Cranwell Resort, Lenox, MA
www.cranwell.com/capitol-steps-return-2015
through August 31, 2015
by Shera Cohen
Spotlight: Describe a typical performance. Is each night
unique or the same? Is it fun?
Kane: It is generally fun -- it's a comedy show! Some
aspects are similar as we tend to do the same show over a week. Variables
include errors from the cast or myself (hopefully, not too many of those!),
age/mood/size of the audience and the day of the week as well, but in all in
all there is a general and agreeable consistency to the shows.
Spotlight: Do you have input in the show's preparation?
Kane: I have little input with the music selection -- which
is a good thing since I'm a jazz musician at my core. I have occasionally made
lyric suggestions that have been incorporated in the show, but generally
speaking, most of the humor comes from our crack team of writers.
Spotlight: Do you feel a bit left out of the
"action" and humor, literally being on the sidelines at your piano?
Kane: Nope. I have my hands full at the keyboard as most of
the time I'm emulating a band, trying to remember each performer's key and
following the idiosyncratic tendencies of each performer. I'm content to leave
jokes to the professionals.
Spotlight: How did you get this gig?
Kane: I had myself recently carbon-dated and concluded that
I have been with the Steps for 18 years or so. I was foolishly recommended by
one of our other pianists, who should have known better, Lenny Williams. The
rest is history.
Spotlight: Besides Steps, what else would we read on your
resume?
Kane: I trained as a classical performer/composer and as a
jazz saxophonist though I know better than to play saxophone now. I've worked
in a wide variety of situations from symphony orchestras to Greek wedding
bands, and I even recorded a Zydeco album years ago. I love all music and have
been fortunate to play a little bit of just about everything.
Spotlight: Do you ever get so caught up in the audience's
laughter that you laugh miss a beat?
Kane: Humor tends to lose its impact with repetition, so
while I will know the upcoming punchlines, I find it useful to identify with
the audience's enjoyment and that makes it more fun for me. It's like seeing a
funny movie with a friend that you've already seen before -- you feed off of
their reactions.
Spotlight: Do you think you would ever want to be one of the
comedians/singers?
Kane: No way! Sometimes I imagine I could up there and be
funny but, truth be told, the thought terrifies me. In very rare instances
there will be a mismatch between our show and an audience where they're not
enjoying the humor as much as they could be. It is at those times I'm happy to
be cowering behind the relative safety of my piano.
Spotlight: Are there any onstage or backstage anecdotes you
would like to talk about?
Kane: Sharing life on the road with a bunch of comedians for
18 years has surely generated an impressive pile of anecdotes over the years.
It would be difficult to single out one or two. Rather than leave you
empty-handed, I will relate one of my worst moments on stage. During a show
many years ago, during intermission, our leader needed to substitute a
different song than had been listed. He asked my if I remembered the song
"Women's Room Line," a song we used to do all the time but hadn't
done in a while. I said, "I don't think I remember it well enough" as
the song had some complexities which eluded my recall at that moment.
Unfortunately, the backstage environment was noisy at that moment and he
thought I said, "I remember it well enough." This led to an
uncomfortable moment when the singer, one of our pluckier performers, came out
and started singing "Women's Room Line" to my utter shock and horror.
Since she had already started singing I was forced to try and play the song
which at that point, I remembered approximately 10% of. This led to a bizarre
rendition where I played the wrong chord, she tried to adjust to my chord which
led to me playing even worse chords, and so on. Somehow, we got to the end of
the song and the audience dutifully applauded despite the fact that from their
perspective, they had just listened to the equivalent of an Arnold Schoenberg
atonal song with oddly satirical lyrics. After the show, our leader said,
"We shall never speak of this again." I'm hoping that with the
passage of the years, finally the truth can be told without me losing my job.
This is certainly a much more palatable anecdote than the time when I got sick
onstage in full view of the audience at the Chicago Field Museum. I will not
speak of this again.
