Pianists and singers Jeff Coleron and Rhiannon Kruse are like human jukeboxes.
They both can play hundreds of songs on request, from 1950s rock ‘n’ roll to modern pop music. But the coin-operated machines can’t play with the flair, showmanship and comedy that Coleron and Kruse do on stage.
Dueling Pianos with Jeff and Rhiannon is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. May 12 at the Marysville Opera House.
The act, which tours worldwide, features Coleron and Kruse — who are married and live in Lynnwood — on two grand pianos head to head. They perform audience-requested songs and get the crowd to clap and sing along with them — sometimes interrupting the music with jokes or other comedy bits.
When they’re not playing at the same time or side by side, one of them interacts with the audience. The couple like to poke fun at requested songs, bring people on stage and dance to the disco anthem “Y.M.C.A.” by the Village People.
“The more flair we have, the more the audience is willing to give back to us,” Kruse said.
Each show is unique because every audience is different; they could be older one night and younger the next. Coleron and Kruse read the crowd and improvise the rest, from the jokes to the songs.
“A lot of it comes naturally and organically from the evening,” Kruse said.
Kruse and Coleron’s energetic style is a changeup from typical performances at the opera house, said Lauren Woodmansee, cultural arts supervisor for the Marysville Parks, Culture and Recreation Department.
“They’ve got a great reputation, so they should be a lot of fun,” Woodmansee said.
Dueling piano shows became popular in the mid-1980s, though its origins are disputed. Some people say it started in New Orleans in the early 1930s, while others believe it began at the Alley Cats piano bar in Dallas in the 1980s. In any case, audience participation, comedy and playing songs primarily by request are staples of the shows. Tipping performers in exchange for requested music is customary in piano bars and clubs, but Coleron and Kruse don’t solicit tips.
There are more than 200 dueling piano bars in the United States. Kruse remembers visiting one when she was living in Denver.
“I was in awe of these people doing this,” Kruse said. “It was honestly one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.”
Coleron was similarly intrigued when he saw a dueling piano show for the first time at a club in Orlando, Florida. Coleron asked one of the performers how to start a show of his own.
“He said, ‘Go learn 200 songs,’” Kruse said.
They have that and more in their heads today, and are constantly adding more as new songs rise in popularity. Part of the job is memorizing the lyrics, while the rest is adapting them to the piano.
“A lot of rock ‘n’ roll songs don’t have pianos with them,” Kruse said.
They mostly play rock ‘n’ roll and pop music, but also play country, songs from musicals and some jazz. They can even play catchy jingles from old commercials that sometimes get requested.
Coleron and Kruse met when they were performing on a Disney Cruise Line ship. They bonded over their similar backgrounds in music: Kruse started playing the piano when she was 5; Coleron was 7. They both studied music theater in college.
They combined their talents to launch their own piano show in 2006, performing on cruises. Male and female dueling piano performers are relatively uncommon, according to Kruse; only about 20 percent of the industry have women, she said.
They learned most of the songs they know today during their first two years on cruise ships. They got to see the world, but being at sea eventually got old. So they found other opportunities — plenty of them — on land.
They’ve since taken their act worldwide, performing as far away as the Bahamas and Switzerland. Corporate events, private parties, weddings, theaters and fundraisers are their bread-and-butter.
No matter how much experience they have, however, the job is never easy. While everybody is singing and having a good time, there are at least 50 things going through Kruse’s head, she said.
“I”m not just thinking about the song and the lyrics, we’re thinking about the crowd, looking at the request in front of me and the song after that,” Kruse said. “That’s the art of performing — you make it look easier than it is.”
If you go
Dueling Pianos with Jeff and Rhiannon is 7:30 p.m. May 12 at the Marysville Opera House, 1225 Third St. Tickets are $15. Order tickets online at www.marysvillewa.gov.
Learn more about Jeff Coleron and Rhiannon Kruse at www.noteworthyproductions.com.
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