Show Details
Neil Brand: The Silent Pianist Speaks
Show type: Edinburgh Fringe 2007

Neil Brand: The Silent Pianist Speaks


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Description

Silent film accompanist Neil Brand - who has appeared across the UK in Paul Merton’s Silent Clowns - uses clips from some of the greatest moments in silent cinema to illustrate his 25-year career and the special place of music with silent film.

From the earliest, earthiest comedies and thrillers, through a silent cine-verité classic shot by a young Billy Wilder, which the audience gets to score, to the glories of Hollywood glamour and the sublime Laurel and Hardy, Neil provides improv accompaniment and laconic commentary on everything from deep focus to his own live cinema disasters.

The show culminates in a performance of a film he hasn’t seen, talking through the scoring process as he plays and struggles to make some sense of the film.

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Comments

This isn't entirely a comedy show but does feature some great Laurel & Hardy and Buster Keaton clips. Brand spends most of the show letting his piano do the talking but gives us insights into both the films and the music. There is a biographical element, but this is mostly a man who enjoys his craft and is happy to now make a living out of it. The clips from Douglas Fairbanks Jr and Billy Wilder are interesting and intriguing, and you'll not only enjoy this show you'll learn something too!

Ian Robinson, August 2007



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