PIANO MAN: Concert association show a comedy/classical combo
Published 8:57 pm Thursday, February 27, 2014
![LIVE ON STAGE | CONTRIBUTED PIANO MAN: Piano man, funny man, Dale Gonyea is the featured artist of the last Beaufort County Concert Association performance of the season. The Grammy-winning artist takes his one-man and a piano show on the road six months out of the year and stops in Washington on March 18.](https://www.thewashingtondailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2014/02/NEWS_ABOUT-TOWN_GONYEA_140227_WEB.jpg)
LIVE ON STAGE | CONTRIBUTED
PIANO MAN: Piano man, funny man, Dale Gonyea is the featured artist of the last Beaufort County Concert Association performance of the season. The Grammy-winning artist takes his one-man and a piano show on the road six months out of the year and stops in Washington on March 18.
Family friendly fun; classical, original vaudeville. The words are in no particular order, but they are all used to describe the performance of one Dale Gonyea, singer, songwriter, pianist, and the next, and last, act of the Beaufort County Concert Association’s 2013-2014 concert season.
According to his biography, “Dale Gonyea got up very early one morning and, without a single lesson, spontaneously began playing the piano. His parents were astonished because they did not have a piano. They decided he needed therapy or music lessons. Therapy was expensive. They bought a piano and a career was born.”
Now, Gonyea spends half the year traveling across the country, sharing his humor with audiences in cities across the world.
“I really do enjoy the tour, especially if it’s not wound too tight — I like to be able to stop and smell the asphalt,” Gonyea said.
He started out as a singer-songwriter, in the Billy Joel tradition, but when his more humorous work began to be recognized, his career took a turn. He’s an Emmy winner, a Clio nominee, and his song-spoof, “I Need Your Help, Barry Manilow,” was Grammy-nominated for Comedy Record of the Year. He has also written numerous songs for Disney, including the “Sport Goofy” anthem, “You Can Always Be Number One” and the Genie’s song, “Nothing in the World Quite Like a Friend” for “The Return of Jafar,” the sequel to Aladdin.
Gonyea said gearing his performance for a general audience and making a point to keep the show current mean both he, and his audience, are entertained.
“I use the piano as a springboard for my humor. … I have a good time — and so do they,” Gonyea laughed.
Gonyea will perform March 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Washington High School Performing Arts Center following an outreach program with local school children earlier in the day, according to BCCA President Larry Ahlman. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door the evening of the performance by cash or check. To reserve tickets, contact Larry Ahlman at 252-948-1431.
Gonyea, having been on a seemingly polar vortex tour this winter, said he would appreciate it if Beaufort County concertgoers would “try to lean into spring” before March 18.