August Wilson’s play The Piano Lesson has finally been adapted for the big screen in a film that offers to haunt audiences. The playwright behind the celebrated work Fences wrote this production in 1987. The story follows the Charles family and two conflicting sides of an argument. One wants to leave the past behind, while the other wants to remember it. The upcoming film is directed by Malcolm Washington – son of Fences actor and celebrated performer Denzel – with his brother John David Washington in the leading role. In select theaters now and set to be released on Netflix, the synopsis is as follows:
“A battle is brewing in the Charles Household. At the center stands a prized heirloom piano tearing two siblings apart. On one side, a brother (John David Washington) plans to build the family fortune by selling it. On the other, a sister (Danielle Deadwyler) will go to any lengths to hold onto the sole vestige of the family’s heritage. Their uncle (Samuel L. Jackson) tries to mediate, but even he can’t hold back the ghosts of the past.”
The family affair promises to deliver a cinematic and emotional representation of August Wilson’s famous material. With a stacked cast full of award-winners, fans should be interested in seeing this new feature film.
‘The Piano Lesson’ Chronicles a Painful Family History
At its heart, The Piano Lesson is a drama about intergenerational trauma that cuts to the core of the viewer. The trailer opens with a speech from Samuel L. Jackson in the role of Uncle Doaker, whose age gives him the context to explain the importance of the family heirloom.
“That piano is the story of our whole family,” Doaker says in the trailer. The family’s grandfather carved the entire piano himself but, because he was a slave, it never belonged to him. Visuals show the story of Grandfather Charles stealing the piano from his slave owner’s house. This intricate heirloom is so full of history that Doaker says: “That’s why Berniece ain’t gonna sell that piano. Because her daddy died over it.”
In the 1930’s, Boy Willie (Washington), wants to sell the piano to start a business of his own. But his sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) refuses to sell it even though she never plays it. She is afraid that all the spirits of the dead connected to the piano will be disturbed if she does. Like the events of the film, The Piano Lesson has a long and vivid history that makes the upcoming film captivating. Per Entertainment Weekly, Jackson is cast in the older role of the family’s uncle but was the first to play the role of Boy Willie at the Yale Repertory Theatre in its first production. Washington and Fisher also played their roles in the 2022 revival of the play. With Denzel Washington as well as Malcolm and John’s sister Katia producing, The Piano Lesson looks to be promising indeed. Fans can see the film in select theaters currently and when The Piano Lesson streams on Netflix on November 22.
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