2 Pianos 4 Hands has become one of Canada’s most successful theatrical productions. After being cheered by 2,000,000 people in more than 5,000 performances worldwide, 2 Pianos 4 Hands returns to Vancouver this month at the Arts Club’s Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage.
The plays stars Dora Award–winning creators Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt. The duo will propel you through comically poignant vignettes of their childhood piano lessons—complete with virtuoso displays of technique—and share the triumphs and tortures of being extraordinarily good failed musicians. Not just for music nerds, 2 Pianos 4 Hands is for anyone who has ever strived to achieve a goal.
“You don’t go out to write a universal play, you write a specific play and story and if you hit the right notes on it—if you’ll pardon the pun—it will touch everybody,” said Greenblatt. “The same issues that we deal with in the show are dealt with by all kids and young people as they’re growing up, and whether they achieve those goals or not isn’t the point. It really is for everyone, that’s the amazing thing about it. We’ve had people say it’s exactly the same with figure skating, ballet, another art form, wanting to be Prime Minister of Canada, any dream you have.”
Since its humble Toronto premiere in 1996, Dykstra and Greenblatt have performed 2 Pianos 4 Hands off-Broadway, at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, in London’s West End, and in Tokyo. Several others have performed the show in over 150 theatres around the world.
A piano player and theatre artist from the tender age of six, Dykstra has also acted and directed throughout North America. His work as a theatre actor, in film and television, and as a director for the stage has been met with widespread critical and popular success.
Greenblatt trained at both the McGill Conservatory of Music in Montreal and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Other acting credits comprise theatre, film, and television. As a director, he has worked with over 100 productions across Canada.
Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt wrote, direct, and star in 2 Pianos 4 Hands.
2 Pianos 4 Hands
Dates: March 14 to April 14; Tuesday at 7:30 pm; Wednesday to Saturday, 8 pm; Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, 2 pm
Venue: Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, 2750 Granville Street at 12th Avenue, Vancouver
Tickets: $29 to $65, including tax and fees; online or via phoning 604.687.1644
