John David Washington’s Boy Willy Fights to Save a Family Heirloom in The Piano Lesson Trailer
The trailer of the captivating family drama The Piano Lesson gave a sneak peek into the lives of the Charles family and the changes in dynamics that occur when opinions clash. In the Netflix adaptation of August Wilson’s novel of the same name, Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington reprise their roles from the Broadway revival of the show.
Directed by Malcolm Washington, the story follows the Charles family led by Jackson’s Doaker Charles in the aftermath of the Great Depression in 1936. Their family heirloom—a piano with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor—is treasured by some and seen as an opportunity for monetary gain by others.
One brother aims to build a family fortune by selling the instrument, while his sister wants to preserve the family legacy. In the trailer, Washington’s Boy Willie explains to his niece what the piano means to their family, saying, “That’s your blood.”
Described in the film’s official synopsis as “dealing with themes of family legacy and more in deciding what to do with an heirloom, the family piano,” the story delves into deep themes.
Washington first played the role of Doaker Charles’s nephew, Boy Willie, in the 1987 stage production of the story. Ray Fisher and Michael Potts also appeared alongside Washington and Jackson in the stage production, directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson.
The play made history as the highest-grossing revival on Broadway and the highest-grossing Wilson production on Broadway. The cast is completed with other talented artists including Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith, Jerrika Hinton, and Gail Bean, with Danielle Deadwyler and Corey Hawkins.
Oscar winner Denzel Washington and Oscar nominee Todd Black serve as producers on the film, with Jennifer Roth, Constanza Romero Wilson, and Katia Washington as executive producers.
Part of Wilson’s American Century Cycle, a collection of ten plays about the Black Experience in the 20th Century, The Piano Lesson joins other notable works like Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which have also been adapted into screenplays by Denzel Washington.
The Piano Lesson will have its premiere in select theaters on November 9 before streaming on Netflix starting November 22.