The elements for incredible Friday and Saturday evenings had been all there. Should you didn’t have a great time, you then had been the issue at The Studios of Key West on April 4 and 5, when Adam LaSalle and Paul Rigano returned for Dueling Pianos.
As for these profitable elements? Two Steinway child grand pianos, two humorous and gifted pianists, a repertoire starting from “Nice Balls of Hearth” to “I’m Nonetheless Standing,” and each different bar singalong tune — “Candy Caroline (buh-buh-buh),” “Brown-Eyed Woman” and, after all, “Piano Man.”
Oh, and let’s not overlook the bar — beer, wine and actual liquor drinks — well-positioned proper on the fringe of the theater and open all through the present. In truth, LaSalle inspired his viewers to stand up for a refill each time wanted. “The extra you drink, the higher we sound,” he stated.
The present was a delight, with the viewers ranging in age from 17 to 80, though, to be honest, the kids had been a part of the act. For the second yr in a row, LaSalle and Rigano invited younger musicians from Key West Excessive Faculty to share the stage for a number of numbers — they usually didn’t disappoint. Juju Strunk, Jax Thurston, Matteui Bastillada and Jamie Everitt make up the band Zero Turbulence, which performs gigs round city at Little Jazz Room, the Customized Home and elsewhere, together with the Dueling Pianos stage at The Studios of Key West. (Everitt couldn’t make the Studios gig, although, as she is performing in the highschool’s manufacturing of “Mamma Mia.”)
Should you missed the Dueling Pianos exhibits this yr, control The Studios of Key West efficiency schedule. They’ll be again — and so will I. (And take a look at Zero Turbulence on Instagram @zeroturbulenceband.)
