Bach + Beethoven + Britney = Tom. Piano_Play is a play about an ex-boyfriend, obsession and classical music.
Charlie Russell Productions presents The World Première of ‘Piano_Play’ at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Underbelly, George Square. It opened at Underbelly on Saturday 3 August, with previews from 31 July and runs until 29 August.
Written by Calum Finlay whose credits include debut play What Goes On in Front of Closed Doors – Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The play is directed by Matt Hassall whose credits include Mixtape, The Factory and We Were Told There Would Be Dancing (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester).
The play tells the story of Tom. Tom needs to tell you something. But, he’s not very good with words so he’s going to play some music for you. Then he hopes that you’ll finally understand.
The Artiscape spoke with Ed Zanders who plays Tom. His theatre credits include Sweeney Todd (Lausanne, Switzerland), Mischief Movie Night (UK tour) and Parade (Vivo D’Arte, Frogmore Paper Mill).
We asked Ed what attracted him to playing the role?
Ed: The challenge of it! I play piano for a lot of the show, often whilst acting scenes on top, so just the logistics of making it all work is quite exciting in and of itself. Calum, the playwright, has also written a very complex character; nothing is clear cut with Tom, so there is lots to work with.
So what does Ed most like about the character he plays?
Ed: I like Tom’s warmth and endearing geekiness. But, to re-frame the question slightly, the thing I enjoy playing the most is his delusion. The way Tom views his actions are often very different from the way an audience member might see it, and playing around with that disparity can be really fun.
Piano_Play was inspired by 34 year old pianist Luke Howard who back in 2017 got a piano delivered to College Green in Bristol. It was his ‘last throw of the dice’, so to speak, to win back the woman he loved vowing that he wouldn’t stop playing until she heard him. His story was picked up by the national press and the backlash he faced on social media was so severe that it prompted YouGov to publish a poll asking the British public to vote on whether his actions were: a. romantic / b. creepy / c. don’t know.
We asked Ed how he felt this play would give the audience a different view of the story?
Ed: Pretty much all of the details in our version have been invented, so in many ways, it’s a new story. However, there’s a certain gut-level response that comes from the premise, and the play certainly capitalizes on that.
What’s nice is that nothing is clear cut; we take someone who would otherwise be mocked or vilified and show them being funny, vulnerable [and] naive, so it’s less easy to simply hate or dismiss them. Nothing in life is straightforward, and I think this play reflects that.
Finally, what does Ed think the audience will take away from the performance?
Ed: Hopefully Piano_Play audiences will, firstly, just have a good time! There are lots of laughs along the way. But there’s also a moral ambiguity about the piece that should get people thinking too. If social media is anything to go by, lots of people see the world in very binary terms at the moment (good/bad, right/wrong). Our show, however, is decidedly uncertain; it lives in the grey, murky, in-between world, and – I hope – becomes all the more poignant and relatable for it.
Piano_Play is not just for classical music lovers but for people who don’t know they love it yet. It runs from 31 July – 29 August, 1.20pm at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. To book visit website or call the Box Office: 0131 510 0395. (Tickets: £6.50 – £10)
Follow @thepianoplay on twitter.
