I applaud A Noise Within‘s passionate commitment to put up all ten of August Wilson‘s The Pittsburgh Cycle plays and as someone deeply invested in global majority representation in Los Angeles theatre, I want to be there in watching all of them even though I am starting to notice the aging cracks in his plays which I’ll get more into later.

And so with The Piano Lesson, Gregg T. Daniel once again takes such immense material and knocks it out of the park, balancing the pathos and the supernatural (oh yes there are supernatural elements in this play) with ease and coincidentally aligned with the Halloween season. This will be his fifth directorial effort with the August Wilson series at A Noise Within but at this rate, we can only hope that he has it in him to direct the remaining five left.

Written in Wilson’s always enthralling prose, The Piano Lesson weaves together elements of history and spirituality to create a haunting story about reckoning with a complicated past. In 1936 post-Depression Pittsburgh, Berniece (Nija Okoro) finds herself pitted against her newly arrived brother, Boy Willie (Kai A. Ealy), who is determined to sell a family heirloom: a piano decorated with images of their African ancestors carved by their enslaved grandfather. To Berniece, the piano represents a family legacy that must be preserved. Boy Willie sees it as a means to letting go of the past in order to move forward. As friends and relatives (LeShay Tomlinson Boyce, Jernard Burks, Madison Keffer, Alex Morris, Gerald C. Rivers and Evan Lewis Smith) get caught up in the dispute, a dynamic, gripping portrait emerges of a family haunted by its history and wrestling with its future.

This goes without saying but like most (if not all) of Wilson’s plays in the Pittsburgh Cycle, The Piano Lesson is a behemoth in running time as it’s over three hours with intermission. I bring up the length because my only criticism (hear me out) are the extensive monologues that while they are incredible showcases for the actors as well as the important history that’s being told of the Black experience in the United States, they drag the play down as most of the times, characters just listen to mainly Boy Willie go on and on. And this happens quite often with most of the main male characters in Wilson’s plays. While they are compelling, they don’t hold a candle to the written materials that’s given to the women.

Sometimes, it’s not about length but what’s being said and it is here that Nija Okoro is an absolute knockout in all the departments. She commands the stage at any moment she shows up as she arguably has the biggest character arc out of everyone in the play. It is unfortunate however, and this is one more critical point I’ll make of Wilson’s plays, that most of the women characters are relegated to being downtrodden at the mistreatment by men. Mind you, I am painfully aware that I am looking at this with modern sensibilities as opposed to what was not being said back then because there were hardly any Black women playwrights given the opportunities that Wilson had in the mainstream American theatre world.

When it comes to the comedic department, Gerald C. Rivers is downright hilarious. I remembered his rich performance as Stool Pidgeon in King Hedley II and to see him once more on stage in a distinctly different role was a treat because he had me in tears for most of the time he was present. Kai A. Ealy anchors the entire play as the main lead with such charisma and gravitas and handles the numerous chunky monologues with the sturdiest of conviction one needs. The rest of the ensemble provide the incredible support it needs, with one more shoutout to LeShay Tomlinson Boyce in a memorable turn as Grace and making every moment count when she is on stage.

Can we talk about the house because holy moly, the scenic design for that is gorgeous. That credit goes to Tesshi Nakagawa for the incredible detail in making the house look lived in, with a combo team-up in Stephen Taylor for the properties design department. Out of all the Wilson plays, The Piano Lesson delves into the supernatural and boy, did this production deliver. The unsettling creepiness with the ghostly presence of Sutter is made possible by the fantastic lighting design by Brandon Baruch and the sound design by Jeff Gardner. When the play does their rendition of the Parchman prison work song “Berta Berta,” Joyce Guy’s choreography brings the song to life with such a sequence that it was almost worth the ticket admission for that scene alone. Finally, I must give love to the stage managers who always put these shows together in an organized fashion and for this show, that kudos go to Lanae Wilks and assistant stage manager Bryan Tiglio.

If you’re a theatre lover or someone who casually has an interest in theatre, I do believe that Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle series is one of the greatest American treasures and will continue to have relevance for years to come. That being said, I am starting to see that it is not without its faults, especially when it comes to length and the downtrodden roles his women characters are relegated to. These are not necessarily the criticism one would say back during Wilson’s times as there were so few African American playwrights that were given the chance but nowadays, when we have such incredible artists like Lynn Nottage, Suzan-Lori Parks, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Dominique Morisseau, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins that push the storytelling needle forward, I think our current viewpoints can still take a critical look while appreciating the incredible artistry Wilson painted in his works. Such an observation applies to The Piano Lesson so if you have three-plus hours to spare, do check out this play.

WHEN:
Performances Oct. 19 – Nov. 10

• Saturdays at 2 p.m.: Oct. 26, Nov. 2, Nov. 9 (no matinee on Oct. 19)
• Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.: Oct. 19 (Opening Night), Oct. 26, Nov. 2, Nov. 9
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: Oct. 13 (preview); Oct. 20*, Oct. 27**, Nov. 3, Nov. 10

*A one-hour INsiders Discussion Group will take place prior to the matinee on Sunday, Oct. 20 beginning at 12:30 p.m.

**The performance on Thursday, Oct. 24 is “Black Out Night,” an opportunity for an audience self-identifying as Black to experience the performance together; tickets include a post-show reception (non-Black-identifying patrons are welcome to attend, or to select a different performance).

^ŦPost–performance conversations with the artists take place every Friday (except the preview) and on Sunday, Oct. 27

Student matinees are scheduled on select weekdays at 10:30 a.m. Interested educators should email education@anoisewithin.org.

WHERE:
A Noise Within
3352 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107

TICKETS:
• Tickets start at $51.50 (including fees)
• Student tickets start at $20
• Wednesday, Oct. 16 and Thursday, Oct. 17 (previews): Pay What You Choose starting at $10 (available online beginning the Monday prior to that performance)
• Discounts available for groups of 10 or more

HOW:
www.anoisewithin.org
(626) 356-3100