For
every success story of a classical pianist who takes a bow on the big
stage, the musical landscape is littered with heartrending accounts
of aspiring students whose best just wasn’t good enough. Ted
(Ted Dykstra) and
Richard (Richard Greenblatt)
may not have found their place in music history but reigning as the
top piano players on the block is nothing to be ashamed of in the
humbling musical comedy 2 Pianos, 4 Hands.
In
the event that you’ve been living under a rock for the past
nine years when the production made its mini debut in 1994 before
expanding into a joyous 90-minute production that has since toured
the world, 2P4H
is what unsung heroes have been waiting for. It’s a
spectacular toast to everyone who aimed to be the best the world has
seen but discovered that practice doesn’t necessarily make
perfect.
This
is the journey of Ted and Richard, two ordinary
adolescents attempting to master the craft left behind by Mozart,
Bach, and Chopin. The daunting lessons, the menacing metronome, the
perils of changing teachers, and, of course, the parents who won’t
let either boys outside to play hockey like all the other kids. And
these are supposed to be the best years of their lives.
Ted
Dykstra and
Richard Greentblatt
play out true to life depictions of ear and rhythm testing as well as
triumphing over near impossible time signatures with boisterously
comedic propensity. One
would think these two would be somewhat bored with the material
having performed the show more than 700 times. Not the case. Tighter
and slicker than ever, 2 Pianos, 4 Hands
is like a fine wine that gets better over time. With conspicuously
renewed segments ostensibly introduced to keep the show from falling
flat, Dykstra and Greenblatt look as if they’re staging their
musical juggernaut for the very first time.
“I
feel guilty when I’m not practicing, I feel inadequate when I
do,” refutes a growingly discouraged Richard approaching
the crossroads of his life. His sentiment, which comes at the climax
of the play, reverberates with the kind of angst we all face when
diluted discipline begins to cloud our vision. We can fool ourselves
but as Ted and Richard learn, we can’t fool those
who decide our future.
Never
should we anguish over the dream that slips away. 2P4H
assures us that life indeed goes on.
