**** Recommended I don’t know what I thought Northlight Theatre’s production of 2 Pianos 4 Hands would be – a concert, maybe – but it turned out to be something quite different. It does feature concert-level performances but it’s more about the process of learning to play the piano than it is about the final product. It’s funny, heart-wrenching and a very good story. 4 Spotlights
When you walk into the theater, you’ll see two grand pianos facing each other on an otherwise empty parquet patterned wood floor, with a doodle of abstract musical symbols projected on the backdrop. In a way, the pianos are the stars of the show.
Ted (Adam LaSalle) and Richard (Matthew McGloin) are both talented would-be concert pianists. They swap stories about episodes from childhood/teenaged piano lessons and the eccentric foibles of various piano teachers. They take turns sitting at a piano as a student or standing behind the piano as a teacher.
They shared stories about the bullies in school making fun of them staying in to practice or for not playing sports and about their parents always pushing them to be better – until one father decided it just wasn’t worth the money. They reminisced about memorizing a difficult piece for a competition, all the nervous angst before a performance and the absolute humiliation they felt if/when they made a mistake. They even recreated a pairs competition at age eleven.
In the end, when they both conceded they’d never be good enough to be concert pianists they had to figure out what they could be – teachers, accompanists or even a ‘piano man’ in a lounged somewhere.
Since they’re both versatile piano players, they played everything from classical to pop to the Peanuts theme music during the show, concluding with Bach’s Concerto in D Minor, 1st Movement.
2 Pianos 4 Hands was written by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt who also performed in it for nearly thirty years. It premiered in Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre in 1996 and has since been performed all over the world. This production, the second time around for Northlight, is directed by Rob Lindley.
2 Pianos 4 Hands runs through August 11th at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie. Parking is free, valet is also available. Running time is about two hours, 20 minutes, with an intermission. Performances are Wednesdays at 1:00 & 7:30 pm; Thursdays & Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 2:30 & 7:30 pm; and Sundays at 2:30 pm. Tickets range from $49-$89. FYI (847) 673-6300 or www.northlight.org.