By Nyame-Kye Kondo
Special to the AFRO

“Everybody’s got to travel,” says Doaker, played by actor Jefferson A. Russell in August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” at Everyman Theatre. “If you stay in one place, you get stuck with the same thing.”

Chinai Routté, who plays Berniece, explains to Louis E. Davis why the piano must not be sold. Credit: Teresa Castracane Photography

Transience is a common theme in Wilson’s work, and although the setting in “The Piano Lesson” is firmly fixed in the Charles family’s Pittsburgh home in 1936, the characters are in constant motion. They move on and off the well-lit stage through doors and down shadowy upstairs hallways, their migratory patterns throughout the space somehow reminiscent of the family’s historical movement from the South to the North; an escape from the trauma of slavery and an attempt to retain the richness of the family’s legacy despite it.  

Everyman’s production of “The Piano Lesson” is the fourth installment in the Baltimore August Wilson Celebration, which is showing all 10 of the plays featured in the playwright’s Pittsburgh Cycle in order for the first time. 

The story arc is as intricate as the carvings on the 19th century upright piano that acts as a centerpiece in the story. The piano is a representation of the family’s conflict, but also a priceless artifact symbolic of the family’s history of resilience.

“Every Black home has an heirloom passed down from a previous generation,” says RJ Brown, the actor who portrays Boy Willie. “No matter how big or how small that hand-me-down may be it represents something so much more than its size.”

Director Paige Hernandez called the festival “an unprecedented artistic undertaking in Baltimore,” noting the rare opportunity to experience Wilson’s full body of work as a continuous story. “It’s also a very important piece of Black history,” she said. “To be able to watch the trials, triumphs and evolution of African Americans over the course of a century is quite spectacular.”

Hernandez brings her multidisciplinary style to the staging, with a city skyline projected on the scrim and the piano carefully positioned at center stage. Her unique touches are evident. More importantly, her guidance is visible in the way the actors inhabit their characters so effortlessly. Jefferson A. Russell is one such actor.

  • Shawn Peters is all smiles after watching the production. Credit: AFRO Photo/ Nyame-kye Kondo
  • Kenyatta Rogers gives a humorous performance as Wining Boy in Everyman Theatre’s “The Piano Lesson.” Credit: Teresa Castracane Photography
  • Chinai Routté, who plays Berniece, explains to Louis E. Davis why the piano must not be sold. Credit: Teresa Castracane Photography
  • Veteran actor Jeffrey A. Russell brings perspective in “The Piano Lesson” as the character Doaker Charles. Credit: Teresa Castracane Photography
  • RJ Brown and Mecca Verdell have good chemistry as Boy Willie and Grace. Credit: Teresa Castracane Photography
  • Chinai Routté gives a standout performance as Berniece in The Piano Lesson at Everyman Theatre. Credit: Teresa Castracane Photography
  • RJ Brown plays the quickwitted Boy Willie in “The Piano Lesson” at Everyman Theatre Credit: Teresa Castracane Photography

A veteran of the festival, Russell made his debut as Seth in “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” at the Chesapeake Shakespeare Theatre this past December, and brings to Doaker a sensitivity that is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking. His range is especially clear when he tells the story of the “Yellow Dog Boxcar.”

Other notable performances include Kenyatta Rogers as Wining Boy, who incites some deep belting laughs from the audience, and Mecca Verdell, another festival veteran who brings humor and lightheartedness to her brief but memorable appearances as Grace. 

Humor is an important thread in this production, offering the audience moments of relief through laughter. The authenticity of these moments comes directly from the intentionality of the actors, and their willingness to embody their characters wholeheartedly.

“To prepare for my role in the play, I make sure to find the comedy with my scene partners by playing what’s true and real to me,” said Verdell. “Every night, there’s something new to discover and always fresh ways to bring my moments on stage to life.”

The effectiveness of this approach can be witnessed by the audience’s laughter and their willingness to go on this journey with the cast. The audience is an active part of the show and their responses were overwhelmingly positive.

“I really enjoyed the production and I think they did a good job of capturing the spirit of the original play,” said Shantell Brown. 

When asked how she felt about the characters’ chemistry she responded, “They all seemed to mesh really well together.” 

Another audience member praised the production’s broader impact. “I thought the show was fantastic,” said Shawn Peters, “I thought Chinai Routté was a standout and that all of the actors were amazing. I think it’s wonderful that they are showing all of August Wilson’s plays in Baltimore. I think it’s wonderful for the art scene, for the Theatre scene and for Baltimoreans.”

The eponymous “piano” may be unique to the Charles family, but the lesson in this play is for all of us. 

“The Piano Lesson” will be running until Sept. 28. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Everyman Theatre box office.