EDINBURGH 2016: BWW Q&A - The Pianist

BWW speaks to Thom Monckton about his 2016 Edinburgh Fringe show The Pianist.

What can you tell us about The Pianist?

It's a physical, wordless, and visual show about a pianist failing very successfully.

What was the inspiration for the show?

A percussionist in an orchestra who lost his drumsticks and tried to look for them inconspicuously for most of the performance. It was highly entertaining and absolutely conspicuous.

And its a blend of theatre and circus?

Yes. I try to blend the two a lot. It's not like crunchy peanut butter where the peanuts are obvious, it's smooth so the circus doesn't stick in your teeth.

Who would you recommend comes to see The Pianist?

The best audience is an eclectic one so it's great to have families, giggly teenagers, grandparents, young and old adults, pianists, queens, non-English speakers, English-speakers, the hearing-impaired, circus artists, angry people, happy people and the odd animal all in the same crowd.

What sets it apart from the thousands of other shows at the festival?

It has very long legs and so it straddles almost all genres without losing any of its accessibility or integrity. It has been programmed in arts, theatre, circus, mime, physical theatre, and music festivals, and incorporates visual theatre, dance, circus, comedy, puppetry, mime, and clown. I also don't imagine there to be too many other Finnish-New Zealand collaborations in the festival.

Timings and ticket information for The Pianist are available on the edfringe website.

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