With August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, A Noise Within brings us a perfect ghost story for fall. This must-see production, directed by Gregg T. Daniel, features a phenomenal cast, atmospheric scenic and lighting design and, of course, a Pulitzer Prize-winning script. The Piano Lesson is onstage through Nov. 10. Don’t miss the chance to see it in A Noise Within’s intimate and gorgeous theater in Pasadena.
The story takes place in 1930s Pittsburgh and centers on the Charles family who are haunted by their past. Boy Willie comes north to visit his sister Berneice, who lives with their uncle, Doaker, and her 12-year-old daughter. He has the opportunity back in Mississippi, where he’s been a sharecropper, to buy land when Sutter, a white man whose family owned the Charles family during slavery, dies by mysteriously falling in his well.
Boy Willie has a lot of ideas for getting the money to buy that land, and one is selling the family piano Berneice keeps in the house and never plays. Originally, Sutter had bought the piano for his wife by selling a mother and child in the Charles family. But she missed them so much, that Sutter had their father carve their portraits on the piano. He also carved portraits of their ancestors and their stories. Later, Doaker, Wining Boy and Boy Charles (Berneice and Boy Willie’s father) stole the piano from Sutter, and in retaliation Boy Charles was killed.
To Berneice, there is too much history and meaning in that piano to ever sell it. But Boy Willie sees it as a chance to change his future. He believes their ancestors would appreciate the significance of that piano enabling him to buy land from the family’s former slave owners.
Tragedy lurks in the shadows throughout the play — just like Sutter’s ghost and avenging spirits known as the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog. But Wilson’s humorous writing and the infusion of blues music take the edge off the intensity inherent in explorations of African-American history, legacy and self-worth, making for a thoroughly entertaining and unbelievably fast three-plus hours of theater.
The acting in this production is so authentic, I fell in love with all the characters. Looking in their faces at curtain call (because you can at A Noise Within; the theater is so intimate and just about every seat’s a good one given the projectile stage), I felt tears welling up. The cast took us all on a great ride through the biggest of themes — history, family, legacy, love and pain — all with a generous dose of humor and heart.
Given the themes, it’s surprising just how much humor there is in this play. While Wining Boy (played to perfection by Gerald C. Rivers) is the obvious comedic character, each one contributes to the levity. Kai A. Ealy makes his debut with A Noise Within, and his interpretation of Boy Willie has got to be one of the best. Ealy’s energy never flags, and he’s mesmerizing to watch because he truly embodies the role. His body language and facial expressions add so much to the authenticity of this character, who is smart and ambitious, but also impulsive and in need of the titular “lesson.” Here’s a talent we hope to see onstage here again.
A quick note on the set: The two-story Charles home is creatively rendered. In such a small area, it affords so many spots for action and dialogue — a kitchen nook, a sprawling living room, a staircase used to confront a ghost — and it feels comfortably homey — though it’s admittedly haunted. The haunting atmosphere is elevated by the glowing lamplight and the fog that starts rolling in before the play even begins. Halloween is the perfect time to savor this gem at A Noise Within.
—Julie Riggott, Culture Spot LA
For tickets and showtimes, visit https://www.anoisewithin.org/play/the-piano-lesson/.
Photo credit: Kai A. Ealy, Nija Okoro and Alex Morris in August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson at A Noise Within. /
Photo by Craig Schwartz, courtesy of A Noise Within