Roelof Colyn and James Smith to Headline Return of A HANDFUL OF KEYS to Pieter Toerien's Theatre at Montecasino

Having played a successful season at Theatre on the Bay in Cape Town from August through October this year, A HANDFUL OF KEYS will play the Pieter Toerien Main Theatre at Montecasino in Johannesburg during the festive season. Roelof Colyn and James Smith are the virtuoso talents who headline this 2017 edition of the show, which was first launched in 1994 as a co-creation between Ian Von Memerty and Bryan Schimmel.

A HANDFUL OF KEYS has played to more than 420 000 people in over 1450 performances over the last 23 years. Multiple awards, love letters from the critics and adulation from audiences have poured in for this brilliant, hilarious and virtuoso celebration of the piano. As always, fans of the show can expect the highlights that have made A HANDFUL OF KEYS a favourite over the years, including "The Complete History of The Broadway Musical in 12 Minutes", tributes to Liberace, Elton John and Stevie Wonder, "Funeral For A Friend" and the "SA Medley." And with the opportunity to invent new material always being tantalising, Ian Von Memerty has updated A HANDFUL OF KEYS with a new and dazzling addition. This time around, there will be an extra "handful" on stage, with a local piano prodigy being featured in the show. Von Memerty has auditioned the best, the newest and the wackiest piano talents around, and this new feature promises to make this run uniquely special.

Roelof Colyn is a stalwart of A HANDFUL OF KEYS, having appeared in numerous editions of the show since 2001. Loved by audiences for his effortless charm, deadpan wit and the liquid magic of his playing, he will serve as the perfect foil for nineteen-year-old James Smith, the youngest person to appear in A HANDFUL OF KEYS. Von Memerty, who is in the director's chair this time around, sings the young talent's praises:

It is a risk putting such a young person into a show as complicated and subtle as into the show, but I believe that James, with his unique mix of musicality, quirky humour and the beautiful timbre of his expressive voice, is up to the challenge.

With its promise to deliver devastating wit, musical mastery, piano pyrotechnics and inspiring inventiveness, A HANDFUL OF KEYS is sure to offer Johannesburg audiences a two-hour fireworks display of excitement, energy and sheer, mind-blowing entertainment. The show runs from 22 November through 14 January 2018 on Wednesdays to Saturdays at 20:00, with weekend matinees on Saturdays at 16:00 and Sunday at 15:00.

There is no age restriction, and this production is recommended and advised for the whole family. Bookings are online through Computicket, by phone on 0861 915 8000 or in person at any Shoprite Checkers outlet nationwide.

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