Review: University of Northern Colorado's THE PIANO LESSON

Watermelons? Ghosts? A family heirloom in the shape of a piano? These are all aspects brought to life within the first scene of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson.

The Piano Lesson marks Wilson's second Pulitzer Prize-winning play, and fulfills the 1930s portion within his Pittsburgh Cycle. The Pittsburgh cycle is a collection of ten plays written by Wilson to represent the African American experience in each decade of the 20th century. The central conflict of the play swirls around this heirloom instrument with carved figures on both the front and sides, and whether it should be sold to buy the land its owners' ancestors once worked as slaves.

The show opens with a persistent Boy Willie (Tristan Turner), visiting his sister Bernice (Jalen Taylor) and Uncle Doaker (Dimon Riley) in Pittsburgh, under the guise of selling a truckload of watermelons with buddy Lymon (Michael Ham). The story of The Piano Lesson is interwoven with the family's history in slavery and the meaning of identity and legacy. Boy Willie has an opportunity to buy the property of his ancestor's former slave-owners, but in order to afford it he must sell the family piano. A piano, which is intricately carved with figures of their lineage. A piano for which Bernice and Boy Willie's father Charles died.

University of Northern Colorado's production of The Piano Lesson is directed by Guest Director, Dawn Monique Williams, whose passion for Wilson's work is both evident and contagious. Unfortunately, that passion did not seem to bleed over into the actor's performances. It felt as if a majority of the actors were going through the motions, without actually connecting to the context of the play, which is unfortunate given the fact that this is a story which is even more relevant today in this time of highly charged race relations then it was when August Wilson wrote it. Wining Boy (Michael Crawford) says it best in Act I, with "the difference between the colored man and the white man. The colored man can't fix nothing with the law."

That being said, there were a handful of standout performances. Top of that list is Dimon Riley's performance as Doaker. A performance which was captivating from the moment he walked onstage to the moment the lights went dark. An instance of that talent was his moving monologue about the family history behind this piano. Another strong performance was by Michael Ham, as Lymon, the loveable and dopey sidekick to Boy Willie, who just wants to sell his share of the watermelons and find a lady.

Patrick Hinchliffe's lighting design, Patty Cleary's costume design and Nicholas Graves scenic design were all incredibly strong working to enhance the overall production. On the other hand, Tim Mack's sound design was distracting, sounding as if it was a mistake as opposed to purposeful. It wasn't until about halfway through the show, that the sound began to make sense with the story.

The Piano Lesson is an important part of American theater. August Wilson wrote a story that needs to be told, now more than ever. And a story which asks the important questions like, What do you do with your legacy, and how do you best put it to use? Are we forced to live in the shadows of our ancestors choices?

The Piano Lesson plays at University of Northern Colorado's Norton Theatre thru February 14th. Tickets are available at tickets.unco.edu or by calling the box office at 970-351-2200.

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