2 Pianos, 4 Hands
A theatre production doesn’t necessarily always need a plot to enchant an audience. What can sometimes do the trick is for it to have performers who keep your attention, make you laugh and realize you are watching a showpiece being performed by two superbly talented musician/actors. That is the essence of 2 Pianos, 4 Hands playing at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, the first production of its 35th anniversary season.
The two actors, Jeffrey Rockwell and Roy Abramson play Ted and Richard (in that order), two characters who are, supposedly, take-offs of the two playwrights, Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt. The setting is stark except for two magnificent grand pianos, one stage right and one stage left, facing each other at either end. With no dialogue whatsoever, the two men enter and can’t decide which piano is for which man. After that bit of humor, the rest just gets better as Ted and Richard take us on a journey of 15 years of musical growth, from young boys into adulthood, each one playing the various roles of the people in their lives, (parents, music teachers, friends, etc.) At the age of eight years, are they truly protégés? Do they really want to become concert pianists, or is it sometimes too much to spend hours practicing and losing out on a social life? The humor of the action puts it all into perspective and watching Rockwell and Abramson as fine actors is a delight, all the more so because throughout the play, the music of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin (to name only a few of the composers) is performed spectacularly by both men. The two of them play off one another to perfection. It is acting at its best; it is music at its best, directed by Tom Frey. I highly recommend 2 Pianos, 4 Hands for anyone, music lover or not. This is one the whole family can enjoy.
2 Pianos, 4 Hands will continue through July 26, at the Colony Theatre, located at 555 North Third Street, Burbank, CA. For tickets, call the Colony Theatre Box Office at (828) 558-7000, ex. 15, or go online at www.colonytheatre.org.