Two of August Wilson’s famed collection of ten plays known as the “Pittsburgh Cycle” have been adapted in recent years. Denzel Washington’s Fences in 2016, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom released in 2020 on Netflix. The streamer will also be home to the next one, The Piano Lesson, a family affair developed and produced by Denzel Washington, directed by his son Malcolm Washington, and starring his sibling John David Washington.
Set in 1936 Pittsburgh in The Great Depression’s aftermath, The Piano Lesson centers on the Charles family who are at odds over what to do with the family piano. One side wants to sell it, while the other side wants to keep this important ancestral heirloom.
Joining Washington in the cast are Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith, Jerrika Hinton, Gail Bean, Danielle Deadwyler, Stephan James, Jerrika Hinton, and Corey Hawkins.
Much of the cast also starred in the 2022 Tony Award-nominated Broadway production.
The film marks Washington’s directorial debut. He co-wrote the screenplay with Mudbound writer Virgil Williams.
SYNOPSIS: 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 Piano Lesson opens in select theaters on November 8th before hitting Netflix on November 22nd.
