The Pianist

The Pianist photo by Heli SorjonenWith the madcap physical humour of Mr Bean and the mime mastery of Chaplin, Keaton and Marceau comes a solo comic masterpiece where everything that can go wrong, does. The Pianist is a contemporary physical theatre piece by mime extraordinaire Thomas Monckton (New Zealand) and Circo Aereo (Finland).

At the peak of high society entertainment sits The Pianist‘s pianist. Impeccable in every aspect, he glides graciously through life never placing a foot out of step. He is, in a word: perfection. Or at least… that’s what he thinks!

Centered on, in, under, and around one of the most magnificent of all musical instruments – the grand piano, The Pianist is a charming piece of comedy about the lure of luxury. Accompanying this elegant apparatus is Monckton as the poised pianist himself.

So focused is he on impressing the audience that before he realises it, his show has transformed from the highbrow concert he hoped for into the spectacularly amusing catastrophe that is The Pianist. To salvage his somewhat unsalvageable dignity, the pianist draws on his imagination and comes up with some uproarious and absurd results.

Monckton, originally from New Zealand and now based in Helsinki, ran away to join the circus at 17 and never looked back. Professionally trained in acrobatics, juggling, clowning and aerial straps, his performance in The Pianist has been described by the NZ Herald as “…a wildly imaginative piece of absurdist comedy”. Audiences are guaranteed to be in fits of laughter, delighted by his performance without ever hearing a note played.

“It’s hard not to be seduced by a performance this engaging, innocent and fun” – Playtosee

The Pianist will be presented at Arts Centre Melbourne: 12 – 17 January, before playing the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre: 22 – 23 January, and the 2016 Adelaide Fringe Festival: 13 February – 5 March.

Image: Thomas Monckton in The Pianist – photo by Heli Sorjonen