2 Pianos 4 Hands is a show that makes one grateful mankind has retained its love of classical music and theatre as well.
The audience is taken on an insightful journey, complete with humour and pathos, that reveals the tenuous hold we retain on that soulful world in an era of X-box and instant gratification.
Concert pianist stardom is the goal of two Canadian boys, Ted and Richard, and the production follows them through 15 years of lessons and angst, big dreams and disappointment. Anyone who has ever experienced the soul stirring strains of a piano concerto and yearned to play that piece will relate to their troubles and toils while honouring their perseverance.
Piano lessons are learned or tweaked throughout with samples such as “every good boy serves fudge” and “how many beats to the bar,” and the sight of that maddening metronome.
Alone on stage with two grand pianos are Patrick Burwell as Richard and Jonathan Monro as Ted. They are totally professional in their performances, never missing a beat to the bar as they switch between piano pieces while portraying a multitude of personalities, making it all look effortless as sweat quietly gathers.
Characters ranging from teacher Sister Loyola to pushy parents and a snooty Conservatory of Music proctor are portrayed and shed quickly with the prompt of a single chord, a three second backstage exit or the addition of a simple scarf.
Patrick Burwell is a familiar face on the Drayton Entertainment scene in such shows as Swing, Suds and Dads, and as director of Forever Plaid at the Schoolhouse Theatre last season. With many other credits throughout Canada, this accomplished actor and musician lends his many talents with an air of reservation and style.
Jonathan Monro has over 70 productions for stage, radio, television and film to his credit (see him on CTV and CBS’ current Flashpoint). He is also a composer, has been an actor on Broadway and pianist at Carnegie Hall. He is very funny and provided the most heart wrenching moment of the evening upon learning that his talent was not going to be enough.
Though touted as a musical comedy, the production was more interesting than comedic, more thought provoking than musically appealing. The choice of music was somewhat disappointing and never quite supportive of the material.
Encompassing more than classical music, the show includes hints of pop tunes and numbers such as My Way for the descent into reality apart from the “European, elitist, classical” world. For example, the jazzier version of My Funny Valentine would have been nice or a more moving piece than Bach’s Concerto in D minor for the finale.
The show 2 Pianos 4 Hands is directed by Richard Greenblatt, who co-authored and starred in the show with Ted Dyskstra, based on their own experiences with piano. Having performed it throughout Canada and internationally over 750 times, he knows what he is directing about and makes that most apparent. The play is dedicated to the author’s piano teachers and to music teachers everywhere whose enduring patience sometimes required a “cup of tea and a lie-down.”
The intimate Schoolhouse Theatre in St. Jacobs is the perfect venue for this production. Surprisingly and with some relief, little or no audience participation was required.
The production runs eight shows a week, through Dec. 20. Tickets can be booked by calling the box office at 519-638-5555, toll free at 1-888-449-4463 or by visiting www.draytonentertainment.com.
