‘The Light in the Piazza’ opens at the NorShor Theatre Friday, and will officially mark the last show directed by Producing Artistic Director Phillip Fazio who has been with the Playhouse for 5 years.

‘The Light in the Piazza’ has been a show that Fazio has always wanted to direct. The musical follows a mother and daughter duo who arrive to Italy on Vacation. With a brief interaction, the daughter Clara falls in love with a local gentleman Fabrizio. It’s a love story that Phillip says will touch a lot of audiences.

“I just think that it’s such an unapologetically beautiful story about love and the beauty of love. And to get to bring that to life on stage, I think it’s pretty magical,” says Phillip.

Overall ‘The Light in the Piazza’ will be the 10th show Phillip has directed at the Playhouse. Previous shows he’s directed include: Xanadu, Annie, Ragtime, Footloose, Into the Woods, Kinky Boots, Sound of Music, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Cinderella.

Phillip has also been a leader at the Duluth Playhouse as the Producing Artistic Director, working alongside Executive Director and friend Wes Drummond.

Prior to Wes’ arrival, Philip was a big player in bringing theatre out of the pandemic. “My first day of work I believe was May 18th, 2020. So right when the pandemic hit, I was here hitting the ground running trying to figure out how we navigate this challenging new world that we’re living in,” says Phillip.

The impact that Wes and Phillip have made together in Duluth has been huge according to ‘The Light in Piazza’ actor Jace Legarde.

“The theater scene here, it was great. It was really exciting and cool, but it didn’t have this trajectory that made it seem like it was going to become what it is now,” says Jace.

The multiple actors that Phillip has worked with have definitely taken notice of how hard he works as well. Actress Jenny LeDoux who plays one of the leads in ‘The Light in the Piazza’ previously worked with Phillip in last year’s ‘Cinderella’, and was very happy to be working with him again.

“Phillip is perhaps one of the kindest, most safe, and respectful directors I’ve ever worked with. And he’s a true collaborator. He really, really wants to harness an actor’s honest impulses,” says LeDoux.

“He really is an expert at finding nuance. And with a show like this, it really, really needs that,” says Jace LeGarde, “He’ll be like ‘What is that sound? Oh, maybe we should do this here and kind of line that up with the orchestra,’ and it just it goes from being a good show to a great show when you do things like that.”

It was a month ago when Phillip Fazio announced his departure, he will be headed to Florida after ‘The Light in the Piazza’ wraps up.

“I’ve loved my time here at the Playhouse,” says Phillip, “The staff here is like my second family and I know I’m going to miss them so much. I promise I’m going to be back to visit, see everyone, and see all the incredible work that’s going to get done over the next few years after I’m gone.”