The Piano Lesson (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
Production Covid-19 Safety ProtocolsMember Reviews (298)
See it if Top notch performances! some solid scenes.
Don't see it if Lots of scenes that don't make an absorbing whole. Very confusing ex-machina ending. Disappointing.
See it if Excellent performances from the entire cast. Very well written w/ natural dialog. Nice set. Overall a polished well done revival.
Don't see it if While I enjoyed the story, it felt long w/ some unnecessary scenes. The ending/conclusion felt abrupt & ultimately wasn't satisfying.
See it if You want to be moved…swept away with amazing writing and expert acting from all involved. Phenomenal set design and costumes add to the joy.
Don't see it if You’re looking for lighthearted fluffy mindless fare. This ain’t that. This has meaning on so many levels it’s extraordinary!
See it if oracular & filled w humor in relating how 1936 blk family deals w legacy of slavery; incredible ensemble w S Jackson J Washington D Brooks
Don't see it if can't tolerate 3 hr production; find Washington's performance to be relentlessly over-the-top; think "spooky ending" is contrived Read more
See it if Like August Wilson or want to see something different, with a excellent cast.
Don't see it if Long Show with one intermission and slow at time, not fast pace. Read more
See it if You love Wilson plays — this is one of his best, despite a good, but not stellar production.
Don't see it if You’ve seen good productions of this play before and don’t need to see it again.
See it if you’re an August Wilson completist, you enjoy period pieces, or like family dramas.
Don't see it if you’ll have a hard time sitting in a theatre seat for three hours listening to an annoying, long-winded character talk nonstop.
See it if You are interested in a family drama. It’s very easy to follow until the end.
Don't see it if You will be bothered by a weird over the top and confusing ending Read more
Critic Reviews (21)
"Despite Wilson’s eloquent writing, 'The Piano Lesson,' at nearly three hours, drags on. The repetitive dialogue...evokes a nagging sensation of déjà vu."
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"It’s a play about the possibilities of the present that are cut off when other demands, like those of the past, make themselves known."
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"There’s no doubt that The Piano Lesson is a ghost story...It’s those spirits of Black men that are believed to be responsible for the series of well accidents."
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"Richardson Jackson clearly knows how to direct actors and pulls magic out of her cast, creating a production worthy of August Wilson's legacy. "
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"The play’s characters are so individually well-formed and collectively solid that their voices have a way of lingering in the mind, and Wilson’s language is dramatic lyricism of a very high order."
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"I suspect the production will find a more sustained and smooth groove as the run proceeds. But, in any case, a major revival of a play by Wilson—as great a playwright as America has produced—is a notable theatrical occasion in itself."
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"Before your eyes can settle on any one room of the house, it’s all over, and so, within moments, is the play, bringing a hasty and unsatisfying conclusion to an otherwise well-paced and top-notch production."
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"Wilson’s works sometimes take on mystical dimensions. 'The Piano Lesson' eventually leads to a supernatural confrontation that creeps close to being fright-night over-the-top."
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