The producers of the 2022-2023 Broadway revival of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson announced March 19 that the production recouped its original investment.
Last season, the limited engagement was the highest-grossing revival of a play on Broadway, performing September 19, 2022-January 29, 2023, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
Producer Brian Anthony Moreland said in a statement, “We are immensely grateful to LaTanya Richardson Jackson for her singular vision. Her ability to so vibrantly expose Wilson’s masterwork to a whole new generation of theater loves is what made this production a hit. Kudos to her, our wonderful cast, and our amazing co-producing team.”
Additional details regarding the recoupment have not yet been revealed.
Set in Pittsburgh's Hill District in 1936, The Piano Lesson follows a brother and sister who are embroiled in a battle over a family heirloom: a piano hand-carved by an enslaved ancestor.
Tony nominee LaTanya Richardson Jackson, the first woman to direct an August Wilson play on Broadway, helmed the production, which starred Samuel L. Jackson (who received a Tony nomination for his performance) as Doaker Charles, John David Washington as Boy Willie, Danielle Brooks as Berniece, Trai Byers as Avery, Ray Fisher as Lymon, April Matthis as Grace, Michael Potts as Wining Boy, and Nadia Daniel and Jurnee Swan as Maretha at alternating performances.
The creative team also included Tony-winning music director Jason Michael Webb (who composed new music for the revival), Tony-winning set designer Beowulf Boritt, Tony-nominated costume designer Toni-Leslie James, Tony-nominated lighting designer Japhy Weideman, Tony-winning sound designer Scott Lehrer, Drama Desk-nominated wig designer Cookie Jordan, Tony-winning projection designer Jeff Snug, and choreographer Otis Sallid. Casting was by Calleri Jensen Davis with general management by Foresight Theatrical.
After closing, The Piano Lesson's titular prop headed to The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, where it became a permanent resident. Designed by scenic designer Boritt, the piano was built at BB props in Little Falls, New York.
READ: How The Piano Lesson Design Team Created Their Instrument
The revival was also taped for the Lincoln Center Theatre on Film and Tape Archives January 26.
Wilson's play made its world premiere at Yale Repertory Theatre in 1987 with Samuel L. Jackson starring as Boy Willie. In 1990, the play was staged at Chicago's Goodman Theatre, and subsequently transferred to Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre. The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama received 1990 Tony nominations for Best Play, Best Direction of a Play, Best Featured Actor in a Play, Best Actor in a Play, and Best Featured Actress in a Play.
The 2022 revival was produced by Brian Anthony Moreland, Sonia Friedman, Tom Kirdahy, Kandi Burruss, and Todd Tucker.
Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson
Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington in The Piano Lesson
Danielle Brooks in The Piano Lesson
Samuel L. Jackson and Ray Fisher in The Piano Lesson
April Matthis and John David Washington in The Piano Lesson
John David Washington and Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson
Michael Potts and Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson
John David Washington in The Piano Lesson
Danielle Brooks in The Piano Lesson
Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson
Michael Potts in The Piano Lesson.
Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson
Trai Byers in The Piano Lesson
Ray Fisher, Trai Byers, and Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson
John David Washington in The Piano Lesson
