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.
It may be true that those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it, but what about those who know it and choose to ignore it? What fate befalls them? That question looms large in August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, 'The Piano Lesson' - the fourth play in his 'Pittsburgh Cycle' -- which is now receiving a high-octane Broadway revival at the Barrymore Theatre.
There's abundant magic still in The Piano Lesson, August Wilson's grand, 1987 Pulitzer Prize winning tale of a Black family torn between legacy and ambition, the past and the future, and, it's not an overstatement to note, between life and death.In the new beautifully performed production opening on Broadway tonight at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, first-time Broadway director LaTanya Richardson Jackson unveils a great deal of that magic - and not always in the places you'd expect. Yes, there are the flashes of the supernatural visitations and omens that the playwright mined from Blues mythology and African American folklore, but the magic Jackson conjures from her cast is one of the most impressive displays currently on Broadway
| 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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