August Wilson’sThe Piano Lessonis more than a play. It is a reckoning with family, inheritance, and memory. In Everyman Theatre’s 35th Anniversary Season opener, directed by Paige Hernandez, the Pulitzer Prize–winning masterpiece feels both timeless and urgently relevant.

Wilson’s brilliance is in making the universal deeply personal. Watching Berniece and Boy Willie spar over the fate of their family’s piano, I could not help but think of my own grandmother. She grew up on a sharecropping plantation in Louisiana and did not buy her first home until her late fifties. That home was her triumph, but after her passing, the next generation could not agree whether to sell, rent, or keep it. That conflict mirrors Wilson’s characters. One sibling is determined to use inheritance as capital for the future, another is committed to preserving history at all costs. RJ Brown’s Boy Willie embodies restless determination, clashing powerfully with Chinai Routté’s Berniece, who anchors the play with conviction and range, her grief often spilling into fiery monologues. Their struggle reminded me of the all too familiar fights over what we value and who decides.

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Jefferson A. Russell’s Doaker, a Resident Company actor, grounds the play in storytelling. His retelling of the piano’s carved history captivated the audience, weaving the family’s legacy into flesh. KenYatta Rogers as Wining Boy lit up the room with humor while carrying scars of the past, showing Wilson’s genius for characters who make us laugh while forcing us to see pain. Mack Leamon as Avery, the preacher, had the house answering with real “Amens” as his sermons filled the stage with fire. Louis E. Davis’s Lymon offered a quieter complement to Boy Willie’s force, while Mecca Verdell’s Grace stole her scenes with a flirtatious charm so realistic that audience members gasped in delight.

The craft of the production adds to its power. Daniel Ettinger’s scenic design places us in a living room that feels preserved, not lived in, with handkerchiefs on chairs and the grand piano at center. For me, it was a reminder of my grandmother’s own “company room,” where furniture was never touched unless special guests arrived. David Burdick’s costumes, Alberto Segarra’s lighting, and David Remedios’s sound reinforced the period feel. The musical interludes stood out. The men’s work song and Berniece’s hymn at the piano punctured the heaviness with raw resonance. And when the supernatural climax unfolded, aided by stunning special effects, the drama lifted to another level.

This production is not only a landmark for Everyman Theatre’s 35th Anniversary Season, but also part of the Baltimore August Wilson Celebration, a citywide initiative uniting ten theater companies to stage Wilson’s entireAmerican Century Cyclein chronological order. This effort honors Wilson’s legacy while rooting his questions about family, race, and history firmly in Baltimore’s present.

The Piano Lessonruns August 31 through September 28, 2025. Special performances include, a Cast Conversation on September 18, and a Lunchtime Matinee on September 23 at 12 PM. Tickets start at $55, with student tickets available for $27, and nearly 500 accessible Pay-What-You-Choose seats offered throughout the run. Tickets can be purchased online ateverymantheatre.org, by emailing boxoffice@everymantheatre.org, or by calling 410-752-2208.

Everyman’sThe Piano Lessonis not just a theatrical production. It is a mirror. It forces us to confront the choices we make about our legacies, what to sell, what to save, and what stories to tell. For me, it was like revisiting my grandmother’s home, where legacy was never just about property but about pride, pain, and history. Wilson’s work ensures those questions still echo, and Everyman Theatre delivers them with unflinching power.