Arts review: The Pianist - acrobatic mime gets a laugh, though tone uneven
Billed as a 'solo comic contemporary circus piece', The Pianist is too long and ends on a jarringly serious note for the young audience it is aimed at
The Pianist is all about the journey than the destination, even though the “getting there” in this case is merely from one side of the stage to another.
Created and directed by Thomas Monckton and Sanna Silvennoinen, this hour-long “solo comic contemporary circus piece”, part of this year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival, targets primarily a younger audience though the acrobatic and clowning techniques on show are no child’s play.
Monckton was able to get laughs from the word go; his limbs are incredibly supple, his dance moves both goofy and electrifying, his body language engaging. Even his unruly hair appeared to be able to act. How he swung on the chandelier and leapt from the stool to perform a handstand on the piano was awe-inspiring.
Despite Monckton’s onstage charisma and excellent miming skills, that journey from backstage to the piano felt a little overstretched and the ending was too serious and philosophical to conclude an otherwise fun and entertaining show.
The Pianist, Circo Aereo and Thomas Monckton, Hong Kong City Hall Theatre. Reviewed: March 12