Troilo, Salpini recreate the magic of ‘Murder’

By Rich Fahey

BOSTON – An intimate, comfortable, beautifully air-conditioned theater.

Two accomplished artists re-interpreting the works of two of America’s greatest composers, doing so with great panache and a sense of humor. What’s not to like?

The answer, of course, is nothing at all. “Fascinating Rhythm” is a trip down Memory Lane through the music of George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein, told with four hands, two voices, and 176 piano keys.

It was created and is being performed at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston by Jared Troilo and Kirsten Salpini, the stars of Lyric’s 2016 production of “Murder for Two,” a critically acclaimed hit.

They have mined the work of the two great composers and the result is a well-curated, fast-paced piece that runs about 105 minutes including a short intermission.

Salpini dons a tie to become Gershwin and Troilo wears a fright wig as he channels Bernstein as they finally “meet,” something they never did in real life. When  Gershwin died at the age of 38 on July 11, 1937, Bernstein, serving as a counselor at a camp in the Berkshires, played Gershwin’s Piano Prelude No. 2 as a tribute. Preludes No. 1 and 2 are both part of this program.

It has been enjoyable to watch Troilo climb the rungs of the theatrical ladder in Boston through the past decade to the leading man status he now enjoys. He has found an artistic home at The Lyric, starring in a wide range of musicals, the most recent his starring performance as Monty in “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.”

Salpini is an actor, pianist, voiceover artist, music director, and singer, and she has performed all over the world with theatre companies and cruise lines such as Holland America and Carnival, and in productions such as “The Donkey Show” at American Repertory Theatre. She can perform hundreds of songs from memory.

Troilo performed most of the Bernstein pieces, obviously keying in on the iconic “West Side Story” for numbers such as “Maria,” “Something’s Coming,” “Somewhere” and a comical duet with Salpini for “Gee, Officer Krupke.”

Salpini teased us with a few notes of “Rhapsody in Blue” but was largely focused om the timeless songs that are still part of the Great American Songbook. They included “Embraceable You,” “Nice Work if You Can Get it,” “Our Love is Here to Stay” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

The apex was Salpini’s lovely rendition of “Someone to Watch Over Me,” a song that still speaks to the soul.

As a fan of Bernstein’s rarely performed operetta “Candide,” it was a very welcome development when the duo combined to play the overture from the show. The show’s stirring closing number, “Make Your Garden Grow,” served as an encore.

Troilo and Salpini are able to collaborate seamlessly on difficult pieces at their own pianos and often play together side by side.

Both artists are deadly serious about their performances but are not above having some fun along the way. They asked the audience to submit slips detailing things they are grateful for at intermission and worked the suggestions into an extended version of “I’ve Got Rhythm.”

They also successfully Implored the audience to get involved with other familiar tunes.

Troilo and Salpini effortlessly recreate the magic they showed in “Murder For Two,” and the result is a cool, comfortable evening, featuring some of the best music ever written, performed by two pros at the top of their games.

“Fascinating Rhythm.” Created by and starring Jared Troilo and Kirsten Salpini. At the Lyric Stage Company of Boston through July 16. Ticket information: lyricstage.com