The Power of Music is in Excellent 'Hands'

2 Pianos, 4 Hands
By Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt
Directed by Richard Greenblatt
Scene & Lighting Designer, Steve Lucas; Stage Manager, Brady Ellen Poole; Technical Director for Marquis Entertainment, Phillip R. Hampton
Featuring Richard Carsey and Tom Frey

Performances through January 27, 2008 at Merrimack Repertory Theatre
Box Office 978-654-4MRT or www.merrimackrep.org

With apologies to the old Certs breath mint/candy mint commercials, Richard Carsey and Tom Frey are accomplished musicians; Richard Carsey and Tom Frey are talented actors. Stop, they're both right! Sharing the Merrimack Repertory Theatre stage with only each other and two grand pianos, they create a rich theatrical experience that is at once entertaining, transfixing, comical, and uplifting as they take us on a musical journey with two budding concert pianists.

Co-creators Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt were acting together in 1993 when they discovered amazing similarities in their childhoods. Each had studied classical piano and won competitions in Canada, and each had abandoned his dream of becoming a concert pianist at the age of seventeen. 2 Pianos, 4 Hands has its roots in their personal stories and has grown and blossomed into a fully realized play that is as deep and resonant as it is engaging. Their natural competitiveness informs the characters of Richard (Carsey) and Ted (Frey) as they compete with themselves, each other, the music, and even Vladimir Horowitz.

The play begins as if it is actually a concert, the two pianists coming to center stage and bowing to the audience. They flip up the tails of their formal wear as they sit on their benches and, after a bit of ado, start to play the sublime first movement of Bach's D Minor Piano Concerto. Their synchronicity goes awry and the next thing you know, they're pounding out the iconic Heart and Soul, Chopsticks, and the ridiculous Knuckle Roll Song. It's a great segue to the childhood scenes of first lessons and a series of past teachers.

When Richard is playing, Ted assumes the part of his piano teachers, none funnier than the saintly but weary Sister Loyola. Richard steps into the shoes of Ted's father in a scene that accurately portrays the battle of wills with an adolescent son. The actors exchange roles frequently between being a whiny young boy, a nagging parent, and an exasperated instructor. Through it all, they practice their pieces and improve their skills, treating the audience to more than a score of classical works by the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, and Liszt, as well as a medley of pop tunes by Vince Guaraldi, Elton John, John Lennon, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Both boys are gifted, yet must learn to deal with obstacles on their way to piano stardom. As much as their paths seem predetermined, there are also a number of surprises along the way, right up to the finale.

I was surprised by two things, both of which can be explained by the quality of the writing and directing. First, the premise didn't seem to promise the fully rounded play that is 2 Pianos, 4 Hands, but there is a clearly told story with a beginning, middle, and end, as well as complex characters that develop and allow us to care about them. And secondly, with the focus cast on the music, I didn't expect it to be so consistently funny. Attribute the words and sketch ideas to Dykstra and Director Greenblatt, but give much deserved applause to Carsey and Frey for squeezing out every ounce of humor, even as they infuse their characters with warmth and charm. As much as the two actors are to be recognized for their thespian talents, their artistry and proficiency on the keyboard make this show utterly delightful.

The stage is set with two ebony pianos placed nose to nose in front of two outsized, empty picture frames, giving the appearance that the pianos and performers are part of a still-life painting. The "canvas" of these frames is actually a screen on which silhouettes and shadows add animation to several scenes. In particular, the boys' parents loom larger than life projected on the background when their voices from off stage cajole them to practice longer or harder. Settings change simply by showing different window outlines on the screens.  Steve Lucas has crafted a clever way to indicate numerous locales by use of the screens and varied lighting techniques. While Carsey and Frey are called upon to play the parts of multiple characters, they are ably assisted in the task by quality sound and light design. I don't want to give away the visual, but watch closely when the theme from "Chariots of Fire" bursts forth from Richard's piano.

The protagonists in 2 Pianos, 4 Hands are musicians, but this play is for anyone who ever (or never) took a piano lesson, seriously and single-mindedly pursued a goal, or thought they might grow up to be the shortstop for the hometown team. It is about having a dream and realizing the hard work it takes to achieve excellence. It contains scenes of self-discovery, lessons about self-worth, and reveals the difficult choices that must be made for love and art. All of this is punctuated with humor and bathed in beautiful classical music, exquisitely rendered by Messieurs Carsey and Frey. Not bad, n'est-ce pas?

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