It's still rock and roll to him

For Matthew Friedman, playing the role of the Piano Man in a musical based on the songs of Billy Joel is a dream come true.

He grew up playing piano and singing — and idolizing Joel.

“It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my whole life, really,” Friedman said. “I was a lawyer before I did this. When I heard there was a Broadway show coming up with Billy’s music and a role like Piano Man, I knew I had to get it. My ultimate pursuit in life was to get this role. It didn’t happen immediately.”

He began playing the role with the first national touring company in January 2006 and is playing it with the second company.

“It blows my mind that I’m able to do this,” he added. “It’s a great experience, and it never gets old. I have fun every night.”

It sounds like he’s not the only one. The Tonywinning show, which stops Sunday in Olympia, is no typical musical revue.

Friedman sings Joel’s songs, and the cast of dancers plays characters from the songs, including Brenda and Eddie from “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” and Anthony from “Movin’ Out.”

“I’m sort of the narrator,” Friedman said. “Sometimes, what I’m singing is exactly what’s taking place on stage. Other times, my job is to set the mood, almost to create musical scenery for what is going on on stage.”

Ben Brantley wrote in a New York Times review, “Each principal performer seems to have his or her own special dialogue with the songs; the dances become shaded personality sketches, expressing individual reactions to mass-marketed music. The characters in the show, which is set in Mr. Joel’s native Long Island, are just the sort of people who would grow up listening to and identifying with Billy Joel songs.”

Friedman, in fact, grew up on Long Island, just a few towns from Joel’s hometown. Although the pianist played “Tell Her About It” in a high-school talent show, Friedman doesn’t try to be Joel on stage.

“One of the many reasons the show succeeds is that it’s not just a Billy Joel clone sitting at the piano,” he said. “You could put on a CD if you wanted that. Billy is all about letting a performer do his own unique interpretation.

“There are a few lines during the show when I put on my Billy voice,” he added. “I can sound like him — or at least a lot more like him than I do during most the show — and every now and then, I’ll sneak it in there. Heads turn when I do that. I pay tribute by keeping it close, but I don’t try to imitate him. There is no point, because there’s only one Billy Joel.”