Denzel Washingtonhas made it clear that he intends to bring all ofAugust Wilson’s plays to the big screen, as only a niche of viewers was able to see them on the stage. In addition to directing an adaptation ofFencesand serving as a producer onMa Rainey’s Black Bottom, Washington has put his full support behind his son,Malcolm Washington,who made his directorial debutwith an adaptation ofThe Piano Lesson.The Piano Lessonis easily the best of these three projects, as it both examines a complex family dynamic and inserts supernatural themes that ensure that it doesn’t feel just like a filmed stage production. However,the fealty that Washington’s adaptation ofThe Piano Lessonshowed to the original text resulted in a very confusing linethat doesn’t make sense when comparing the relative ages of the leading actors.
One Line in ‘The Piano Lesson’ Doesn’t Make Any Sense
Set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the Great Depression,The Piano Lessoncenters on watermelon salesman Boy Willie (John David Washington), who travels from Mississippi with his friend Lymon (Ray Fisher) to meet his sister Berenice (Danielle Deadwyler). Berenice and Willies’ father, Boy Charles (Stephan James), is killed in a flashback at the beginning of the film; Charles’ two younger brothers, Doaker (Samuel L. Jackson) and Wining Boy (Michael Potts), now live with Berenice.The Piano Lessonreferences the fact that Charles would have been 57 if he survived, and that he was the oldest of his three brothers. This doesn’t make sensewhen considering the family dynamics, as Jackson and Potts are 75 and 62 in real life, respectively. Ages can be flexible when it comes to casting, as proven by the many high school films featuring actors that are much older than teenagers; however, trying to imply a 20-year age difference for older actors just feels like a confusing creative decision.
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Also starring Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington, ‘The Piano Lesson’ finds ways to expand this play beyond the stage.
Featuring older actors to portray Doaker and Wining Boy was not necessarily a bad decision; it makes sense that Berenice would come to rely on a pair of older, paternal figures that have stepped in to mentor her in the wake of her father’s death. Jackson and Potts are both well-versed actors with a significant amount of experience on stage, so it makes sense that Washington would want to include them in the film, even if it was an adaptive change. However,the confusing nature of the characters’ names makes it harder to understand the familial dynamics, and raises questions aboutwhere exactly in the timeline of historyThe Piano Lessonwas supposed to take place. These issues could have been avoided if it was referenced that Charles was older when he died, or if it was not made clear that he was supposed to be older than both Doaker and Wining Boy.
‘The Piano Lesson’ May Have Been Too Faithful to the Play
As impressive as it is that Washington was intent on adapting every line from Wilson’s play word-for-word,The Piano Lessonneeded to change aspects of the original source materialin order to make a stronger film. Film and theater are not the same medium, and what could be believable on stage doesn’t have the same value when it is on the big screen. One of the highlights ofThe Piano Lessonis its intimacy, as it does really feel like the audience is in the room with the charactersduring the significant dramatic moments. However, lines that simply don’t make sense are enough to break the viewer out of what otherwise was a fairly immersive experience.
To Washington’s credit,The Piano Lessonis able to feel truly cinematicthanks to the excellent cinematography and production design. The film visualizes some of thesupernatural elements that were only impliedwithin the production, yet still remains true to the core ideas that Wilson had intended. Many of the quieter scenes, such as the gripping flashback that initiates the film, speak to Washington’s talent as a visual storyteller. However,The Piano Lessonwould have been even stronger had Washington showed the same amount of flexibility when it came to Wilson’s text.
The Piano Lessonis streaming on Netflix in the United States.
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The Piano Lesson
In The Piano Lesson, a brother and sister clash over selling a family heirloom piano—he sees it as a path to wealth, while she views it as a vital link to their heritage. Their uncle tries to mediate, but the conflict reveals deep truths about identity, legacy, and the past.
