS airs it again? I would really appreciate it. It will be so sad when this amazing show leaves Broadway. Maybe you could pull a few strings to make it go on tour. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Thanks for inspiring me with your beautiful tenor voice and making me feel something I've never felt before. You are truly gifted. Never forget that. Again, thank you. I'll never forget it.
It's times like these where all the hard work is incredibly rewarding -- I love how a Broadway show can reach people as PIAZZA obviously has.
Congrats to you! The show looked absolutely fantastic.
wow!! I watched you on PBS last week. I had never seen The Light in the Piazza before..but I had heard of it. I am now completely obsessed with the show because it is amazing!! I taped the PBS special and I watch scenes whenever I can. I was amazed at how good you are at acting and singing!! I do a lot of shows and listen to tons of Broadway music and I think you have the greatest voice! Music is definately my passion, and I wanted to thank you for inspiring me through your performance!! You are amazing and I hope I will see you on Broadway someday.
It was INCREDIBLE!
INCREDIBLE!!!!!
Aaron,
I'm not sure if you even read these...but I just sent you an Email and then realized that you had a blog. I know I said this in my Email too,but you were simply amazing in Piazza. I would give anything to able to see the light in the piazza in person, and tell you and the entire cast how you make the story come alive.
by the way...your Italian is perfecto!:)
It was absolutely amazing! For people like me, who absolutely love Broadway, it was a nice treat to see this show on the TV! I literally screamed when i saw it listed in the TV guide!
Congratulations!
~Tiffany
Just dropping a quick line to tell you how wonderful you were in the show last Sunday. Seeing your anguish during Aiutami from the fourth row was gut wrenching and amazing, and brought me back to the first time I saw you when you burst the vessel in your throat... :-P Glad that you've managed to keep the energy up while keeping your voice safe! And I said it a few comments up, but you've really come so far with the character. It was thrilling to watch you.
Enjoy the final week!
Hi Aaron! Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your performance on Sunday. I was the person at the stage door who had the Ohio and New Jersey connection. I love attending Broadway productions-especially musicals. I will remember my feeling about TLITP for a long time. Kudos to you and the entire cast. I look forward to seeing you in other productions. It was also terrific to meet Katie,Michael, and Sarah, as well as David Burnham. Have a great rest of the run, and a terrific summer. I'm also impressed with how well you conveyed the emotions of your character-we all felt like we know you even though we(obviously!)don't.
Break a leg in Les Mis.
Anne Baker
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