Is The Piano Lesson A comedy?

Derrick Sanders directs student cast members at a rehearsal of “The Piano Lesson.”

today.uic.edu - 'Piano Lesson' a brilliant mix of philosophy, comedy - UIC Today

Could Freddie Mercury sing 5 octaves?

While David Bowie and Freddie Mercury both had ranges spanning four octaves, Prince could hit a gobsmacking B6. May 16, 2022

Last updated Oct 18, 2020

How many keys do I need to learn piano?

For a beginner, 66 keys are sufficient for learning to play, and you can play most music on a 72-key instrument. For anyone interested in playing...

Last updated Apr 3, 2022

Promotion

By Johnson Luo — [email protected]

UIC Theatre’s production of “The Piano Lesson” reflects this theater season’s theme of “What would you fight for?” — exploring questions and social psychological phenomena on values. “The Piano Lesson,” written by August Wilson and directed by Derrick Sanders, tells the story of a beautiful and historic piano. Descendants of a slave once owned by a European settler inherited it after the abolition of slavery.

Bernice has the piano in her boyfriend Doaker’s house in Pittsburgh. But her brother, Boy Willie, has just as much right to the piano as she does. Boy Willie travels with his friend, Lymon, to Pittsburg, intending to sell the piano for money to buy farmland. Bernice refuses to sell the piano because it holds too much sentimental and historic values. This is the main conflict of the story: Should they sell the piano?

An interesting philosophical question surfaces frequently throughout Wilson’s work: Is our past a positive or negative force in our lives? Bernice wants to keep the piano for no other reason than its intangible value, but she still struggles. Selling the piano would make Boy Willie happy for the profit, a tangible value. Avery, a preacher who fancies Bernice, wants her to play the piano. She refuses because of her traumas related to the piano — a struggle caused by one’s past. But the intangible value of the past does undeniably hold worth — it serves as a source of pride and identity. The piano is also haunted by a ghost, symbolism for the burden of the past. The play invites its audience to think about the impact of the past on their own lives, too. “The Piano Lesson” includes rich artistic elements, which add ample shades of vivid colors to the perhaps relatively dull philosophical sketch. The musical elements and comedy stand out. The jazzy tunes imprinted the set, characters and even their voices on my mind. Comic relief regulates the rhythm of the play. Jokes keep the audience engaged but relaxed. A good one: “We bought the truck for 120 dollars. We ain’t telling you how we got the 120 dollars, but we bought the truck honest.” The play resolves in a slightly abrupt fashion, which leaves the audience questioning some of the characters’ motivations for their decisions.

The play, its design and the actors and actresses were absolutely brilliant.

As an art form, acting warps space and time. We’re all trapped in our own lives, with relatively regular schedules and closed spaces. But acting, and acting alone, allows us to peek inside other people’s closed spaces and unique minds. UIC Theatre has its very own rendition of this human ingenuity.

Does white vinegar damage wood?

Surfaces that Should Not Be Cleaned with Vinegar hardwood floors, wood furniture, and other word surfaces – due to its acidic nature, vinegar can...

Last updated Oct 5, 2019

What is the most common blues chord progression?

I-IV-V progression The primary harmonic structure of the blues is the I-IV-V progression, which derived from church music of the South. Unlike most...

Last updated Apr 4, 2021

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Promotion

Is The Piano Lesson on Netflix?

The next August Wilson adaptation is officially coming to Netflix — THE PIANO LESSON, from the producers of MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM.

broadwayworld.com - August Wilson's THE PIANO LESSON Will Receive a Netflix Adaptation

Netflix officially announced today that an adaptation of August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson" will arrive on the streamer from the producers of the recent adaptation of "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." The Piano Lesson is set in 1936 Pittsburgh and follows the lives of the Charles family as they deal with themes of family legacy and more, in deciding what to do with an heirloom, the family piano. As BroadwayWorld previously reported, the play will bow on Broadway again in 2022 with a cast featuring Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Brooks, and John David Washington. Following its Broadway run, the same cast will star in its film adaptation, making it the third of Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle plays be adapted as a movie, following Fences (2016) and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020). The play was first staged in 1986 at the National Playwrights Conference. It was then staged in 1988 at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston, and then opened on Broadway in 1990. The production starred Carl Gordon, Charles S. Dutton, Rocky Carroll, S. Epatha Merkerson and more. The 1990 production won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play, and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play. It won the Peabody Award in 1995. The TV adaptation of The Piano lesson was nominated for the 1995 Emmy Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie and the 1996 Emmy Award Outstanding Television Movie or Mini-Series. The Piano Lesson was revived Off-Broadway in 2013 and starred Roslyn Ruff, Brandon J. Dirden, Chuck Cooper, and more. It won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Revival, as well as Outstanding Lead Actress, Outstanding Featured Actor, and Outstanding Director.

See Netflix's announcement here:

Is jazz usually major or minor?

Two pentatonic scales common to jazz are the major pentatonic scale and the minor pentatonic scale. They are both modes of one another. The major...

Last updated Jun 13, 2021

How long until fingers stop hurting from guitar?

Developing calluses on your fingertips can relieve a lot of the initial pain of learning to play guitar. On average, it takes 2 to 4 weeks for...

Last updated Mar 29, 2018

Promotion

Do people buy used pianos?

Selling Your Piano. Selling a used piano can be a challenge. Since the Recession, used pianos at all price levels have plummeted in value. Used...

Last updated Sep 8, 2019

Promotion

Where should a digital piano be placed in the house?

Unlike acoustic pianos, digital pianos are pretty hardy and do not suffer from changes in temperature or humidity. They can therefore be positioned...

Last updated Jan 12, 2020