All articles tagged with #august wilson
Kimberly Belflower's John Proctor Is the Villain will be the top-produced new play of the 2026-27 season (aside from A Christmas Carol), with August Wilson as the leading playwright. The season’s top-10 list—compiled from 1,634 productions—also marks debuts for Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Bess Wohl, while ensembles continue to dominate casts.
Taraji P. Henson, currently starring in the Broadway revival of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come & Gone at the Barrymore Theatre, applauds Debbie Allen’s pre-recorded intermission announcement about silencing phones and discipline, calling live theater a 'living organism' and saying theater isn’t for punks. She also explains she took the role to work with Allen on a feature adaptation of the 1984 play, with Todd Black producing, noting the collaboration and the ongoing Wilson project as motivation.
Taraji P. Henson makes a magnetic Broadway debut as Bertha Holly in Debbie Allen’s revival of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, delivering the motherly, moral center within a rich ensemble while reflecting on Hollywood typecasting and expressing a desire for steady stage work.
Debbie Allen, the dancer-turned-director known for Fame and Grey’s Anatomy, reflects on her ascent from Houston to Broadway and television, recalls meeting a young Donald Trump in the 1980s, and discusses how today’s political divides affect the arts; she’s returning to Broadway with Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson, highlights her long influence on U.S. culture through the Kennedy Center and Amistad, and urges resilience, joy in craft, and a multiracial coalition to sustain American culture.
Nearly 40 years after its Broadway debut, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone returns to Broadway in a moving revival directed by Debbie Allen. Set in a 1911 Pittsburgh boardinghouse, the play follows boarders and a haunted drifter whose presence exposes the enduring scars of slavery and racism, with Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer leading a deeply grounded cast. The production—featuring lush design and performances that balance humor and heartbreak—confirms Wilson’s work as a timeless meditation on identity, home, and resilience.
A Broadway revival of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come Back, Come and Gone at the Ethel Barrymore brings Wilson’s Pittsburgh saga to life with a powerhouse ensemble led by Taraji P. Henson; the production blends naturalistic speech with mythic intensity to illuminate Black working-class life in 1911 Pittsburgh, delivering warmth, humor, and spiritual ache.
Taraji P. Henson anchors Debbie Allen’s Broadway revival of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, delivering a standout performance alongside Cedric The Entertainer and Ruben Santiago-Hudson as a Pittsburgh boardinghouse community navigates memory, migration, and the haunting reach of the past; the production blends naturalistic drama with mystical undercurrents, offering a powerful meditation on history’s persistence and the possibility of a hopeful future.
Danielle Deadwyler delivers a profound performance in the theatrical production of August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson," showcasing her depth as an actress.
Netflix has released "The Piano Lesson," a drama directed by Malcolm Washington and featuring John David Washington, with Denzel Washington as a producer. Adapted from August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the film is set in 1930s Pittsburgh and revolves around a family's conflict over a valuable heirloom piano. The movie, praised for its strong performances and dialogue, holds a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics highlight its theatrical feel and exploration of themes like heritage and memory.
Netflix is set to adapt August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play, The Piano Lesson, into a film starring Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington. The film will be directed by Denzel Washington's son, Malcolm Washington, and produced by Denzel Washington and Todd Black. The ensemble cast includes Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, and Corey Hawkins. The Piano Lesson is part of Wilson's 10-play American Century Cycle, which also includes Fences and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, both of which have been adapted into successful films for Netflix.
Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington are set to star in the Netflix film adaptation of August Wilson's play, The Piano Lesson. The film will mark the directorial and screenwriting debut of Malcolm Washington, and will also star Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, and Corey Hawkins. The Piano Lesson is part of Wilson's famed 10-play "American Century Cycle," and is produced by Denzel Washington and Todd Black. Jackson and Washington previously starred in a Broadway revival of the play, which was the highest-grossing Wilson production ever to grace Broadway.
Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington will star in Netflix's adaptation of August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson," reprising their roles from the Broadway revival. The film follows the Charles family and their heirloom, a piano decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor. The adaptation is directed by Malcolm Washington and also stars Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, and Corey Hawkins. The play is part of Wilson's "American Century Cycle," which includes "Fences" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," both of which were adapted for the screen by Denzel Washington and Todd Black.