Richard Greenblatt (left) plays a frustrated music teacher and Ted Dykstra plays his student.
After a nearly eight-year hiatus, creators of 2 Pianos 4 Hands Richard Greenblatt and Ted Dykstra are bringing back their piece of Canadian theatre to the National Arts Centre on a farewell tour.
The acclaimed Canadian production will hit the 800-performance mark at the NAC this week.
The show, which runs until Jan. 28, tells the story of first piano lessons, a dream to make it big, and a final realization that it may not all come true.
“The show really hits home with people. They really connect to the idea of trying to become good at something that maybe necessarily won’t be the thing that defines you in your life, but for some reason is something you really with all your heart and soul want to pursue,” says Dykstra.
When first writing the piece, Greenblatt says they were nervous the show would only appeal to piano or music nerds.
What they discovered is that, by writing so true to their own stories, the themes of the show are universal.
Dykstra says his friend, who is a competitive ice skater, never took a piano lesson in her life, but “the show whacked her in the gut and brought back all the memories of trying to make it.”
The last time this two-man show was in Ottawa was 1996, when the show was first touring.
The play has since become a major commercial success. It has been translated into several languages, including German and Japanese, and performed by different duos across the globe.
“It is a really legendary show in the history of Canadian theatre. It is a play that has really spoken to audiences all across the country and around the world,” says Peter Hinton, artistic director of the NAC’s English Theatre.
“We were really honoured that they wanted to come to the NAC, they wanted to come and play to audiences here in Ottawa.”
From humble beginnings in small-scale theatres to playing to crowds of hundreds, Hinton says the show fit right into the NAC’s season of “signature work of Canadian theatre.”
Even though the show has been tackled by various artists up for the challenge, the opportunity to see it performed by the creators is “something really special,” says Hinton.
“They are the guys whose idea it was, so they were there for the very beginning. Having Richard and Ted in it we get all the nuance, the freedom that comes with that.”
Toronto resident Miri Hadas Koller recently took her family to the show after hearing about its worldwide success on the radio. She says she enjoyed everything, from the music played and the story told to the funny and more serious parts of the show.
Hadas Koller says her teenage sons “are not classical music fans, so they suffered a bit at the second part of the show,” but says the family still enjoyed the show and recommends seeing the show with a “big yes.”
Dykstra and Greenblatt say the timing was right to reprise their roles after eight years and they say that they are having a blast doing it.
What Greenblatt expected to take a month of practice and rehearsals instead took only a couple of weeks.
“I sometimes describe it as putting on a pair of old comfortable shoes; you haven’t worn them for seven years but they still fit and you look good in them,” says Greenblatt.
“I think the Ottawa audience is sophisticated and fun and I think it’s a perfect place for the show,” says Dykstra.
“I hope they will be royally entertained and I hope that in some way it touches them personally and, if not, that’s okay too,” he adds.