YAMAHA PLAYS "OLD WICKED SONGS"

BUENA PARK, CA (May 23, 2003)—In the world of theater, illusion must often be accepted as truth. Sometimes actors are called upon to perform certain tasks that are unfamiliar to them, such as playing a piano. This illusion used to be difficult to make credible, until the Yamaha Disklavier® came along.

With its control box relocated backstage, this Disklavier DGC1A Mark III did all the piano playing in Old Wicked Songs—and made actors David Rogers (above) and Aaron Serotsky look like old pros.

The Two River Theatre Company learned as much when it premiered the Jon Marans play Old Wicked Songs last October at the Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan, NJ. The play - which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist when it debuted off-Broadway in 1996 - explores themes of love, respect and trust through the story of a young musical prodigy. In 1986 he attempts to overcome his creative burnout by going to Vienna, where he comes under the tutelage of an aging voice teacher who is witty and passionate, but haunted by his own demons. It features the music of Romantic composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856). The directions in the script call specifically for a Yamaha Disklavier, and a Disklavier DGC1A Mark III series grand piano was used for this production.

"We work with the Algonquin Theatre often by supplying pianos for special events, so when the directions in the script called for a Yamaha Disklavier, we were more than happy to supply one," says Lee Mrowicki, general manager of Freehold Music. "I spent an evening with the production manager (Two River's Zeke Zaccaro) compiling and programming the Disklavier to perform as needed during the confines of the play. The manager made copies of the disks he created and delivered them to the theater."

Arron Serotsky portrays troubled prodigy Stephen Hoffman in Old Wicked Songs.

The piano's control box, which usually sits under the right-hand side of the keyboard, was moved backstage. "I wasn't at first familiar with the piano, but I was told that the Mark III is a robust piano with great acoustics," says Zaccaro. "The piano worked perfectly and had a terrific sound."

Stage manager Jason Coen set up the piano's computer backstage. When an actor was to "perform," Coen, watching a closed-circuit TV monitor, cued the Disklavier. "The piano can be remote-controlled, so it served that purpose beautifully," says Zaccaro. "The capability of the Disklavier was used to its full extent. Most of the audience was unaware that the actors didn't play the piano."

For more information about Yamaha pianos, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600; email infostation@yamaha.com; visit www.yamaha.com or telephone (714) 522-9011.