Elton John is one of the more than 75 characters Anthony Edwards has mastered.
When Anthony Edwards sits at a piano, he’s usually in Las Vegas performing in front of thousands of people.
But last Thursday morning, he was in a classroom at Rincon/University High School with no more than 40 high school students.
The choir serenaded him with the chorus of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” while he played the piano and harmonica.
“These past few days have been the most amazing and joyful time in my life,” he said after spending part of the day at his old high school last Thursday.
Edwards and his twin brother. Eddie, graduates of Rincon, go by the stage name the Edwards Twins. They do breathtaking impersonations of celebrities such as Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Elton John, Cher, Pavarotti, Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga.
The talented tandem have performed in Vegas and around the country, including bringing their “Twintastic” show to Fox Tucson Theatre last March. They are bringing “Twinstastic” back to Tucson this week for a show to help their alma mater.
The show will take place in the Rincon University High School auditorium, and it will include performances with the high school’s choir, orchestra, dancers and jazz band. Proceeds will help fund the high school’s arts department.
For the Edwards Twins, the show is an opportunity to give back to a place that has helped them flourish in their 30-year career.
“If it wasn’t for Rincon High, my brother and I would not be where we are at today,” said Anthony. “I wanted to give back to Rincon whatever I could.”
When they were students at Rincon, their music teacher would let the twins come into the music room during their free periods to practice playing the piano. He also helped them hone their performance skills.
It was partly the faculty’s support that helped the twins go from performing in nightclubs and hitting the road with only $100 to performing in the prestigious New York Friars Club. And it’s the good memories that they’ve made here and the people that they’ve met that keeps the twins coming back home.
“In a million years, I never thought it’d come to this,” Anthony Edwards said about his and his brother’s careers. “It’s all thanks to all the people growing up and putting that extra fire into us.”
But come Thursday, the show won’t be about the twins, Edwards said.
“It’s about the students and faculty,” he said. “It’s their time to shine.”
As “Piano Man” came to a close last Thursday, Edwards rose from the piano bench and looked up at the crowd of students. He adjusted his mic and turned the speaker to face directly at him instead of at the students.
“Sorry guys, like I said I’m a bit hard of hearing nowadays,” he said, drawing laughter from the students.
“But that was perfect. Absolutely perfect. You guys sound great.”
