The Piano Lesson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by August Wilson. It is the fourth in Wilson’s The Pittsburgh Cycle, a ten-play series about the Black experience in 20th Century Pittsburgh. The series, in which each play is set in a different decade, also includes Fences. Fences was later adapted into an Oscar-nominated film.
While a TV film of The Piano Lesson was released in the 1990s, a feature film adaptation has been in the works since 2020. The play focuses on the Charles family in 1936 and more specifically, the debate over what to do about the family grand piano. The film already has Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington attached but recent news has added another big hitter to the cast.
Erykah Badu Joins “The Piano Lesson”
Jackson and Washington are both set to reprise their roles from a recent stage adaption of The Piano Lesson. However, they will be joined be in a small musical cameo by four-time Grammy winner Erykah Badu. First coming to prominence with her three-time platinum album Baduizm, Badu was a staple of the R&B scene of the 2000s. However, it has been some time since Badu has released new music. Her latest album, the mixtape But You Can’t Use My Phone, came out in 2015. Furthermore, she also revealed a single, “Tempted”, in 2019 as part of the soundtrack for The Photograph.
While Badu’s role is said to be “small”, the performer does have an impressive acting resume under her belt already. In 1999, she was nominated for a SAG award for The Cider House Rules. She has also appeared in Black Dynamite, Legends of Chamberlain Heights, and What Men Want. The Piano Lesson is set to be directed by Malcolm Washington, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Virgil Williams. Williams is an Oscar-nominated screenwriter with credits such as Mudbound, 24, and ER. However, The Piano Lesson does not have a release window at the time of the writing. Follow all the latest film news here at HotNewHipHop.
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