Quote of the Day: This is not a traditional love story – it’s a meditation on obsession, vulnerability, and the aching rawness of human need…This is a show that doesn’t ask to be liked; it asks to be felt. Justin Lucero, director and Artistic Director of Theater Latté Da, from his program notes for Passion, Music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by James Lapine, Based on the film Passione D’Amore, Directed by Ettore Scola, the story is adapted from a 19th-century Italian novel. Passion is deeply emotional and wonderfully atmospheric, a memory play filled with both beauty and tragedy.

Isa Condo-Olvera (Clara), Erin Capello (Fosca), Dylan Frederick (Giorgio) in Passion at Theatre Latte Da, thru 7/13/25. Photo: Dan Norman

Watching Passion at Theater Latté Da is very much like entering a dreamlike state. The set is a raised platform, stage upon a state, with gossamer curtains that are at first drawn around a bed. Giorgio (Dylan Frederick) quietly takes his place there before the lights go down and the first strains of the music go up. It’s as if he’s waking from a dream, a memory, and he leads us through the tangled emotions of his love affairs with two very different women. This is an atmospheric piece – like Wuthering Heights or Rebecca. Neither the characters, nor the audience, knows everything. 

Clara (Isa condo-Olvera) is an aristocrat. She dresses in bright, beautiful extravagant dresses, and writes flowery love letters to Giorgio when he is sent off to the battle fields. He meets Fosca (Erin Capello) while deployed with other soldiers. She’s the cousin of one of his comrades. She is dressed in drab colors of grey and black. Her eyes have a sunken in appearance. She suffers from a chronic illness that leaves her clutching her midsection and crying out in pain. When Giorgio returns home to be with Clara, Fosca sends him letters of deep devotion and longing. All of the soldiers, including Fosca’s cousin, expect him to be repulsed by her, but his emotions are more complex. 

Rodolfo Nieto (Major Rizzoli), Dylan Frederick (Giorgio), Eric Morris
(Colonel Ricci) in Passion at Theater Latte’ Da, thru 7/13/25. Photo: Dan Norman

Director Justin Lucero has assembled a tremendous cast. The three leads have stunning voices and emotional depth. They bring out the strange love triangle in a captivating way. Some of the staging bringing them on stage at the same time, through letters, through memories, and meetings. The tremendous male chorus is: Bradley Greenwald as the Doctor, Eric Morris as Colonel Ricci (Fosca’s cousin), Phinehas Bynum, Theo Janke-Furman, Riley McNutt, Rodolfo Nieto, and Adán Varela. Some of their scenes/songs bring in brief moments of humor, obligation, camaraderie, and connection. The choreography and movement, by Emily Michaels King, are crafted with precision for the soldiers and more fluid moments for the couples.

For the lovers of Stephen Sondheim’s great canon of work, this production is a rare treat. The music is absolutely gorgeous. Jason Hansen is the music director with live orchestra on stage: Ryan Golden, Greg Hippen, Renata Steve, and Diane Tremaine. The use of strings are particularly effective in evoking the emotion and mystical atmosphere of this piece. 

All of the theatrical elements work together to create this emotionally charged atmospheric production of Passion. Breathtaking scenic and light designed by Paul Whitaker, and sound design by Peter Morrow. Amber Brown is the costume designer, bringing out the differences in the three main characters and the formality of the soldiers. Wig, hair and makeup, designed by Emma Gustafson, are also important in creating the overall effect and characterization. 

You can see Passion at Theater Latté Da through July 13, 2025. Passion contains some of the most beautiful songs and arias from Sondheim. Each one has a haunting undertone, a longing, and building of the tension. It’s absolutely gorgeous. I wish I could see it again. 

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt: Do you have a favorite Sondheim musical? Have you ever been caught up in a passion, a love triangle, an entanglement of emotions that took over most of your thoughts and dreams?