Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington & Danielle Brooks To Star In ‘The Piano Lesson’ Broadway Revival, With LaTanya Richardson Jackson Directing
Deadline reports that Samuel L. Jackson will return to Broadway next season after a 10-year absence with a revival of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama The Piano Lesson, to be directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson in her Broadway directorial debut. Co-starring John David Washington and Danielle Brooks, The Piano Lesson will begin performances on Monday, September 19, at the St. James Theatre.
Richardson Jackson, a Tony-nominated actor for her performance in 2014’s A Raisin In The Sun, will be the first woman ever to direct an August Wilson play on Broadway.
Washington, the son of actor Denzel Washington, has appeared in such films as BlacKkKlansman and Tenet and is featured in David O. Russell’s upcoming Canterbury Glass. Brooks was Tony-nominated for her performance in 2015’s The Color Purple and is known to TV audiences for her roles on Peacemaker and Orange is the New Black.
The revival will be produced by Brian Anthony Moreland (Thoughts of a Colored Man), Sonia Friedman (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and Tom Kirdahy (Hadestown).
Set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District in 1936, A Piano Lesson follows a brother and sister who 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.” Jackson will star as Doaker Charles, with Washington as Boy Willie and Brooks as Berniece.
The design team for The Piano Lesson includes Beowolf Boritt (Set Design), Toni-Leslie James (Costume Design), Japhy Weideman (Lighting Design), Scott Lehrer (Sound Design), and Cookie Jordan (Wig Design).