NOTES FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT
A boy and his piano is an example of a play that began with a title. We’ve used a lot of young actors in our productions at Charleston Stage over the years—the company actually began as a youth theatre and education and giving opportunities to young actors remains part of our mission. At any rate one of the parents hosted a cast party and asked each kid to perform or share a talent. A boy named Mark, about age 10, sat down at the piano and stunned us with his amazing keyboard skills. When he’d finished and taken a bow, offhanded I said to Mark “hey that was great, perhaps I’ll write a play for you one day—maybe I’ll call it “a boy and his piano.” Mark would move away to Guam and would be in high school before the play was finished, but I tracked him down after the play opened to great acclaim at the 1985 Piccolo Spoleto Festival, told him of the success and thanked him for his inspiration. I also sent a copy of the script to him when the show as published in ____.)
I guess the idea of a boy and his dog and a boy and his piano merged into this tale of a kid who wants a Dalmatian puppy for his birthday. His father gives him a white Steinway grand piano instead. When the kid paints black sports on this gorgeous instrument, a battle of wills between father and son (one familiar to any father/son or mother/daughter, for that matter) takes the stage. Laura Turner composed a simple but original score for the show, which is part of the rental package. At one point in the play, Gregory, sits down at his piano and begins to play, lights fade (though his playing continues) and when they rise again the piano is seen to be covered with Dalmatian spots. Audiences were often amazed by this rapid transformation, but all we had done was turn the piano around, one side had spots, the other was all white. Actually the whole show uses a black and white scheme for costumes and sets, including when Gregory, who has named his “pet” piano “Steinway” announces to his parents that Steinway has had “puppies” In that scene the spotted Dalmatian spotted grand piano is discovered to be surrounded by tiny white toy pianos—all with Dalmatian spots as well!
Julian Wiles,
Playwright