The Piano Lesson is set in Pittsburgh's Hill District in 1936. A brother and sister are locked in a war over the fate of a family heirloom: a piano carved with the faces of their ancestors. Only by revisiting history can the siblings endeavor to move forward. Directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson, The Piano Lesson is a part of August Wilson's American Century Cycle, which chronicles the Black experience throughout the 20th Century over the course of ten plays.
And yet even among Wilson's outstanding and occasionally surreal plays, 'The Piano Lesson,' both a family drama and a ghost story, stands out as one of the odder works. It's a mix of themes and tones, both concrete and ethereal, ghoulish and comedic, but the imbalanced direction here, by LaTanya Richardson Jackson, overemphasizes the horror too literally; it works best on a metaphorical level.
Boy Willie is, by definition, insolent and impetuous, and Washington-so captivating as an undercover cop in Spike Lee's Oscar-winning drama BlacKkKlansman-captures both with ease, and has presence to spare. Unfortunately, he's also pretty much at full volume, and full speed, from the jump. To be fair, Charles S. Dutton's performance at Yale Rep and on Broadway received some of the same criticism-too big, too loud, too fast. And if Boy Willie didn't drive at 55 mph, the play could easily be 20 minutes longer. That's how massive the part is. One suspects, however, that Washington will be dynamite in the Netflix Piano Lesson adaptation.
| 1990 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 2012 | Off-Broadway |
Signature Theatre Company Off-Broadway |
| 2022 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play | Danielle Brooks |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play | Ray Fisher |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play | Japhy Weideman |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | The Piano Lesson |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Wig and Hair | Cookie Jordan |
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Danielle Brooks |
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | John David Washington |
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | The Piano Lesson |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play | Danielle Brooks |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play | Michael Potts |
| 2023 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Awards | John David Washington |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Samuel L. Jackson |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | The Piano Lesson |
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