For most people, Malcolm Washington’s “The Piano Lesson” will be their first introduction to one of a few things. One, August Wilson, the author, and his works. Two, Malcolm Washington as another “Washington kid” we are now being introduced to, and maybe the fact that this was performed on Broadway with most of the same actors and directed by Samuel L. Jackson’s wife, LaTanya Richardson Jackson (who is my favorite Jackson in that family). Before we dive into the deep things, let’s go back to the Broadway play.
Originally, the Broadway play was put on in 1990 with, if you were a little Black kid in the 90’s like me, a few familiar faces. Doaker, Boy Willie, and Lymon were played by Carl Gordon, Charles S. Dutton, and Rocky Carroll, all actors from the classic Black television show “Roc.” (as a side note: Carl Gordon was from Goochland, VA and my mom claims to have met him at my middle school back in the day.) Berniece was played by the legendary S. Epatha Merkerson. Avery and Wining Boy were played by Tommy Hollis and, my favorite, Lou Myers. Grace and Maretha, for me, don’t seem to play a significant enough role for me to mention them, which sounds terrible, but when I watched the film and read each act, it didn’t seem like they played a huge role in anything. You can make a case for Maretha, but not Grace, honestly. Ok, so this is the tone set by the original 34 years ago.
Fast forward to two years ago, at the time of this deep dive, to the 2022 revival. In the movie, Samuel L. Jackson assumes the role of Doaker as he does in the play. John David Washington, Ray Fisher, and Michael Potts all have the same roles that they did in the play as Boy Willie, Lymon, and Wining Boy, respectively. What I particularly love about Berniece’s character is that both women who played her are exactly who I would pick, if I had my way, to personify the complexity of this women and women of that time. Danielle Brooks and Danielle Deadwyler (I do not know if having the name Danielle was a prerequisite.) are phenomenal forces and every character that I’ve seen them play makes me understand more and more how they were able to really bring life to Berniece.
Now, why would I bog you all down about who played who for this play? Well, if you know these actors, then it gives you a better understanding of these characters, in a weird way. In a basic sense, a father dies stealing a piano from a white man in the South. The stolen piano ends up in Pittsburg with Berniece, Willie Boy’s daughter, and Doaker, Willie Boy’s brother. Willie Boy’s son, Boy Willie, comes to “visit” his sister and uncle with his friend Lymon, who is running from the law after being accused of stealing. They basically mention this because Lymon will be staying in Pittsburg. Boy Willie is planning to go back after selling the watermelons they brought with them. Eventually, Boy Willie reveals that he wants Berniece to give him the family piano to sell so he can buy land back down South, as his father would have wanted. Berniece, and Doaker, is steadfast that she will not be selling the piano.
Wilson wanted his audience to ponder the question, “What do you do with your legacy?” I think the better question is, “How have the lessons or sights from your parents inform how you live your life?” Why is this the better question, Amber? I’ll tell you why. Each child spent a lot of time with the opposite parent. Boy Willie spent a lot of time with his father in the fields, according to flashbacks in the movie version while Berniece spend more time with their mother in the house after dad was, probably, murdered. The reason Boy Willie wants to sell the piano is because his father put no emphasis on the piano. From the movie’s perspective, Willie Boy was about ownership. This is probably why he was so adamant about stealing the piano back. The work on that piano was his daddy’s work and it belonged to him. As a slave, there wasn’t much that you could own and this was something that he believed that he deserved. but what he told his son was to own land. Land was Willie Boy’s endgame, not the piano. The piano was about the principle of the matter. Berniece, on the other hand, dealt with her mother and the piano. Because the piano was the reason her father was murdered, it held a different meaning to her and her mother than it did Boy Willie. Whereas land was the lasting legacy for this family as Boy Willie saw it, the lasting legacy for the women were their ancestors that were carved into that piano. They all made the ultimate sacrifice and it’s something they could physically touch to bring them closer to those faces on the piano. Boy Willie thought more long term, and I understood both sides. And that’s what you want to come out with watching a film or play like this, the understanding. Which way would I go? Honestly, I can’t imagine having something like that piano in my family and selling that legacy for land. I just wouldn’t do it, so I agree with Berniece. Although it caused her such strife and trauma as a child and as an adult, she could look at it every day and tell the story of her family. The story of the land would be that you sold such a precious heirloom to get the land which isn’t that great of a story, if you ask me.
The one thing I have to mention before my call to hear what you all though about Malcolm’s debut and what you family has left you as their legacy and what you do with it is the scene with the men singing. A quick Google search lead me to a prison work song called “Berta, Berta.” I’m sure this was magical on stage but the emotion captured on film, the various shots Malcolm was able to get, and the chorus between these men was pure perfection. I have very few movie scenes that are my favorite of all time and I have them in a post but I think I will have to add this scene to that list. We don’t get to see Black men together in this way often, but when we do, we get magic! Thank you for this, Malcolm. I know a lot of thought went into this scene and the last.
Now here come’s y’alls part. What did you think of Malcolm’s debut? What did you. think about the push and pull between Boy Willie and Berniece? Who was your favorite character and why was it Doaker? I adored Doaker because Samuel L. Jackson played him so well. He’s just like a Black uncle who will tell you what you need to hear and you take it how you will. He won’t tell you what to do but he’ll tell you what you should do. Whether you listen or not is none of his concern and I loved it!
