Two talented pianists dream of success on the concert stage while sharing tales of parents, teachers, critics, and more in the hilarious, music-filled “2 Pianos 4 Hands,” presented July 5-Aug. 4 at Northlight Theatre.
Performances of the two-person play by Richard Greenblatt and Ted Dykstra are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, plus 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; the schedule varies.
This is the seventh production of “2 Pianos 4 Hands” for Matthew McGloin. “It’s my very first time doing it with new people,” McGloin said of the Northlight production. “All the other six times that I’ve done the show have been with the same other actor and the same director.”
He is enjoying working on this production because “It’s an opportunity to discover new things in the script,” McGloin said. And because he has a new costar and director, “everything in the show is different than I’ve ever done it before.”
The only thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that the actor is playing Richard.
“Richard is Type A, high-functioning, and also compassionate. I think Richard is a heart-driven person,” McGloin said. He’s also a perfectionist.
In addition to playing Richard, McGloin plays a dozen or so other characters as he shares stories of his life. The challenge is “finding a physicality and a voice to quickly distinguish one from another,” he said.
McGloin particularly enjoys playing the character Marsha because she is “over the top, eccentric,” he said.
The show requires both actors to play a wide variety of musical styles, including classical, pop, rock, and jazz.
McGloin is well-qualified for that requirement because he started playing piano when he was four or five years old, and has played consistently since then including in churches, with jazz bands, at parties, in theater productions, and for other occasions.
The actor praised director Rob Lindley for creating an atmosphere of collaboration and play.”
Adam LaSalle plays the character Ted.
“What’s so cool about this show is that it follows the journey of these two young men who kind of grow up obsessed with classical music and the pursuit of a career in the arts,” LaSalle said. “It’s a show about reinventing oneself. It’s a show about how you respond when you invest everything in your dreams and the world complicates that. It’s a very magical little piece.”
LaSalle began playing piano when he was in middle school. He earned a degree in music, and worked as a music teacher when he was in his 20s.
The actor lauded Lindley for encouraging the two actors to bring the Canadian-based play into the United States and for encouraging them to bring their own lives into their characters.
“Ted is a version of me,” LaSalle said. “My character struggles with performance anxiety. He struggles with finding his place in the world.”
In terms of the many other characters, LaSalle said, “I’m a visual learner so I kind of make a vision board with all the different characters.”
His favorite character is Mr. Scarlatti, “who’s this older Italian gentlemen. I have a father who’s 100 percent Italian. When I read this character, I could only hear my father’s voice.”
LaSalle praised the show as being so human, noting, “Even though these two men start in the world of classical music, as they evolve, so do their musical tastes,” he said. “You have moments in the show when they’re supposed to be practicing their Mozart piece but they find themselves playing some boogie-woogie, or some Billy Joel.”
“We’re having a blast,” Lindley said, describing his cast as “generous, sweet, kind human beings who are so funny. Both of them blow me away on a daily basis.”
Lindley said that he knew nothing about this show until Artistic Director BJ Jones proposed it to him. “It’s a wonderful journey getting to know the show, getting to know the cast,” he said.
There’s a special challenge directing a show with only two cast members, Lindley said. “You better make sure every moment is full of humanity and heart,” he observed.
This show has that and more, Lindley said. “People are going to be laughing till their bellies hurt,” he said. “I think they’re going to be wowed by their amazing piano playing. And I think there are going to be a couple moments that are so poignant that you might have the wind taken out of you.”
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
‘2 Pianos 4 Hands’
When: July 5-Aug. 4
Where: Northlight Theatre at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie
Tickets: $46-$84
Information: 847-673-6300; northlight.org
