Brooks’ previous Broadway works include playing the role of Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing and Sofia in The Color Purple, which she received her Tony-nomination for and is also set to play the same role in the upcoming film adaptation. Washington did however mention he was able to tap into his familial resources by getting some advice from his father, Denzel Washington, who is set to produce the film adaptation of The Piano Lesson, on not being afraid to try new things with this role.ĭanielle Brooks, who is set to play the role of Berniece, rose to fame for her Emmy-winning performance of Taystee in the Netflix produced Orange is the New Black.

When Jackson was asked if he gave Washington any advice on the role, he made it clear that he was very hands off in order to allow Washington to make the role his own. An artist that I really want to be, and the process is still going,” he says. This is an education for me and I feel like I’m becoming a different artist. Washington spoke on what the process has been like for him, “I feel like I’m in grad school. Washington is set to take on Jackson’s original role of Boy Willie in the Broadway revival. John David Washington, known for Blackklansman and Tenet, will be making his Broadway debut. So right now, I’m still pinching myself,” she says in reference to what this opportunity and experience means to her. “This is a culmination of a great dream that has been in my heart for a long time, so I know it’s going to be bigger than I can even imagine than it is now. LaTanya Richardson Jackson, is making her Broadway directorial debut and will be the first woman to direct an August Wilson play on Broadway. He will be playing the role of Doaker Charles in the revival while being directed by his wife, the Tony-nominated, LaTanya Richardson Jackson. Jackson played the role of Boy Willie when The Piano Lesson first premiered at the Yale Repertory Theater in 1987.

Jackson’s first Broadway appearance in over ten years, with him last taking the stage in the 2011 production of The Mountaintop.

Broadway the piano lesson