A lush, lovely ‘Light in the Piazza’ at the Huntington

“I am happiness with you,” sings the lovestruck Fabrizio, played to perfection by Joshua Grosso, early on in “The Light in the Piazza.” Later, though, his frustrated sister-in-law Franca — a riveting Rebekah Rae Robles — sings of how “happiness can also scar.” It’s a dichotomy that makes up the center of the exquisite new production at the Huntington Theatre.

Based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer, this lushly orchestrated musical — it won the Tony for best original score when it debuted in 2005 — tells a simple story that nevertheless manages to encapsulate the ways life can be sad, complicated, and joyous all at once, and how quickly and irrevocably fortunes can change. 

“The Light in the Piazza” follows a mother and daughter, Margaret and Clara Johnson, on their vacation in Florence, Italy, in 1953. Clara meets a young Italian man, Fabrizio, and Margaret sees their budding relationship as precariously impractical, but not for the reasons you might imagine. What unfurls from there leads Margaret to examine both her own choices and the lengths she’ll go to in trying to ensure happiness for her daughter.

The show’s success hinges on Margaret and Clara, and fortunately for the Huntington’s audience, Emily Skinner and Sarah-Anne Martinez have been spectacularly cast. From the moment Martinez’s clear, lovely soprano rings out at the end of the overture, she seems to effortlessly embody Clara’s naivete, beauty, and simple charm. And Skinner also provides dazzling operatic vocals to accompany a performance that feels achingly real and somehow sadly hopeful. During their numbers together, their voices blend beautifully.

The dynamic doesn’t work though, without a convincing Fabrizio, and Grosso’s fresh-faced sincerity and emotional availability make the love-at-first-sight trope at the play’s center actually believable. Combine that with the impressive tenor’s stunningly clear tone — his control as it swells along with the music in the delightful “Passaggiata” is amazing — and you have the perfect third point to the musical’s central triangle.

Not that there’s a weak link among the other side players either: The interplay among William Michals and Rebecca Pitch as Fabrizio’s parents and Alexander Ross as his ne’er-do-well brother is convincing and often hilarious — Pitch in particular gets a very funny moment in Act 2, when she briefly takes over the asides to the audience that Skinner had been handling. Even Rob Richardson as Margaret’s brusque and distant husband makes an impression in his two brief scenes — it’s worth noting that even as the ostensible villain of the piece you’re left sympathizing with his point of view. (In the end, “The Light in the Piazza” doesn’t really have an antagonist, just a lot of differing perspectives.)

Also worth noting: The Italian characters in this show do much of their speaking and singing in Italian. Far from being a distraction, it draws the audience into the characters’ search for basic understanding, and their desire to connect through barriers — cultural, intellectual, emotional — that we often have no control over.

All of this is propelled seamlessly by Adam Guettel’s lush, operatic score — credit music director Andrea Grody for its success here — and complex lyrics whose sophistication at times recalls Sondheim at his most riveting.

Christopher Akerlind’s lighting, meanwhile, is appropriately affecting (“Light” is in the title, remember), approximating what feels like the real Florentine sun on the characters’ faces. And both Alex Jaeger’s costumes, which call to mind a 1950s Douglas Sirk melodrama, and Andrew Boyce’s simple set design, with its columns, arches and “naked marble boys” (to quote Clara), serve the story perfectly.

What’s so refreshing about “The Light in the Piazza” is that while you wouldn’t call it a rousing musical — you won’t be tapping your toes or humming melodies on your way out — it has the rare contemporary score that relies on layered classical orchestration rather than having your face belted off. As for the story, it admittedly leaves some conflicts frustratingly unresolved — but, ultimately, it works if you’re able to root for, or at least empathize with, complicated characters who make what could be terrible decisions for what might be exactly the wrong reasons.

Judging by the reactions at the Huntington this weekend — audible gasps and reactions abounded — the audience had no trouble buying in, thanks to director Loretta Greco’s ability to harness her talented cast in a way that fully realizes the potential of a musical that’s atypical on so many levels. If that sounds like your cup of prosecco, you won’t find a better version than the one at the Huntington.

“The Light in the Piazza,” directed by Loretta Greco, with book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, plays at the Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston, through June 15. Run time is 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission. More information at huntingtontheatre.org.