It's very seldom you find a show that you can cheerfully go back and watch again, year after year.
Such a find is A Handful of Keys - the musical comedy romp that puts the "play" firmly into piano playing.
Now in its 16th year, this theatrical juggernaut has moved on from its origins as a showcase for the virtuoso skills of co-creators Ian von Memerty and Bryan Schimmel, yet it continues to deliver the entertainment goods.
Keys has a longevity and appeal that's something of an anomaly in contemporary South African theatre: this two-man, two-piano revue has racked up several awards and more than 1000 performances, and has been seen by over 300000 people on three continents. And still audiences, from fresh-faced youngsters to wrinkly theatre lovers, keep coming back for more.
These days, Von Memerty is more often seen on our TV screens as a judge on SA's Got Talent or Strictly Come Dancing, and Schimmel is one of the country's foremost musical directors - he'll be at the helm for the local production of Dreamgirls next year. They have passed the baton to exceptional young talents in the industry: Roelof Colyn and Jonathan Roxmouth.
The show's success lies in its canny combination of musicality, personality and versatility. The script is for the most part clever, the music is by turns hilarious and stirring - but Keys is made extra-special by that essential dusting of showmanship that can transform a stage work from ordinary to extraordinary.
The stars' performances are truly as grand as the pianos they play. Colyn featured in the show alongside Von Memerty for many years, and is currently the senior "partner in rhyme" to 23-year-old prodigy Roxmouth, in his third year with Keys.
Each performer brings his own zest and quirks to Keys. With self-deprecating humour and frequent digs at popular culture, they zip in and out of costumes, dash around like dervishes, sing, banter, upstage each other ... and Roxmouth even does a comical striptease down to tiger-print broekies while plinking out The Bear Necessities.
The show runs the gamut from Yesterday played in the styles of various classical composers to the always-brilliant potted history of the Broadway musical in 12 minutes, a manic medley covering a staggering 139 musicals. They doff their caps in tribute to piano greats and newbies, such as Fats Domino, Nat King Cole, Nina Simone, Norah Jones and Alicia Keys, and surf the audience's tsunamis of laughter as Elton John (in animal-print platforms), Liberace (dripping with bling) and a simpering Richard Clayderman.
But all this frivolity belies the skill and prowess of the performers, which really come to the fore during the more reflective moments of the show - when they play Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, for example, or Elton John's Funeral for a Friend. As the plaintive and dramatic notes wash over you, you realise that this is more than just a jolly jol: it's a quality theatrical event that you won't forget in a hurry.
A Handful of Keys definitely takes the "bored" out of keyboard!
