Musical Based on Yaddo Writer’s Novella Tops List of Winners at 2005 Tony Awards

(June 6, 2005) – "The Light in the Piazza," a musical based on a novella by Yaddo writer Elizabeth Spencer, topped the list of winners Sunday at the 2005 Tony Awards, earning recognition in six of the 11 categories in which it was nominated.

The production, which features a book by award-winning Yaddo playwright Craig Lucas, won Tony statues for best lead actress, best original score, best scenic design, best costume design, best lighting design, and best orchestrations for a musical. Mr. Lucas also was nominated for a Tony.

Set in the summer of 1953, "The Light in the Piazza" tells the story of a mother and daughter traveling through Italy, the daughter’s romance with a handsome, high-spirited Florentine, and the mother’s determined efforts to keep the two apart. It opened in previews March 17 and is scheduled to run through September 4.