HERSHEY FELDER: THE PIANO AND ME
Created and Performed by Hershey Felder
59E59 Theatres
Reviewed by David Spencer
It has always, for me, been a thrill and a rare privilege to see the (mostly) solo plays written and performed by Hershey Felder, in which he portrays famous notable composers. He’s a charismatic, seductive actor, as virtuosic a concert pianist, and his range of portraiture is extraordinary, including both composers of the 20th century, of whose personæ there has been significant media preservation, requiring a certain emulation accuracy; and classical composers of centuries past, whose personae he extrapolates from deep biographical research, managing a verisimilitude close to magic.
But because, of course, each of these personages are complex individuals, whose private and creative lives—existence and process—are complexly intertwined. And because Felder is as gifted a playwright as performer—and because each portrait has to fit within about two hours—he has to be selective. So for each composer, he finds a dramatic spine, the unifying theme of the particular life. At the end of the evening, you haven’t experienced everything…but you come away with an intimate essence.
So his self-professed biggest, most daunting challenge, has been the story of Felder’s own life. And the genuinely surprising, sweet and touching thing about The Piano and Me, is how inevitably it follows upon his portraits of musical icons. Because the show, in a weird way, is not about him in any sense of self-celebration, confessional or vehicle for pontification. Whatever ego may be involved (and it must, of course, be fierce), what takes center stage—what defines the dramatic through line—are the people who had impact on him, from parents to teachers to colleagues to simple, extraordinary citizens of the world and the things they told him about their profound experiences. Describing events from his Montreal upbringing through his travels beyond, Felder portrays many personalities (playing piano along the way of course) and he takes us along thepath of his growing fascination for the piano, the mathematical intricacies of music, biographies of the masters, historical context, world events…
And he manages all this without turning himself into an observing cipher who merely reacts. Which he does by never abandoning his own continuing role as motor. His story is not one of someone who just encounters, but one whose own actions continue on from each new step, bringing about new encounters…when not directly then via one-degree-of-separation serendipity. His letting “the supporting cast” shine is not a display of modesty, either…for the intimate essence you come away with of Felder…is one of an insatiable hunger for knowledge, experience, dimension—of accomplishment always achieved as a by-product of curiosity and passion…and of an abiding love of others who express their own passions in their own unique ways. It’s a journey of interconnectedness. One that seems to be saying adventures are open to anyone with the desire to chase wonder.
And that may explain the magic of his connection to us as well.