Denzel Washington’s other son, Malcolm Washington, makes his directorial debut with this 1930s-set family drama.
How to watch The Piano Lesson in the UK
The Piano Lesson is in UK cinemas now. It will then arrive on Netflix on November 22, 2024.
What is The Piano Lesson about?
Set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, shortly after the end of the Great Depression, The Piano Lesson focuses on the African American Charles Family, who are riven by an argument over the family piano, an ancient instrument carved with images of the family’s ancestors going back generations. Ne’er-do-well former sharecropper Boy Willie Charles wants to sell it for a hunk of cash to propel the family (or at least himself) further up the social ladder. His sister Berniece wants to hold onto the heirloom, although she can’t bring herself to actually play it. And their uncle Doaker, the family patriarch, tries to keep the peace with wisdom and a wealth of stories from the family’s past.
Adapted by Washington and screenwriter Virgil Williams, this is based on August Williams’ play of the same name, the cast largely drawn from the recent Broadway revival. It’s part of Williams’ 10-play Pittsburgh Cycle, and there’s a familial connection there, too, as Denzel Washington directed and starred in the film adaptation of Fences, another work from the collection, back in 2016.
The cast of The Piano Lesson
Samuel L. Jackson is Doaker Charles; John David Washington is Boy Willie Charles; Danielle Deadwyler is Berniece Charles; Ray Fisher is Lymon, Boy Willie’s best mate; Michael Potts is Wining Boy Charles, Doaker’s older brother; Corey Hawkins is preacher Avery Brown Badu is Lucille; and Skylar Aleece Smith is Maretha Charles, Berniece’s daughter.
The Piano Lesson trailer
Why we’re excited about The Piano Lesson
Reviews have been effusive, the play itself is great, and by all accounts Washington is an absolute gun behind the camera. Plus, there’s a kind of supernatural Gothic twist to the proceedings which should pique your interest.
