Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, concludes its 2023–2024 season with 2 Pianos 4 Hands by Richard Greenblatt and Ted Dykstra, directed by Rob Lindley, and starring Adam LaSalle and Matthew McGloin. 2 Pianos 4 Hands runs July 5-August 4, 2024, at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. The press opening is Friday, July 12, 2024 at 7:30pm.
A talented duo of would-be concert pianists trade stories of pushy parents, eccentric teachers, endless practice, and dreams of stardom. Piano wizardry and roaring comedy combine as “piano nerds” Ted and Richard play classical, pop, and everything in between, all while portraying dozens of characters that took part in their humbling quest for musical greatness.
BJ Jones comments, “Reflecting back on Northlight’s varied productions over the last several decades, we know how much audiences appreciated the thrilling musical talents on display in shows like Marie and Rosetta, The Porch on Windy Hill, Ella, and more. With that in mind, I thought it would be a perfect summertime offering to do another musical piece, the entertaining and musically challenging 2 Pianos, 4 Hands. It's a wonderful play by astonishing actor/musicians Richard Greenblatt and Ted Dykstra, portrayed at Northlight by Adam La Salle and Mathew McGloin, sharing their artistry in a fresh new production. It’s a satisfying end to a fantastic season here at Northlight.”
2 Pianos 4 Hands features Adam LaSalle (Ted) and Matthew McGloin (Richard).
The creative team includes Rob Lindley (director), Matthew McGloin (music director), Tianxuan Chen (set design), Jos N. Banks (costume design), Emma Deane (light design), Rick Sims (sound design), and Chris Freeburg (stage manager).
Northlight's production of 2 Pianos 4 Hands is supported in part by Freddi Greenberg and Dan Pinkert, Nan Greenough, and Dr. Alan Zunamon.
About the Artists
Richard Greenblatt (Playwright) is an actor, director, writer, and musician who has been a professional theatre artist for the last 45 years. He was born in Montréal and received his acting training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England. He has performed in theatres across Canada and abroad, as well as in feature films, television and radio. He has directed well over 130 productions for theatres across the country, the vast majority being original and/or Canadian works, including many groundbreaking and award-winning plays for young audiences. Recently he directed The Caucasian Chalk Circle at George Brown College. He co-wrote and performed in 2 Pianos 4 Hands with Ted Dykstra, as well as numerous other successful plays, including Athabasca, recently at the Next Stage Festival. He has taught acting, directing and play creation at almost all of the major theatre training institutions in Canada.
Ted Dykstra (Playwright) has acted, directed, written and/or composed for every major theatre in Canada and around the world, including such great cities as New York, London and Tokyo. He is a proud graduate of The National Theatre School of Canada, and a founding member of Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre. Arguably best known for co-creating one of the most successful plays in Canada's history, 2 Pianos, 4 Hands, Ted also wrote the hit musical Evangeline (Citadel Theatre, Charlottetown Festival) and adapted and performed Tolstoy's novella The Kreutzer Sonata (Art Of Time, Soulpepper) to great acclaim. Ted can be seen in Season 6 of the hit sci-fi series The Expanse. Over the course of his career he has been the recipient of numerous awards including six Doras, a Gemini, a Sterling, a Merritt and a Chalmers.
Rob Lindley (Director) returns to Northlight after directing the Jeff Award winning Songs for Nobodies in 2021 and appearing in Andy Warhol in Iran (Jeff Nomination) and Funnyman. Other directing credits include Songs for Nobodies (People's Light Theatre); Far From Heaven, How to Succeed in Business…., Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill (Porchlight Music Theatre); and 50 Shades!: The Music Parody (Off-Broadway and National Tour). Rob also directs many cabaret evenings from intimate club engagements to large-scale galas for many Chicago organizations including Court Theatre, Porchlight Theatre, Northlight Theatre and the Chicago Humanities Festival. Other acting credits include: Monsieur André in the National Tour of Phantom of the Opera; Fun Home (Victory Gardens); The Sound of Music (Marriott Theatre); The Tempermentals (About Face Theatre); Candide (Goodman); Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Secret Garden, Angels in America, Caroline or Change, James Joyce’s The Dead, Carousel (Court Theatre); and Oh Coward! (Writers Theatre) for which he won a Jeff Award for Best Actor in a Revue. This summer Rob will curate and host Mancini at 100, his second concert at Ravinia with the CSO, starring Norm Lewis, Karen Mason, and Jessie Mueller.
Adam LaSalle (Ted) is a NYC-based actor, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He made his Off-Broadway debut in 2017 and has been fortunate to work consistently throughout the country in regional theatre, TV, commercials, and voiceover. A proud member of Actors Equity (AEA), Adam is a student of Joan Rosenfels and Tony nominee Michael Hayden.
Matthew McGloin (Richard) is an actor-musician based in New York and firmly believes in the power of live theatre to connect & heal. This marks his seventh production of 2P4H (previously at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Peterborough Players, Mayfield Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, and twice at North Coast Rep). NY/OFF-BROADWAY: The Hello Girls (Prospect Theater/59E59), Bastard Jones (The Cell), CasablancaBox (HERE Arts), Xanadu (Piper Theatre), Tectonic Theater Project, Abingdon Theatre Company, Dixon Place, The Lark, BMI/SongSpace. REGIONAL: The Kennedy Center, Pioneer Theatre Company, Repertory Theatre St. Louis, Triad Stage, Peterborough Players, Signature Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Folger Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, Virginia Shakespeare Festival. TV: Law & Order (NBC), History Channel, Investigation Discovery. TRAINING: BFA Acting, UMBC.
FACT SHEET
Title: 2 Pianos 4 Hands
Written by: Richard Greenblatt and Ted Dykstra
Directed by: Rob Lindley
Featuring: Adam LaSalle (Ted) and Matthew McGloin (Richard)
Creative Team: Matthew McGloin (music director), Tianxuan Chen (set design), Jos N. Banks (costume design), Emma Deane (light design), Rick Sims (sound design), and Chris Freeburg (stage manager)
Dates:
Previews begin July 5, 2024
Press Opening: Friday, July 12, 2024 at 7:30pm
Regular run: July 13-August 4, 2024
Schedule:
- Tuesdays: 7:30pm (July 9 and 16 only)
- Wednesdays: 1:00pm and 7:30pm
- Thursdays: 7:30pm
- Fridays: 7:30pm
- Saturdays: 2:30pm (except July 6) and 7:30pm
- Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:00pm (July 7 only)
Backstage with BJ – Northlight’s popular discussion series with Artistic Director BJ Jones – will be held June 28 at 12pm.
An Open Captioned performance will be held on July 26 at 7:30pm. An Open Captioned and Audio Described/Touch Tour performance will be held on July 27 at 2:30pm.
Location: Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie
Tickets:
Previews: $39-$74
Regular run: $49-$89
Student tickets are $15, any performance (subject to availability)
Box Office: The Box Office is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie; 847.673.6300; northlight.org
Notes of Interest:
- Director Rob Lindley has previously performed (Andy Warhol in Iran, Funnyman) and directed (Songs for Nobodies) at Northlight.
- 2P4H includes classical music by the likes of Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin, as well as popular hits by Billy Joel, Elton John, and John Lennon
- The authors Ted and Richard themselves appeared in 2P4H's first iteration in 1994, and continued to perform it for nearly 30 years, most recently in summer 2022 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto.
- 2 Pianos 4 Hands has had 4,000 performances at 200 different theatres throughout Canada, the US, the UK, Japan, and beyond. Nearly 2 million people have seen the play on five continents worldwide making it one of the most successful Canadian plays ever.
2024-2025 Season
The 2024-2025 season will open with the whimsical play with music about the romance of Marc Chagall and his poet wife Bella, The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, September 5 – October 6, 2024; followed by a new adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women by Northlight favorite Lauren Gunderson, November 29 – December 29, 2024; Lloyd Suh’s funny and moving play The Heart Sellers about the Asian immigrant experience in the 1970s, January 23 – February 23, 2025; and Joshua Harmon’s celebrated play Prayer for the French Republic, directed by Jeremy Wechsler in a co-production with Theater Wit, April 10 – May 11, 2025. The season closes with the mesmerizing one-man show about Donny Hathaway, Twisted Melodies, written and performed by Kelvin Roston Jr, July 10-August 10, 2025.
Subscriptions range in price from $135-290. Flex pass options are $120-$210. With its wide range of ticket prices, discounted subscription packages and complimentary parking, Northlight remains one of the best theatrical values in Chicagoland. Package options include traditional 5-Play Packages, 4-Play Packages, and Flex Packages. Subscriptions are available at www.northlight.org/subscribe or 847.673.6300.
Northlight Theatre aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences, reflecting our community to the world and the world to our community.
Founded in 1974, the organization has mounted over 240 productions, including more than 45 world premieres. Northlight has earned 226 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 36 Awards, as well as 11 Edgerton Foundation for New Play Awards. As one of the area’s premier theatre companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality.
Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions BMO Harris Bank; Bulley & Andrews; Byline Bank; ComEd, An Exelon Company; Dr. Scholl Foundation; Eckenhoff Saunders Architects, Inc.; The Field Foundation of Illinois; Full Circle Foundation; Grumman Butkus Associates; Hagerty Consulting; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; John R Halligan Charitable Fund; LionBird; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Mabadi Realty; Mammel Family Foundation; Modestus Bauer Foundation; Northwestern University; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Pritzker Foundation; The Schubert Foundation, Inc.; The Sullivan Family Foundation; The Weatherlow Foundation; Tom Stringer Design Partners.