DO NOT PLAY THIS PIANO

William’s school report? Not great. But when it comes to pulling off flashy piano tricks, he's a total superstar! His teachers are so blown away, they’ve picked him to perform at the big Mozart birthday concert in Salzburg — pretty cool, hey?! Just one problem. William’s all about the tricks... and not so much about the actual music. Uh-oh!

An Edinburgh Fringe hit, Mozart, with a twist of blues, a splash of tango, and a dash of rock 'n' roll (plus a roll of gaffer tape, of course)! A wild chase through the streets of Salzburg, a spooky moonlit adventure in a haunted house, and... wait for it... Mozart himself! He’s here to share his genius wisdom in exchange for a peek into the future. 

This critically-acclaimed family show was premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2019, originally titled First Piano on the Moon. During the 2020 pandemic lockdown, it was adapted for Zoom audiences by director Lu Kemp, presented by Horsecross, Perth Concert Hall. Returning to live theatre, the revised stage version features a hand-drawn animations and direction by Ian Cameron.

When I was at school, I noticed that pianos were often locked, or stowed away under some dust cover, out of bounds. Why would you lock up a piano? Why would you prevent people from making them sing (or scream). The forbidden piano I recall best was one in Salzburg. In fairness, it was Mozart’s actual piano. But to stop people playing it full stop. What? Banned so that future generations may also be banned from playing it? Forget that. I needed to connect with the great composer. I was thrown out the museum by security after a few bars of Rondo alla Turca.

Growing up, piano was my thing. I just loved it. Yet even at a young age I felt suppressed by attitudes, snobbery, expectation. These felt like just other ways in which the piano was locked up.

Written and performed by Will Pickvance
Illustration by Tim Vincent-Smith
Animation and projection mapping by Will Monks
Lighting by Paul Maguire
Technical direction by Tim Reid
Zoom direction by Lu Kemp
Stage direction by Ian Cameron & Magda Dragan
Supported by Horsecross

Review from THE NATIONAL

The show is combination of Pickvance’s wonderfully engaging storytelling, lovely piano playing and some delightful little video animations. As he unfolds his tale, the performer exudes, by turns, enthusiasm, excitement and trepidation in a way that transports children and adults alike.

There’s the wild-eyed wonder at being taken into the Mozart Geburtshaus (the museum to the composer, where young Will is to play in the concert). Then there’s the panic, upon meeting two of the other young musicians, in realising that, unlike his new, somewhat precocious friends, he has no great, classical piano piece to play to the audience tomorrow morning.

All of which, given young Will’s imaginative bent, leads to a long, late-night conversation with the ghost of Mozart himself. The spirit of Wolfgang Amadeus is, as you might expect, sympathetic and encouraging. The great composer is particularly excited to learn that his music has remained so popular over the centuries that it has even been played on the moon.

This storytelling is interspersed with high-energy piano playing, ranging from crowd-pleasing tricks (including playing upside-down) to a virtuosic medley (which goes from blues and jazz to tango and rock ‘n’ roll). It’s all very humorous, educational and highly entertaining stuff, as the little girl who shouted “Bravo! Bravo!” after every piano piece on Friday afternoon can attest.

Like all of the best children’s theatre-makers, Pickvance doesn’t patronise his young audience. He connects his childhood memories with their life experiences as a benign adult talking to a child, without recourse to any of the toe-curling mimicking of children that we still see in our culture.

Indeed, Pickvance is quite willing to stretch the vocabulary of his youngest audience members. His school report card, for example, is “incriminating evidence”.

This year’s Fringe is sadly, if inevitably, dominated by online shows. However, this brilliant piece, returning to its in-person roots following a pandemic-related sojourn into digital presentation, is a beacon for the return to live children’s theatre.