The Piano Lesson
In August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, a family heirloom prompts a ferocious tug-of-war. It's a piano with the family's history carved on its polished wood. To Berniece, the piano's priceless. To her brother, Boy Willie, its sale would earn enough money to buy a handsome piece of land in the South. As she did for Cygnet Theatre's Fences, director Delicia Turner Sonnenberg displays a deep affinity for Wilson. So does her top-notch cast and design team (Jerry Sonnenberg, set; Megan Schmidt, costumes; Eric Lotze, lighting). Mark Christopher Lawrence is a terrific Boy Willie. Born in a "time of fire," he will do anything - even wrestle a ghost - to fulfill his dream. As Berniece, Monique Gaffney is a force for preservation. Her toe-to-toe battles with Lawrence attain such an epic stature that their dilemma feels unsolvable (other than Solomon the piano in half). But the play's ending, "from somewhere old," makes for a dramatic, terrifying, and ultimately moving resolution.
Critic's Pick.
When
Ongoing until Sunday, February 28, 2010
Hours
| Sundays, 2pm & 7pm |
| Wednesdays, 7:30pm |
| Thursdays, 7:30pm |
| Fridays, 8pm |
| Saturdays, 2pm & 8pm |