Class Assignment: Advanced Biology
Title: Sing Us a Song, You're the Piano Man
Author: rentluver07
Characters: Richard, Dan, Clive, Josie, Tony, John, Paul, Ryan
Word Count: 896
Summary: The same hands used to play the piano are used for many other purposes.
A/N: This didn't turn out quite the way I envisioned it, but that's ok. I took some liberties with the assignment, but I tried to stay as close to the format as I could. Set during Britline, but not necessarily in chronological order. Ready, comment, and enjoy!
To Dan, and to most of the fans that watched Whose Line, Richard was just the man behind the piano. Outside of the obligatory nod before music games and a brief mention at the end, most people didn’t even give him the time of day. He was just the piano man. But to those that knew him best, the hands that played his piano so expertly represented an entire range of emotions.
Clive didn’t handle stress well at all, and what was more stressful than trying to host a show with a bunch of unpredictable comedians doing unpredictable things? The potential for chaos sometimes far outweighed the potential for comedy, and the burden of keeping the two apart fell on Clive’s shoulders. There were times he thought he would break from the weight of it. Richard always had a knack for seeing when Clive was particularly stressed, and those were the times he stopped by his dressing room. As soon as Richard placed his soothing fingers on Clive’s shoulders, Clive could feel the tension evaporate, the rock hard muscles relaxing. The stressors were still there, but, by the time Richard left, Clive didn’t feel quite so overwhelmed, quite so much like he couldn’t handle another day.
When Josie looked at those long, lean hands, she saw tenderness. Love. They conjured up images of late nights doing nothing but exploring one another’s bodies. Of a random touch, just to let her know he was there. A gentle hug before they went on stage. All the little ways he had of showing her that he loved her.
Tony had a reputation, both on stage and off, of the unpredictable prankster. At first, he had riotous fun seeing how many practical jokes he could play on his friends without them figuring it out. Unfortunately, they quickly realized it was him, and started becoming wary whenever he was around. That’s when he decided he needed a side-kick. While he was on stage or in make-up, in full view of everyone, his partner-in-crime was using his innocent hands to plant mousetraps in Clive’s suit jacket or stuff Dan’s car full of bouncy balls. In all the years Tony was on the show, nobody ever figured out how he could be in two places at once.
When John gazed at Richard’s hands, he felt an almost overpowering surge of envy. He was the best on the show; he knew it, everyone else knew it. The show would never have gotten started without him, and it never would have become as big as it had without him. But one thing he was never able to do was the singing games. When he sat there in his dimly lit chair and watched Josie and Mike work their magic and make the audience roar, he inevitably was drawn to Richard. Not only was the man able to improvise whatever style was required, he could do it on almost any instrument imaginable. If John could do that, he would be unstoppable.
Paul had known Richard long before Whose Line came calling. He probably knew him better than any of the other players, except maybe Josie, and the sentiment was returned in spades. So, when Paul started having problems with his illness, Richard was the first to notice. He never said anything, at least, not until Paul brought it up first, but he was there. When Paul felt so high he thought he would explode from the sheer magnitude of thoughts racing through his mind, Richard was there with a steadying hand on his shoulders. When he was so depressed he couldn’t face the thought of getting out of bed, Richard was there with an encouraging word and a soothing touch. Whatever Paul needed, Richard was there.
Ryan was the outsider among the group. He was the American who didn’t really know England or its references and humour. He got on the show by the skin of his teeth, but he never really felt like he fit in. Whenever he felt like he couldn’t possibly go onstage one more time, when he questioned his very presence in this foreign country, Richard was there with an encouraging shove to the small of the back. He never said anything, never let on that he could see how nervous Ryan was, but the strength conveyed through that small touch was all Ryan needed to get out there and make ‘em laugh.
When Richard looked at his own hands, he felt cheated, lost, betrayed. He was a comedian, and a damn good one, too! But because he was so good at the instrumental part of his comedy, nobody gave him a chance to use the rest of his skills. In all the years he did the show, in all the guest spots he watched them fill, he knew, he knew, he could have done just as good, probably better, had he been given the opportunity. But he was never given the opportunity. He would be lying if he said he was sorry to see the show go over to America, sorry to see Laura Hall take over his spot, even though he was infinitely better than she ever would be. Once he got out from under the shadow of that damn piano, he was able to get back into the limelight. He only wished he didn’t have to wait so long.
Author: rentluver07
Characters: Richard, Dan, Clive, Josie, Tony, John, Paul, Ryan
Word Count: 896
Summary: The same hands used to play the piano are used for many other purposes.
A/N: This didn't turn out quite the way I envisioned it, but that's ok. I took some liberties with the assignment, but I tried to stay as close to the format as I could. Set during Britline, but not necessarily in chronological order. Ready, comment, and enjoy!
To Dan, and to most of the fans that watched Whose Line, Richard was just the man behind the piano. Outside of the obligatory nod before music games and a brief mention at the end, most people didn’t even give him the time of day. He was just the piano man. But to those that knew him best, the hands that played his piano so expertly represented an entire range of emotions.
Clive didn’t handle stress well at all, and what was more stressful than trying to host a show with a bunch of unpredictable comedians doing unpredictable things? The potential for chaos sometimes far outweighed the potential for comedy, and the burden of keeping the two apart fell on Clive’s shoulders. There were times he thought he would break from the weight of it. Richard always had a knack for seeing when Clive was particularly stressed, and those were the times he stopped by his dressing room. As soon as Richard placed his soothing fingers on Clive’s shoulders, Clive could feel the tension evaporate, the rock hard muscles relaxing. The stressors were still there, but, by the time Richard left, Clive didn’t feel quite so overwhelmed, quite so much like he couldn’t handle another day.
When Josie looked at those long, lean hands, she saw tenderness. Love. They conjured up images of late nights doing nothing but exploring one another’s bodies. Of a random touch, just to let her know he was there. A gentle hug before they went on stage. All the little ways he had of showing her that he loved her.
Tony had a reputation, both on stage and off, of the unpredictable prankster. At first, he had riotous fun seeing how many practical jokes he could play on his friends without them figuring it out. Unfortunately, they quickly realized it was him, and started becoming wary whenever he was around. That’s when he decided he needed a side-kick. While he was on stage or in make-up, in full view of everyone, his partner-in-crime was using his innocent hands to plant mousetraps in Clive’s suit jacket or stuff Dan’s car full of bouncy balls. In all the years Tony was on the show, nobody ever figured out how he could be in two places at once.
When John gazed at Richard’s hands, he felt an almost overpowering surge of envy. He was the best on the show; he knew it, everyone else knew it. The show would never have gotten started without him, and it never would have become as big as it had without him. But one thing he was never able to do was the singing games. When he sat there in his dimly lit chair and watched Josie and Mike work their magic and make the audience roar, he inevitably was drawn to Richard. Not only was the man able to improvise whatever style was required, he could do it on almost any instrument imaginable. If John could do that, he would be unstoppable.
Paul had known Richard long before Whose Line came calling. He probably knew him better than any of the other players, except maybe Josie, and the sentiment was returned in spades. So, when Paul started having problems with his illness, Richard was the first to notice. He never said anything, at least, not until Paul brought it up first, but he was there. When Paul felt so high he thought he would explode from the sheer magnitude of thoughts racing through his mind, Richard was there with a steadying hand on his shoulders. When he was so depressed he couldn’t face the thought of getting out of bed, Richard was there with an encouraging word and a soothing touch. Whatever Paul needed, Richard was there.
Ryan was the outsider among the group. He was the American who didn’t really know England or its references and humour. He got on the show by the skin of his teeth, but he never really felt like he fit in. Whenever he felt like he couldn’t possibly go onstage one more time, when he questioned his very presence in this foreign country, Richard was there with an encouraging shove to the small of the back. He never said anything, never let on that he could see how nervous Ryan was, but the strength conveyed through that small touch was all Ryan needed to get out there and make ‘em laugh.
When Richard looked at his own hands, he felt cheated, lost, betrayed. He was a comedian, and a damn good one, too! But because he was so good at the instrumental part of his comedy, nobody gave him a chance to use the rest of his skills. In all the years he did the show, in all the guest spots he watched them fill, he knew, he knew, he could have done just as good, probably better, had he been given the opportunity. But he was never given the opportunity. He would be lying if he said he was sorry to see the show go over to America, sorry to see Laura Hall take over his spot, even though he was infinitely better than she ever would be. Once he got out from under the shadow of that damn piano, he was able to get back into the limelight. He only wished he didn’t have to wait so long.