Review: BNS PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS AUGUST WILSON'S 'THE PIANO LESSON' at The Parr Center

Rory D. Sheriff and BNS Productions kicked-off Black History Month with the iconic August Wilson’s Tony Award nominated revival of The Piano Lesson.    In 1990, The Piano Lesson received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and in 1995 it became the first of August Wilson’s plays to be adapted into a movie, starring Charles Dutton and Alfre Woodard. 

The Piano Lesson is the fourth play in August Wilson’s ten Pittsburgh Cycle.  Inspired by the Charlotte-born  Romare Bearden's painting with the same title, The Piano Lesson, the storyline depicts the battle of wills between two siblings over a historic piano.  The sister, “Berniece” (Nasha Shandri), is determined to keep the family heirloom that is carved with images of their ancestors, as a means to preserve their heritage.  Whereas, the brother, “Boy Willie”(Dominic Weaver), desires to sell the piano for economic gain and land acquisition.  Wilson’s creative intent was to feature a strong Black female character.  Wilson was raised by his single mother, and I would imagine she was a strong woman, as well.

Playwright Rory D. Sheriff has made a similar commitment as “Berniece”, to preserve the legacy of August Wilson, his mentor, by producing all ten of his plays from his Pittsburgh cycle.  The Piano Lesson is Rory’s fifth production from the 10-cycle.  He has produced:  Jitney, Fences, Two Trains Running, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and now The Piano Lesson.  I asked Rory which one of the ten was his favorite and he answered as I should have expected him to answer.  He stated that whichever one he is producing at the time is his favorite.

Before I get into the meat of the actual performances of The Piano Lesson, I want to digress and say a word about BNS Productions as a whole and what makes this nonprofit, independent theater company work.  The word that comes to my mind is “comradery”.  There is a core of actors that consistently make up the cast of many of BNS highly-effective productions.  Throughout the years, you have seen these faces and if you are a consistent patron, you might have become familiar with them.  Their genuine bond manifests through their performances on stage and brings the magic that makes this formula successful, like a family.    And the integral point that I took notice of during this performance of The Piano Lesson was that some of the BNS Productions family that wasn’t cast in this specific production was there to support their fellow team members.  That’s important when you are establishing a dynasty that possibly may be performing intermittently at least ten of August Wilson’s productions together.

So, what did I think of the Piano Lesson?  In November 2022, I had the opportunity to see The Piano Lesson on Broadway, with Samuel L. Jackson as “Doaker”, John David Washington as “Boy Willie”, and Danielle Brooks as “Berniece”.  So in my mind, I had a blueprint of comparison for this current production.  Let me say that no production is ever the same as the playwright’s original creative intent.  As a playwright myself, I can attest that every running of any of my stage plays has been unique and different.  Most plays are a visual representation birth from the mind of the director, using the script as the roadmap.  In this case, that director is Rory, who I believe made his directorial debut for an August Wilson production.  He has directed his own original works, but this is his first August Wilson directorship.

Let’s discuss the cast.  Jonavan Adams portrayed “Doaker” the uncle of the two siblings who served as the arbitrator of the feud, keeping one from killing the other.  He tried his best to display equal affection for both parties. However, clearly, he was on “Berniece’s” side, and he adamantly expressed that “Boy Willie” (Dominic Weaver) was not going to take the piano out of the house. At one point, he even pulled a shotgun on him. Jonavan is one of the consistent actors of the BNS Productions family.  He performed as “Levee Green” in Ma Rainey and portrayed “Troy” in Fences.  I’ve had the pleasure to see him in other productions outside of BNS as well, most recently in Charles Fuller’s play adaptation of A Soldier’s Story.  So, as always, Jonavan "shows up" as a top-notched actor (I call him Charlotte’s own Denzel Washington) and his performance was as equally great as Samuel L. Jackson’s portrayal of “Doaker” on Broadway. 

And, the lead female character, is “Berniece”, portrayed by Nasha Shandri, the strong Black woman surrounded by dominant male characters full of testosterone   I originally had the opportunity to see Nasha in the lead role Toni Stone, written by playwright, Lydia R. Diamond. She was brilliant as a baseball player in again a male dominant cast.  Her role as “Berniece” is a different type of strong woman that shows Nasha’s versatility!  Just like Danielle Brooks, who is nominated for an Oscar for her performance as "Sophia" in the recent rendition of The Color Purple, Nasha owned and slayed the role of “Berniece”.  She was strong, yet feminine.  Persistent, yet compassionately yielding to the wisdom of her uncle, “Doaker”, who had a protective shield all around her.  The on-stage chemistry between the actors seemed genuine and translated to the audience.

Dominic Weaver, another return cast member of BNS Productions, portrayed the role of “Boy Willie”.  Last year, I witnessed his performance in Speakeasy, an original piece written by Rory Sheriff, which was the official selection of the 3rd annual BIPOC Playwrights Festival, hosted by The African American Playwrights Group and Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts.  In addition, Dominic also brilliantly performed the role of C.J. Memphis, in Charles Fuller’s A Soldier’s Story, directed by the phenomenal Dr. Corlis Hayes.  In every role that I have seen Dominic, each which are diverse in nature, he captivated it and left it all on the stage.  His portrayal of “Boy Willie” was equally as impressive as John David Washington, who mesmerized the audience with his extraordinary talents.  Dominic was animated, humorous, and at times eccentric in his behavior.  I absolutely loved it. 

Jonathan Caldwell, “Lymon”, is also a return BNS Productions cast member.  I also recently saw Jonathan perform in Speakeasy, as well.  It appears that Jonathan has mastered playing the country boy, figuratively. “Lymon” is similar to the character affectionately nicknamed “Horse” in Speakeasy.  In The Piano Lesson, Jonathan is portrayed as the gullible, yet loyal, friend of “Boy Willie”.  He is hilarious, wearing misfit clothing and shoes and looking for love in the wrong places. 

Another return cast member of BNS Productions, Graham Williams, “Avery”, portrayed “Berniece’s” love interest/preacher man, who was summoned to perform an exorcism to expel the ancestral ghost that had made appearances to the residents of the home.  Graham is familiar with portraying a man of the cloth because he portrayed “Roosevelt”, the preacher in Speakeasy as well. His supporting role in The Piano Lesson is hilarious as well, especially with “Boy Willie” in the background mocking him.

Melody Williams (no relation to Graham), “Grace”, took a short hiatus from the BNS Productions cast, yet made her return in this running of The Piano Lesson.  She brought the “sultry” on stage in her fashion and sassy mannerism.  Melody did a good job of embodying the essence of what "Grace" signified in her pairing with “Boy Willie” and “Lymon".

New to the theater platform, Comedian Tone-X, made his debut as “Wining Boy”.  A befitting character for him because he was hilarious as the cunning con artist who at times was impaired by alcohol.  He was a good fit for the BNS Production cast/family.

And finally, the youngest of the crew and definitely the cutest, Grace Arie Troy, portrayed “Berniece’s” daughter, “Maretha”.  She was adorable and added innocence in this diverse showcase of complex characters. 

And that’s a wrap.  The Piano Lesson performed its final show on Sunday evening, on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College, at the Parr Center.  It was entertaining, educational, and had a horror-like ending, an eerie struggle with the ghost of the past.  All-in-all, The Piano Lesson's storyline is not as “heavy” as some of the other August Wilson’s productions such as Fences. Although I am not as enthusiastic about this creative piece from the mind of August Wilson as I am about some of the other masterpieces, I give BNS Productions a BIG THUMBS UP for bringing it to the stage with the brilliance of some of the top actors in our theater community. 

For More Information About BNS Productions, please visit website:  http://www.bnsproductions.org

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