Broadway's The Piano Lesson Extends Two Weeks

The current Broadway revival of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson has extended its run and will now play through January 29, 2023 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The production was previously set to complete its run January 15.

Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, and Danielle Brooks lead the revival, alongside Trai Byers, Ray Fisher, April Matthis, Michael Potts, Nadia Daniel, and Jurnee Swan. Shirine Babb, Charles Browning, Peter Jay Fernandez, Sharina Martin, Warner Miller, Doron JéPaul Mitchell, and Kim Sullivan serve as understudies.

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 piano carved with the faces of their ancestors. It is the fourth play in Wilson's Century Cycle, which explores the Black experience in every decade of the 20th century; other works in the cycle include Fences, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and Jitney, among others.

LaTanya Richardson Jackson is at the helm for the revival, and is the first woman to direct an August Wilson play on Broadway. The creative team also includes Tony-winning music director Jason Michael Webb, who composed new music for the production, 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 designer Cookie Jordan, Tony-winning projection designer Jeff Snug, and choreographer Otis Sallid. Casting is by Calleri, Jensen, Davis, and general management is by Foresight Theatrical.