If you haven’t caught Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s current production 2 Pianos, 4 Hands, you now have more time — performances have been added through Jan. 12, a week longer than its original run date, at the Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre.
Having opened in mid-November, upon seeing the play, CityBeat theatre critic Rick Pender awarded it a critic’s pick and wrote that it made for a “breathtaking evening” of live entertainment.
Directed by Tom Frey and written by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt, the musical comedy weaves together the story of Richard (Matthew McGloin) and Ted (Jefferson McDonald), two pianists in pursuit of Classical music fame. Despite taking their talents to task by practicing everything from Beethoven and Bach to Billy Joel, the duo falls short of their lofty aspirations. McGloin and McDonald also take on a multitude of roles as they portray childhood versions of their characters, their piano teachers and demanding parents.
Pender noted that audiences would likely deem McGloin and McDonald the best performers on Cincinnati stages this holiday season, a claim that — considering that the Playhouse’s extension was, according to their Facebook, “by popular demand” — holds up.
“These moments are played largely for humor, although the scenes also certainly convey the discipline and commitment needed of anyone who aspires to such careers,” Pender wrote. “Even if you know nothing about the finer points of music theory, you will be able to admire the demands made on these young men.
“Sometimes McDonald’s and McGloin’s playing is astonishingly synchronized; at other moments, they use their music almost as elbows, jostling for position and clowning physically against one another. Their characters’ hours of practice, often to the exclusion of other aspects of life, eventually takes a toll on both of them. When they receive harsh judgments following their college auditions, the results are deflating but not necessarily depressing as their eyes are opened to a fuller spectrum of life.”
For more info or to buy tickets, visit cincyplay.com.
This article appears in Dec 11-24, 2019.