"'The Piano Lesson' is one of the most intricate, passionate and political plays I have ever been involved with," said director Seret Scott about her newest production, now playing at D.C.'s Arena Stage.
A Pulitzer Prize-winning play by August Wilson, "The Piano Lesson" tells the story of the Charles family, a typical 1930s Northern black family suffering from the hardships of the Depression and racism. Wilson scholar Sandra Shannon says, "'The Piano Lesson' is a lesson on what to do with one's cultural heritage."
The play begins when Boy Willie Charles and his friend Lymon travel from Mississippi to Pittsburgh, where Willie's uncle, Doaker, and sister, Berniece, live. The two arrive early in the morning and interrupt the family's everyday routine. Aspiring to buy the plantation where his ancestors were slaves, Boy Willie reveals his plans to sell the old family piano despite his sister's protest. Berniece realizes the piano's handmade carvings, made by her great-grandfather while he was a slave, are the only remains of the family's history. Berniece's stubbornness and Boy Willie's ambition provide a constant tension throughout the show.
The play's supporting characters also include Maretha, Berniece's daughter; Wining Boy, Doaker's alcoholic brother; and Avery, Bernice's suitor and preacher. Wilson uses these characters in amusing subplots that contrast the anxiety over the piano. All the characters and their individual stories come together at the climax of the performance, when Boy Willie makes his final attempt to take the piano.
Bernice refuses to play the piano as she did in her childhood for fear of awaking the spirits of her ancestors. Upon Boy Willie's return home, members of the family claim to see the ghost of Charles Sutter, the recently deceased descendent of the plantation's owners. Wishing to rid the house of specters, Berniece suspects Boy Willie of killing Sutter and insists he return to the South without selling the piano.
"Where the piano ends up is less important to Wilson than the family learning to grapple directly with the fearsome hold of ghosts past..." said Arena Stage Dramaturge Michelle T. Hall.
The production conveys the importance of heritage and remembrance through powerful acting and a period-appropriate set. Twice during the show, the actors broke out in traditional African spiritual singing, creating a break in the constant dialogue while still adding to the plot and theme of the script.
Wilson won his second Pulitzer Prize for "The Piano Lesson" after winning his first for "Fences." His screenplay for a TV movie adaptation of "The Piano Lesson" also garnered an Emmy for Wilson in 1995. Some of Wilson's other notable works include "Jitney," "Two Trains Running," "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" and "The Homecoming." "The Piano Lesson" is part of Wilson's celebrated 10-play cycle, set in each decade of the 20th century, chronicling the century's African-American experience.
Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith said, "We're thrilled to welcome Seret Scott, who brings an intimate understand of Wilson's work to skillfully reveal the lives, loves, losses and heroes of 'The Piano Lesson.'"
Scott, a D.C. native, makes her hometown and Arena Stage directorial debut with this production. Scott directed plays for Philadelphia Theater Company, Yale Repertory, South Coast Repertory and Ford's Theater.
The Arena Stage is not built in the traditional proscenium style, in which the audience and stage are arranged like a movie screening. The stage is surrounded by seats on all four sides, creating a unique visual experience for theater-goers. The circular theater style was popularized during the Elizabethan era by William Shakespeare.
"The Piano Lesson" is currently playing at Arena Stage and will continue through Friday. For more information, call (202) 488-3300 or visit www.arenastage.org.
