August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Piano Lesson is now playing at A Noise Within through Nov. 10.
The Piano Lesson weaves together elements of history and spirituality to create a haunting story about reckoning with a complicated past. The Piano Lesson is the fifth play in Wilson’s extraordinary 10-play “American Century Cycle” that is set in 1930’s Pittsburgh in the Charles’ household.
Berniece (Nija Okoro) finds herself pitted against her newly arrived brother, Boy Willie (Kai A. Ealy), who is determined to sell a family heirloom: a piano decorated with images of their African ancestors carved by their enslaved grandfather. To Berniece, the piano represents a family legacy that must be preserved. Boy Willie sees it as a means to letting go of the past in order to move forward. As friends and relatives (LeShay Tomlinson Boyce, Jernard Burks, Madison Keffer, Alex Morris, Gerald C. Rivers and Evan Lewis Smith) get caught up in the dispute, a dynamic, gripping portrait emerges of a family haunted by its history and wrestling with its future.
Director Greg T. Daniels brilliantly executed the actor’s direction which made this nearly three-hour performance mesmerizing. From the exquisitely built set design, costumes, and music, the creative team brought us back to 1936 in a glorious fashion.
The Piano Lesson peels back the tragic events that brings Boy Willie and his buddy Lymon (Evan Lewis Smith) to the home of Berniece and Doaker – Boy Willie’s sister and uncle. Boy Willie has traveled to Pittsburgh with hopes of getting ahold of a treasured family heirloom – the piano – because he feels “Berniece doesn’t play it. His idea is to sell it to purchase land back home because “they aren’t making any more”. Throughout the play, Berniece and Boy Willie remain at odds on what should happen with the prized piano while their friends and family get caught in the crosshairs.
Recalling the details of how the piano came to their possession, from slavemaster Sutter whose ghost lingers around the Charles home, Berniece and Boy Willie are forced to confront the piano’s past to move forward.
The Charles’ story isn’t isolated. Many families across Anytown USA face similar familial struggles when it comes to legacy and money – which is the brilliance of August Wilson. His work is one that examines the deep fragility of his characters through honest storytelling that shines a spotlight on the struggles black families face.
Is Boy Willie wrong for wanting to create generational wealth or does Berniece’s stronghold of the sentimental value of the piano worth more?
The Piano Lesson is a flawless, beautiful piece of art that will continue to enthrall audiences for years to come. Catch it while you can while tickets are still available.
Performances of The Piano Lesson take place October 19 through November 10 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees every Saturday and Sunday (dark Thursday, Oct. 31).
A Noise Within is located at 3352 E Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (626) 356–3100 or go to www.anoisewithin.org.
