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“The great thing about your dreams is that you don’t have to worry about the detail.”
Will Pickvance’s First Piano on the Moon is a whimsical narrative accompanied by expert piano-playing to be enjoyed by the whole family.
A boy greets us in search of something more than the mundanity of everyday life. Will is chosen out of all the students at his music school to play at the celebration of Mozart’s birthday in Salzburg. He believes this to be a mistake, thinking his only talent lay in playing the piano at an incredible speed – I beg to differ!
Will is overcome with excitement, his thoughts immediately straying to Mozart’s party – the streamers and the party hats, but most importantly of all, will there be chocolate cake?
To the delight of the audience, Will showed us a variety of tricks on the piano, from playing upside down with his arms crossed to doing it completely blindfolded. There can be no question of how much hard work and dedication Will has put into learning this melodic and versatile instrument (which was used both as a drum and as a guitar!).
As Will paces to corridors of Mozart’s birthplace the night before the performance, he comes across Mozart’s piano and is filled with excitement to play it. The same sounds that Mozart heard, the same keys his fingers touched. But, as soon as he presses a key, an alarm goes off, and the security guards come after him.
After a chase through the building, accompanied by some lively piano playing reminiscent of a silent film, Will finds himself locked inside a room with another piano. At his realisation, the music stops, and the room is silent. The silence shows how truly alone he feels, both in the building and his fear of being called the worst piano player in the world.
On top of the piano, Will finds a cake… a chocolate cake! Surely no one will miss just a small slice.
It tastes funny… and suddenly he becomes inspired by the place he finds himself. Mozart won’t mind if he “jazzes up” one of his pieces now, will he? This is a stroke of brilliance, as the stars above him become the music, and Mozart appeared before his very eyes (there was something rather strong in that cake)!
The audience joins in as Will gears himself up to land the first piano on the moon. The louder everyone hummed, the more energy we gave the piano to land itself at the desired destination. Then we are given a lesson on moonwalking because before we can walk on the moon, we must first learn to hop.
Soon Will realises a moon is a lonely place – there is no one to share his tricks with. So, he decides to return to Earth, but instead of flying the piano back, the image of the moon falls away, and he is left in the dark room.
This gives a powerful message to all members of the audience that dreams can come true if you believe in yourself. Naturally, Will gives a stellar performance at his concert, and after his show is done, he provides the audience with an excellent encore.
First Piano on the Moon is an extraordinary combination of original storytelling and marvellous piano-playing, entertaining both children and adults alike.
