‘THE PIANO LESSON’: Samuel L. Jackson. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

THE PIANO LESSON
Written by August Wilson
Through January 29, 2023
Directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), wwwPianoLessonPlay.com

By David NouNou

Of the 10 plays that August Wilson wrote that make up “The American Century Cycle”, The Piano Lesson is the fourth installment. Each cycle, as his bio states, “explores the experiences of the descendants of Africans brought to North America as slaves, decade by decade, over the course of the 20^th century.” Each cycle takes place in a certain decade. The Piano Lesson is set in 1936 Pittsburgh. In this amazing revival, the stellar performances lift the material up and make it shine.

I’ve always considered The Piano Lesson  the most complex and intricate of Mr. Wilson’s works. It deals with two principles: Is the item you possess worth more if you sell it and use the proceeds to put it to good use; or is the item you possess worth more for the history and the legacy of the spilled blood of its ancestors that it leaves behind? In the mix is thrown religious complexities and an exorcism.

Boy Willie (John David Washington) and Lymon (Ray Fisher) have come up from Mississippi in a broken-down stolen truck loaded with watermelons to sell in Pittsburgh. He has come up to visit his sister Berniece (Danielle Brooks) and their uncle, Doaker Charles (Samuel L. Jackson). Doaker and Berniece live together with Berniece’s daughter, Maretha (Jurnee Swan). Willie Boy hasn’t seen his sister in three years because he was in prison and has come up North for a specific reason. Now the conflict begins.

Willie Boy wants to sell the watermelons and the family piano that sits in Doaker’s living room, so he can buy his former boss Sutter’s property. This property is where he, his father and grandfather and other relatives had been slaves. Now that Sutter is dead, he wants to buy the property and own the land that enslaved his ancestors.

Berniece will have none of this and refuses to sell the piano and wants Willie Boy to get out of her house, contending that he has done enough harm to the family with his reckless, destructive behavior. Doaker tells Lymon the story behind the piano and the multiple carvings on it that has the faces and history of Berniece’s ancestors etched on it that belonged to Sutter’s grandfather, and how Boy Willie’s father and others stole the piano, and Boy Willie’s father was killed for it.

Berniece is being pursued by Reverend Avery (Trai Byers), who wants to marry her and make her lead singer in his choir. Wining Boy, Doaker’s brother (Michael Potts), comes on the scene and also tries to dissuade Willie Boy from trying to move and sell the piano. Berniece needs Avery to come the next day to bless the house and expel Sutter’s ghost which she has seen. She needs to exorcise all the demons that are in the house.

As I stated earlier, this is the most complex of Mr. Wilson’s plays and the story does get convoluted. Bringing this epic family history to life is LaTanya Richardson Jackson’s impeccable direction and the blistering performances she brings out from her brilliant cast.

For any theatergoer, the most memorable aspect of any show is witnessing outstanding performances. Starting with John David Washington, I’ve been a fan of his since seeing him in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman; his Broadway debut is phenomenal. His presence on stage is as magnificent as when I first saw his father, Denzel Washington, in the 2010 revival of August Wilson’s Fences.

Danielle Brooks’ Berniece is both shattering and beautiful. Playing sister, mother and a widow who could use some loving, she delivers a heartbreaking performance. Samuel L. Jackson when given a substantive role and delivers another powerhouse performance. This man just ages beautifully as vintage wine.

Included with the three top stars are three thrilling supporting actors, all of whom I’m sure may earn a nomination come Tony Award time. Ray Fisher, as the hapless Lymon, is outstanding as Willie Boy’s friend and ardent pursuer of women. His scene with Ms. Brooks is a joy to behold. Michael Potts as Wining Boy, Doaker’s brother, imbues so much heart and soul into the part that he is irresistible. Third but not least is Trai Byers as Reverend Avery. Mr. Byers is converting and healing souls nightly in each performance.

For an evening of outstanding, perfectly directed and fine-tuned performances, The Piano Lesson is a must-see.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 7, 2022
Reviewed at November 6, 2022 performance.

‘THE PIANO LESSON’: Samuel L. Jackson & John David Washington. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE PIANO LESSON’: Danielle Brooks. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE PIANO LESSON’: Samuel L. Jackson. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE PIANO LESSON’: Michael Potts. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE PIANO LESSON’: April Matthis & John David Washington. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE PIANO LESSON’: Trai Byers. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE PIANO LESSON’: The cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

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‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Cynthia Erivo & Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Matthew Murphy

THE COLOR PURPLE
Based upon the novel by Alice Walker
Book by Marsha Norman
Music & lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis & Stephen Bray
Directed by John Doyle
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
245 W. 45th St.
(212-239-6200), http://colorpurple.com/

By Scott Harrah

Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel The Color Purple was a tricky classic to adapt for the screen and stage. Steven Spielberg did a superb job making the story into a film, but the Broadway musical adaptation a decade ago, despite 11 Tony Award nominations in 2006 (including a win for LaChanze for Best Actress in a Musical as Celie), was considered too lavish and overdone by some critics. So it is truly amazing what British director John Doyle—who brought us all those gimmicky Stephen Sondheim revivals of Company and Sweeney Todd, featuring actors doubling as musicians, playing instruments—has accomplished. This revival, which originated at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory, is a total reinvention of the musical, with no real sets other than a wooden backdrop with chairs. In addition, British actress Cynthia Erivo, as the lead character Celie, gives the most-talked-about performance of the 2015/2016 season, stealing the show in virtually every scene with her emotionally exhausting, virtuoso portrayal of the poor, awkward-looking, downtrodden young African-American girl in rural 1930s Georgia.

Mr. Doyle has taken a complicated saga (the novel was written in Southern black slang as letters to God) and Marsha Norman’s bloated Broadway book adaptation and pared everything down to its bare bones, and this simply works beautifully. Fortunately, Mr. Doyle has moved away from the days of making actors play instruments and here focuses on what he does best. He streamlines this blockbuster musical, snips away the fat, and keeps the emotional content intact.

One doesn’t need to be familiar with the book or movie to understand the basic plot, but in a nutshell, Marsha Norman’s original script skips over a lot of the story’s details. Celie is 14 when we first meet her, pregnant, and is soon forced to marry Mister (Isaiah Johnson), a man who beats her. He separates from her sister Nettie (Joaquina Kalukango). The Color Purple is a tale of black women overcoming domineering, abusive men and insurmountable odds despite race and gender, and Mr. Doyle’s utilitarian set and direction helps us focus on these incredible, inspiring characters. It’s impossible not to root for them.

Danielle Brooks (Taystee in “Orange is the New Black) is glorious as Sofia (the role played by Oprah Winfrey in the film), a sassy mama who takes no guff. She brings down the proverbial house when she belts out the women-fight-back anthem “Hell No!” in Act One. Fine performances are also given by Joaquina Kalukango as Nettie, Isaiah Johnson as Mister, Kyle Scatliffe as Harpo, Patrice Covington as Squeak, and Carrie Comprere, Bre Jackson and Rema Webb as local church ladies.

Oscar and Grammy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, as the glamorous singer Shug Avery, is a bona fide Hollywood name helping this production sell tickets. Ms. Hudson will surely please fans with her trademark golden pipes in such rousing numbers as “Push Da Button” and the duet with Celie, “What About Love?” Unfortunately, she has a lackluster stage presence. The character of Shug Avery is supposed to be a bisexual powerhouse, ultimately becoming Celie’s partner, and she should command everyone’s attention whenever she’s onstage. Were it not for Ann Hould-Ward and Christopher Vegara’s gorgeous costumes, Ms. Hudson’s Shug Avery wouldn’t be noticeable at all. When Ms. Hudson delivers a line, she’s definitely good, but it seems she is giving the same performance she did as Effie in Dreamgirls. Ms. Hudson is a diva indeed, but she may disappoint anyone expecting more from such an accomplished star. However, the rest of the cast’s performances are so strong that it doesn’t matter.

Cynthia Erivo makes her Broadway debut here, but she’s already established over in the United Kingdom, where she toured in Sister Act (playing another role Whoopi Goldberg originated for a Hollywood hit). There is no question Cynthia Erivo is bound for stage superstardom on our shores, and the whole audience gets chills as she belts out her 11^th hour number “I’m Here” toward the end of Act Two. By spring’s awards season, Ms. Erivo, Mr. Doyle and this revival itself are going to clean up with this richly shaded, exquisitely acted Color Purple.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 16, 2015
Reviewed at performance on December 15, 2015

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Cynthia Erivo & Jennifer Hudson. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Jennifer Hudson & Cynthia Erivo. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Isaiah Johnson. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Jennifer Hudson & Cynthia Erivo. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: (left to right) Cynthia Erivo, Jennifer Hudson, Isaiah Johnson & company. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: (left to right) Danielle Brooks, Patrice Covington, Cynthia Erivo, Bre Jackson, Carrie Comprere & Rema Webb. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: (left to right) Antoine Smith, Patrice Covington, Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo, Isaiah Johnson, Kyle Scatliffe & Danielle Brooks. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Danielle Brooks & Kyle Scatliffe. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Danielle Brooks & Kyle Scatliffe. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Danielle Brooks. Photo: Matthew Murphy

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