The Piano Lesson Review Essay

Submitted By LaPerish
Words: 2039
Pages: 9
Open Document
The Keys To A Good Play

The play being written about in this review is entitled “The Piano Lesson.” This play was crafted by the late August Wilson. For this particular play, there was no translator and it is directed in its original format by Derrick Sanders. The presentation of the play took place at the UIC Theatre located at 1044 West Harrison Street in Chicago, IL. “The Piano Lesson” takes place in Pittsburgh in the home of Doaker. At 5 a.m., Boy Willie and his friend Lymon knock on the door, waking Doaker. Boy Willie addresses Doaker as his uncle and informs him that he and Lymon have come to the North to sell watermelons to acquire some money to buy the land of the late Sutter. Boy Willie informs Doaker that he would be short and so wants to sell the family piano to make up for what he will lack after selling the watermelons. Berniece (Boy Willie's sister) enters the scene due to an alleged appearance of Sutter's ghost. Boy Willie contests the existence of Sutter's ghost while Berniece provides her objection to selling the piano. Boy Willie and Berniece spend the entire play fighting over the fate of the piano. Avery (who is currently courting Berniece) the local pastor comes over to bless the piano to get rid of Sutter's ghost. Sutter's ghost appears and gets into a physical altercation with Boy Willie. Berniece plays the piano chanting “Help me” and names of her ancestors, driving out the ghost of Sutter. Boy Willie hugs his family goodbye and leaves. In this play, I felt as if August Wilson sought to present several different themes to the audience, one of which was family. The theme of family is prevalent throughout the entirety of the play, from the beginning to the end. The play begins with an embrace between Boy Willie and Doaker and ends with an embrace between Boy Willie, Berniece, and her daughter Maretha. And in every scene between the two scenes that the latter sentence mentions, the tension between the family constantly builds. In every scene that Boy Willie and Berniece are seen together, they are fighting. The fighting rises to the point where Berniece threatens to kill Boy Willie with Crawley's (Berniece's late husband) gun to which Boy Willie attests he isn't afraid to die. In the midst of the conflict, the family encounters something more dire than a disagreement and the two characters who fought the most during the entire play now join forces to combat the ghost of Sutter. After Sutter is driven away, all differences are forgotten and Boy Willie and Berniece hug. It is through these examples that Wilson is trying to communicate the importance of family to the viewer. Another theme that Wilson communicates in this play is the importance of knowing one's family history. The dialog in this production is riddled with reminiscences of the family that came before them. One scene is completely dedicated to the evaluation of the Charles family tree. It is as if in this particular scene, Lymon becomes the audience. Lymon sits with the three males of the Charles family (Boy Willie, Wining Boy, and Doaker) and receives a history lesson concerning the piano which by association gives him the family history as well. Boy Willie keeps the knowledge of family history by reminding the family of the mark that his father made on the family. The stealing of the Sutters' piano served as the moment that the Charles family received their independence. Boy Willie also believes that he is honoring his father by selling the piano, as he believes it is something his father would have done if he had not died. Berniece believes the piano is the representation of the Charles family history, which is why she refuses to sell it. In her mind, the piano is the most important item that the family has because it has the history of the family carved into the wood. And when it is played, it summons the spirits of the family members that have passed away. And so with this paragraph and
Show More

Related Documents: The Piano Lesson Review Essay

Essay on summary of University Wars

Teachers: A Reflection on Teacher Training in the Field of Piano Pedagogy: The following of which the author (Kristin Elgersma) describes her experiences in creating a curriculum in piano pedagogy at the University of Idaho and to help those in need of teaching experiences. Elgersma decided to write this journal because it is still a new topic. She started out as an assistant professor of piano at the University of Idaho to restructure the piano pedagogy curriculum. Elgersma knew that for student teachers…

Words 530 - Pages 3

Learning To Play The Guitar

the comparison between guitar and piano. The guitar is a musical instrument that is quite popular in China. In my opinion, there are two reasons for this popularity: one is that it’s easy to sing a song with guitar accompaniment, even if the player has a limited musical ability and knowledge. Another reason is that the guitar is very versatile; it can be easily used to play music in a wide variety of styles. Guitar is also easy to study. I have studied piano for seven years, so I'm very familiar…

Words 2666 - Pages 11

Twyla Tharp Research Paper

Annual Muncie Fair in Indiana, Twila Thornburg. As a young child, Tharp spent a few months each year living with her grandparents on their farm in Indiana. Her mother insisted she take lessons in dance, mainly ballet, tap, jazz, and modern. Her mother also insisted she take lessons for various instruments including piano, drum, viola, and violin. In 1950, Tharp's family, her younger sister Twanette, her two brothers Stanley and Stanford, and her parents, moved to Rialto, California. There her parents…

Words 839 - Pages 4

Tchaivosky Essay

to the governess and she is said to have replace his mother in a way because of her distant parenting ways. Tchaikovsky took piano lessons from the age of five. He was amazing from the time he started and could read and play music as well as his teacher after just 3 years. His parents were initially supportive, giving him a tutor and encouraging his study of the piano for numerous reasons. In 1850 his parents decided to send Tchaikovsky to the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in Saint Petersburg…

Words 1229 - Pages 5

Frederic Chopin Essay

nobility. He began taking piano lessons at the age of 6 (Chopin, Frederic, 2001, p. 1). As amazing as it sounds, Chopin could compose music before he could write (Frederic Chopin, 1996, p. 1). In his youth, he was often called a musical genius by peers and scholars alike, and he published his first musical work at the tender age of 15 (Chopin, Frederic, 2011, p. 1). Chopin was received extremely well in his hometown. He was seen as a very talented performer on the piano and was immediately recognized…

Words 1806 - Pages 8

Twyla Tharp Research Paper

Annual Muncie Fair in Indiana, Twila Thornburg. As a young child, Tharp spent a few months each year living with her grandparents on their farm in Indiana. Her mother insisted she take lessons in dance, mainly ballet, tap, jazz, and modern. Her mother also insisted she take lessons for various instruments including piano, drum, viola, and violin. In 1950, Tharp's family, her younger sister Twanette, her two brothers Stanley and Stanford, and her parents, moved to Rialto, California. There her parents…

Words 1024 - Pages 5

Music History Essay

Music History Spring 2013 Classes 1/14/13 * Pergolesi and Opera Buffa handout done by Todd Martin (handout) * Pergolesi was still composing on his death bed (died at the age of 26) * Intermezzo-The Maid as Mistress is his best known piece * Page 488 for examples with Pergolesi and his intermezzo 1/15/13 * NAWM 101-Differences in recitative-continuo functions as only chords and not so much tension; more instrumental involvement (strings-their run on page 4); rhythmic…

Words 2657 - Pages 11

Essay on PYB100 Does Mozart make babies smarter

videotapes and books aimed at families with infants and children. Lack of evidence and unsupported links between Mozart and improved intelligence poses the question; does listening to Mozart really make babies smarter? This critical literature review will comprehensively analyse the Mozart Effect and prove that the extreme lack of evidence and only momentary findings on the Mozart Effect makes it impractical to conclude that listening to Mozart has any ability to make babies smarter. The information…

Words 1625 - Pages 7

Essay about Impact on Billy Elliot life

Throughout the movie innocent Billy observes his family struggle through financial hardship, he watches acts of violence upon the people of his community and experiences signs of gender stereotypes. In March 1984, when five pits were announced for closure without proper review, miners of North east London were left with no choice but to commence a strike in order to gain their jobs and continue receiving economic gain. Jackie Elliot, the controversial father of Billy was one of whom experienced this job cut. Being a single father…

Words 798 - Pages 4

Essay on Composers: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Handel

Favorite Composers For this tour, I selected three composers whom I believe are the greatest composers to have ever lived. They changed the course of music with their innovations and have influenced composers for centuries. Even today, their music and legacy live on beyond their imagination. Who are these composers? We’ll begin this tour with Georg Friderick Handel, continue with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and conclude with Ludwig van Beethoven. Georg Friderick Handel Georg…

Words 7459 - Pages 30