2 PIANOS, 4 HANDS

Of all the shows Arizona Theatre Company has produced over 39 seasons, no production with its original cast has had the staying power of 2 PIANOS, 4 HANDS by Richard Greenberg and Ted Dykstra.  From the initials runs in Tucson and Phoenix (including an encore run in Phoenix), the production has gone on to play eleven other theatres across the country (see below for a complete list).  “Crowd pleaser” is a wholly inadequate way to describe this play.  Audiences from California to Virginia, Washington to Florida have all thrilled to the musical and dramatic acrobatics of two immensely talented performers: Carl J. Danielsen and Mark Anders. Arizona Theatre Company is proud and excited to bring the production back home for a limited engagement at the Mesa Arts Center in October.

Curious about their experience of the show, we asked Mark and Carl to tell us a little bit about their history with the production and their experience of its journey since September, 2001.  This is what each of them had to say….

Mark Anders
In 2001, David Ira Goldstein, an old housemate from his Seattle days, called me up and said I should look at this piano play he was going to do. I groaned inwardly, because I only play the piano for myself and certain kinds of my friends. He sent me the script, and it looked absolutely crazy. But he said another old friend, Bruce Sevy, was signed on to direct, and did I think I could play the piano part? So I practiced, and I sort of thought maybe I could, if I devoted just twenty hours a day to it. Three months went by and after I got several, “Do you have to play that again right now?” comments from my daughter, Bruce came to Seattle and heard me stumble through the Bach and didn’t laugh out loud. You may think you can imagine my terror when he said he’d like me to do the part of Ted, but you cannot.

I had been cast in another show, but I got out of it and then I heard who the other fellow was: Carl J. Danielsen. This was both wonderful and awful: wonderful because I knew him from a staged reading series we had done in Bigfork, Montana where he had been a very encouraging music director to me; awful (in the old sense, I mean, filling one with awe) because I knew how good a pianist he is. We all gathered in Tucson in the July heat for a special week of rehearsal, which did much to augment my feelings of inadequacy. When we rehearsed again, though—in the cool of the Arizona August—I began to feel A Little Bit Almost Competent, and I’m proud to say that lo these many years later, after the innumerable performances we have done, in all the many cities, I am still at that same state: ALBAC forever. As Carl once said, 2 PIANOS, 4 HANDSis just like a regular play, only there’s a test every few minutes.

All praise to Bruce K. Sevy, though, because when we opened—after previewing on September 11, of all days, to audiences eager to escape the dread of the day—we all felt we had collaborated in a labor of love. That feeling has followed us everywhere. Although there’s a lot of yelling and conflict in the play, ultimately, in the final piece of glorious music, it’s about friendship and art. That’s the secret of its success.

Carl J. Danielsen
The ATC production of 2 PIANOS, 4 HANDS had its third preview on September 11, 2001. Its initial run was marked by the singing of “God Bless America” at the conclusion. Following our Arizona run, offers poured in and we then proceeded to take the show to eleven different theatres across the country, from Miami to Seattle. (We tried for Hawaii but who wants to sit indoors over there?) This piece has always had an emotional connection for me...whether good or painful.

As far as I'm concerned, the initial rehearsals and performances were a theatrical paradise. The direction, my fellow actor, the subject matter, the support of ATC...it was all bliss. Audiences couldn't have been better or more supportive.

Over the next 2 and a half years it was NOT all bliss. One falls into patterns, into ruts. Too much pleasure becomes a grind with repetition. Not all audiences were as happy and courteous and smart as our first Arizonans.

However, I've never been involved in any piece where the audience reaction was so intense. There were a few people I've spoken to that didn't care for the play. (One lady in Miami said to me "I'll come back when you take out the shtick. I just wanna hear the music." Everyone's a critic, right?) But for the most part, I am amazed by the number of people who have connected to this piece about classical piano music. Whether it's their own experiences with piano, or music, or dance, or sports, or parenting...or just learning to accept where they fit into the scheme of things - this piece has touched people and made them think.

How gratifying is that? That's why I'm an actor.

Where has ATC’s production of  2 PIANOS, 4 HANDS been?
Arizona Theatre Company
Capital Repertory Theatre (Albany, New York)
The Cleveland Play House
Coconut Grove Playhouse (Miami, Florida)
Denver Center Theatre Company
Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota, Florida)
La Mirada Theatre (Orange County, California)
Missouri Repertory Theatre (now Kansas City Repertory Theatre)
Northlight Theatre (Chicago, Illinois)
San Jose Repertory Theatre
Seattle Repertory Theatre
Virginia Stage Company (Norfolk Virginia)

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2 PIANOS, 4 HANDS