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Culture Theatre

2 Pianos 4 Hands

2 PIANOS 4 HANDS by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt (Mirvish). At the Panasonic Theatre (651 Yonge). To November 20, Wednesday-Saturday 8 pm, mats Saturday-Sunday and Wednesday 2 pm. $39-$74. 416-872-1212. See listings. Rating: NNNN

It might not be the coolest show in town, but Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt’s cozy, clever 2P4H still has the quality that endeared it to audiences 15 years ago: a low-key, self-deprecating passion for music, performance and, incidentally, their loyal audiences.

The premise is unabashedly middle-class: two pianists in tails sit at facing pianos, playing scales and goading each other to increasingly impressive keyboard feats. Suddenly they’re children, learning the fundamentals from their respective put-upon instructors. Dykstra and Greenblatt trade off playing parents, teachers and groggy Kiwanis organizers, intercut with medleys, scales and classical songs. They make it look effortless, but like Mozart’s Sonata Facile, just because it looks easy doesn’t mean it is.

If the first act shows the development of two young artists, the slightly prolonged second marks the chromatic breaking down of childhood expectations – the finding of discipline when it’s just a little too late.

Dykstra and Greenblatt may not have become the concert pianists they hoped to be, but 2P4H is, in some small way, a combination fuck you/thank you to the people who told the two boys they didn’t have what it takes.

This unique Canadian hit is a testament to persistence from two consummate performers who have, again and again, found a way to play Chopin for a hall full of rapt, paying fans.

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