At the time, most one-off drama and comedy plays produced for Australian television were adaptations of overseas works, and The Passionate Pianist is notable as it represents an early example of a locally-written comedy for the medium.
[3] Ben, the teenage son of a Sydney bookmaker prefers football to practicing piano.
The cast included Lee Jones, Nell Stewart, Frank Sloman, Rob Jeffs, and Con Fardouly.
[5] It is part of the trilogy The Growing Year, which also includes Vernon's unpublished plays The Bishop and the Boxer and First Love.
[7][8] Barbara Vernon is also known for writing the play The Multi-Coloured Umbrella, which saw a television version in 1958.