Directed by Tony Award nominee LaTanya Richardson Jackson (A Raisin In The Sun, To Kill A Mockingbird), who is making her Broadway directorial debut and will be the first woman to ever direct an August Wilson play on Broadway, this production will star Samuel L. Jackson (The Mountaintop), who originated the role of Boy Willie at Yale Rep in 1987,  as Doaker Charles, John David Washington as Boy Willie, and Antonyo Award winner and Tony nominee Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple) as Berniece. The Piano Lesson will begin performances on Monday, September 19, 2022, at the St. James Theatre.

“August Wilson dedicated his life and devoted his talent to dramatizing our stories and our experience. In doing so, he forever changed what it means to be Black in America. His plays built empathy, created community, and showed us the power of representation. The Piano Lesson is one of his most enduring, profound and consequential masterpieces, and I am reveling in this opportunity to present it to Broadway audiences for the first time since its premiere.”

LaTanya Richardson Jackson

The Piano Lesson is set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District in 1936.  A brother and sister are locked in a war over the fate of a family heirloom: a piano carved with the faces of their ancestors. Only by revisiting history can the siblings endeavor to move forward.

August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Piano Lesson is the fourth play in the American Century Cycle, which premiered at the Yale Repertory Theatre in 1987, starring a then-39-year-old Samuel L. Jackson as Boy Willie. Three years later, a new production, starring Carl Gordon, Charles S. Dutton, and S. Epatha Merkerson, opened at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, and soon transferred to Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre. In addition to winning the Pulitzer Prize for drama, The Piano Lesson won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play, the Peabody Award, and was nominated for the 1990 Tony Award for Best Play.

Producers Moreland (Thoughts of a Colored Man), Friedman (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), and Kirdahy (Hadestown) said:

“We are humbled and honored to return Mr. Wilson’s work to the Broadway stage under the inspirational LaTanya Richardson Jackson. After more than 30 years, The Piano Lesson is still adding to the ever-evolving conversation about family legacy. This production is coming back to Broadway at such an exciting time for our industry as we work to rebuild – and who better than Mr. Wilson to help us.”

Wilson’s American Century Cycle chronicles the Black experience throughout the 20^th Century over the course of ten plays – each set in a different decade. The Cycle consists of Jitney, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, Two Trains Running, Seven Guitars, King Hedley II, Gem of the Ocean, and Radio Golf. The Cycle includes five New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award winners, two Pulitzer Prize winners, and a Tony Award-winning Best Play.

The St. James Theatre is owned and operated by Jujamcyn Theaters, who produced the original Broadway production of The Piano Lesson at their theatre, the Walter Kerr, in 1990. In 2005, Jujamcyn Theaters renamed the Virginia Theatre the “August Wilson Theatre” in honor of the Pulitzer-Prize winner. Additionally, their history with August Wilson goes back many years. Jujamcyn Theaters lead produced six original productions in Wilson’s Century Cycle, including the Broadway runs of The Piano Lesson (1990, Walter Kerr); Two Trains Running (1992, Walter Kerr); Seven Guitars (1996, Walter Kerr); King Hedley II (2001, formerly the Virginia, now the August Wilson); Gem of the Ocean (2004, Walter Kerr); and Radio Golf (2007, Cort).

The post Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Brooks To Lead Broadway Revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson appeared first on Broadway Black.

East Texas Hot Links tells the story of a small African American community in 1955 Texas. The play takes place during a single night in the Top o’ the Hill Café, where a “betrayal endangers the lives of the community.” Lee’s play originally premiered in 1991 at the Met Theatre in Los Angeles with Loretta Devine in a starring role. A review of the production at the time noted, “the performances are gripping, honest and filled with humor.”

Casting for East Texas Hot Links is currently underway with John Beasley star of TV Land’s “The Soul Man” in the role of “Boochie Reed.” Beasley also serves as a producer. The movie is scheduled to begin shooting next spring in Los Angeles.

In addition to East Texas Hot Links, Lee has written Fear Itself, Somebody Called: A Tale of Two Preachers, Killingsworth, The Rest of Me, the musical Twist, and Lyin’ Ass. He also has appeared on Broadway in August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean, and as a company member for the Kennedy Center’s 10-play cycle tribute to Wilson. His television credits include “Good Times,” “The White Shadow,” and “The Women of Brewster Place.” He is currently the Artist in Residence and Artistic Director of the Texas State University Black and Latino Playwright’s Conference.

Jackson has enjoyed a long career on the stage including 1990’s Broadway production of Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. Most recently, he starred alongside Angela Bassett in Katori Hall’s Olivier Award-winning drama The Mountaintop as “Dr. Martin Luther King.”

The post Samuel L. Jackson Bringing East Texas Hot Links Play to the Big Screen appeared first on Broadway Black.

Samuel L. Jackson, Leslie Odom Jr., Patina Miller, Brandon Victor Dixon, Latanya Richardson, Danielle Brooks, and the exquisite Cicely Tyson were among the many luminaries in attendance to honor the two-time Tony Award winner.

The 98th annual event recognized Jones for more than 50 years of exceptional theater work.  Known best for his trademark bass, Jones is one of the few artists who has received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony for his noteworthy performances, including his role as Darth Vader, one of the most notorious villains of all time.

“His presence is so indelible, his talent so immense, ” noted Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing.  “He’s managed to make some of his most memorable film roles without even showing his face.”

The Lion King’s Samuel E. Wright, Alton Fitzgerald White, L. Steven Taylor, Nathaniel Stampley and Rufus Bonds Jr. kicked off the celebration with a musical performance thanking Jones for originating the beloved role of Mufasa, which they each later reprised in the Broadway musical.

Norm Lewis, who previously played Javert in Les Miserables, dedicated his lovely rendition of “The Prayer” to the late Kyle Jean Baptiste, acknowledging that both of their opportunities were set in motion by pioneer Jones’ efforts. “That was all because of doors you opened.”

After being presented with the award by Star Wars co-star Jackson, Jones humbly thanked The Wing for their contributions to his artistic growth. “They taught us not to put ethnic or gender limits on the characters that we studied.  They taught us speech for Shakespeare, and speech for Arthur Miller, and speech for Tennessee Williams, and speech for George Lucas,” he affirmed graciously before concluding, “I can’t thank you enough, no matter how old I get.”

Jones can currently be seen with Ms. Tyson in The Gin Game at the Golden Theater through January 10, 2016.

#AboutLastNight #TheWingGala @patinamiller @normlewis777 @leslieodomjr @nicolettekloe @brandonvdixon @jamesearljones

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What a night fit for a legend. Congrats @JamesEarlJones! #AboutLastNight #TheWingGala #YouAreBroadwayBlack A photo posted by BroadwayBlack (@broadwayblack) on Sep 29, 2015 at 8:24am PDT

Past & present Mufasas of Broadway’s @thelionking perform& honor the original film Mufasa @JamesEarlJones #5GuysNamedMufasa #TheWingGala #AboutLastNight

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@SamuelLJackson presenting @JamesEarlJones with #TheWingGala Honor #AboutLastNight A photo posted by BroadwayBlack (@broadwayblack) on Sep 29, 2015 at 7:43am PDT

Of course @IAmCicelyTyson was in the building. #AboutLastNight #TheWingGala

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.@PatinaMiller gave us Simple Joys. @brandonvdixon let the good times roll & @NormLewiss777 Brought Us Home! #TheWingGala #AboutLastNight

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#AboutLastNight The stars of Hollywood came to support @JamesEarlJones as he was honored by The American Theatre Wing #TheWingGala

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The film seeks to place a spotlight on the dismal recurrence of gun violence in the Chicago neighborhood of Englewood, and stars Samuel L. Jackson, John Cusack, Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, Dave Chappelle, and Common.  As politicians including the city’s Alderman and Mayor have rushed to chime in on their disapproval of the film’s title, there is no doubt that Lee’s choice has struck a chord. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel who has been dogged by many high profile shootings during his tenure, met with Lee in April. Said the Mayor,

We had an honest, frank conversation… He said that while the movie is about the neighborhood of Englewood, I was clear that I was not happy about the title. I told him also that there are very good people that live in Englewood who are raising their family and there’s a lot of positive things that are happening in Englewood mainly driven by the people that make up Englewood.

Alderman William Burns had more criticism for the name stating,

These are communities where people are doing the right thing, people trying to have a decent neighborhood. Having a movie called ‘Chi-raq’ will make it much more difficult for folks like me and other aldermen to bring economic development to those neighborhoods. Who wants to live in a place that people call Chi-raq?

The Alderman went so far as to suggest that Lee should not receive a $3 million tax break for filming there.

“Part of the deal with the tax credit is that the film production company has to prove that the film will have a positive economic impact on the state of Illinois…And I think by calling a whole part of the city of Chicago ‘Chi-raq,’ that will make it hard to bring economic development to those communities, to bring jobs to those communities, and will therefore have a negative economic impact on the state of Illinois. And for that reason, they should deny it.”

An unbothered Lee responded with the brutal facts via Instagram.

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With all of the fervor around the name, one of the most interesting parts of the movie still speaks of Lee’s genius and creativity. The film is reportedly a musical comedy based upon Aristophanes’ comedy, Lysistrata.  “Lysistrata” persuades the women of Greece to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace ending the war.  The power of…unity… indeed! It’s exciting to wonder how Lee will weave this classic comedy into the modern day ails of a staggeringly violent city, nicknamed Chi-raq.

The post Politicians Attack Spike Lee Over Upcoming Film, Chi-raq appeared first on Broadway Black.