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2 Pianos 4 Hands

The combined efforts of Ottawa Xpress and the National Arts Centre Facebook feed took us out on a wintry Tuesday night to the 'pay what you can' showing of 2 Pianos 4 Hands, currently at the NAC English Theatre and being performed by creators Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt. In spite of the show's 15-year history, this has somehow managed to stay off my radar until now. No matter - it's brilliant.
2 Pianos 4 Hands is the story of a dream, maybe elusive, maybe achievable, told through the experiences of two boys growing up with the piano. A good crowd had turned up for the evening, and were hooked straight away with Dykstra and Greenblatt's silent humour opener and the incredibly funny series of impersonations, all illustrated with a wide range of classical and pop repertoire, from Liszt's Mephisto Waltz and Great Balls of Fire to J. S. Bach's Schafe können sicher weiden (Sheep may safely graze). Experience in music not required - the story is universal.

A definite must see - especially as this is the 'farewell' tour for Dykstra and Greenblatt. A short interview by Ottawa Citizen's Steven Mazey is available here.
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