Play For Today - The Long Distance Piano Player 7/10

A dingy municipal hall in a nondescript northern town plays host to Pete (Ray Davies) a phenomenon, a true one-off of Herculean proportions - at least, according to his loudmouth, cod-American manager Jack Burnshaw (Norman Rossington). Over the next few days, as Jack barks at nonplussed townsfolk through a megaphone while his gofer Alf (James 'Red Shift' Hazeldine) bangs resignedly on a drum, Pete will be attempting to break the record for non-stop piano playing. Why, apart from the 'uniqueness' of the achievement, no-one can be quite sure, least of all Pete's long-suffering wife Ruth (Lois Daine) holed up in a makeshift bedroom for the duration, within earshot of the relentless drone of Pete's playing. Locals seem none to bothered either - two old duffers dusting down the snooker tables in the hall chat idly about him because - well, he's being talked about, apparently.
Info from TV Cream.

Once you've watched it, could you give a rating out of five, just as a test.
My Rating - 4/5

Starring Ray Davies.

C. BBC Television 1970.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Play
• For
• Today
• The
• Long
• Distance
• Piano
• Player
• Kinks
• Ray
• Davies
• BBC
• Television
• TV
• Drama
• 1970
• 70's
• 1970's

[StonefieldJim4]

There's the germ of a good idea buried somewhere in this wretched play, but the execution is dreadful. However, though at first I thought Rossington's performance was beyond bad, I realise now it's a work of comic genius. It can't rescue the script, though, which should've been handed to, re-written and performed by the 'two old duffers dusting down the snooker tables'.