Worbey and Farrell are the British piano musical comedy duo Steven Worbey and Kevin Farrell, who’re coming to the Theatre on the Bay. In Cape Town. The internationally acclaimed concert pianists with a wicked sense of humour have played with the world’s leading symphony orchestras, achieved over a million hits on YouTube, and entertained in over 150 countries around the globe with their barnstorming blend of sparky comedy and utterly sensational piano playing.
They have appeared numerous times on television in the UK, Portugal, Germany and Austria, and are regulars on BBC Radio, in particular BBC Radio 3. Their 2015 show Worbey and Farrell’s House Party at the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh was named amongst the top ten shows to see by Time Out (out of 3,300 shows at the Edinburgh Festival).
They were one of the few headline acts to perform on the maiden voyages of all three Cunard liners – Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria.
Their brand-new show, titled Rhapsody, follows sell-out tours in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and will feature exhilarating rhapsodies, beguiling boogie-woogies and sensational piano playing.
When Worbey met Farrell
Worbey and Farrell met whilst studying at the Royal College of Music. Although pursuing separate careers, they met regularly to rehearse for a year and their first act came together, fusing their personalities and skills.
As Steven reflects: “It just clicked – the humour, the synchronisation, the improvised sense of fun. We discovered that we played the piano together in a way that had never been played before. We spend months on each arrangement, contorting ourselves into odd positions to create orchestral sounds from the piano. We like to think of the piano as our very own orchestra”.
Their unique performance twist of both playing the same piano at the same time was, in part, due to the simple financial constraints of student life – the luxury of two pianos (and even two piano stools) being beyond their means.
Their first gig was at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, which led to a flood of offers across the world.Their mix of comedy and musical virtuosity has made them a global hit and gained them a dedicated following. From Papua, New Guinea to Berwick upon Tweed (literally on consecutive nights) they have performed in over 120 countries.
What: Worbey and Farrell: Rhapsody
Where and when: Theatre on the Bay from 8 to 19 October 2019
Tickets: Computicket
WS
