Theater Review

Tom Titus

The tenuous link between slavery and the 20th century African-American

experience is examined both with meticulous detail and visceral

emotionalism in August Wilson’s compelling drama “The Piano Lesson,” now

on the main stage of South Coast Repertory.

In Wilson’s lengthy, measured and thoroughly involving work, tradition

and superstition face off against ambition and avarice in 1937

Pittsburgh, where descendants of slaves work to carve out better and more

meaningful lives.

The all-black company of eight accomplished performers and one young SCR

student, under the superb direction of Seret Scott, enriches Wilson’s

Pulitzer Prize-winning account of a young man’s efforts to improve his

station in life by selling the valuable piano owned jointly by him and

his sister -- an instrument once bartered by a slave owner for their

grandfather and great-grandmother.

However, the piano rests in the sister’s home, and she’s not about to

part with her half -- it bears the images of past generations of enslaved

ancestors. Not to mention the spirit of the master himself, who

occasionally haunts the upstairs portion of the house.

Wilson’s detailed, unhurried account proceeds at the approximate pace of

life, leaving some issues naturally unresolved. It would lose little of

its power if 30 to 45 minutes of is three-hour running time were excised,

yet the overall experience is a rich, fulfilling one. The “N” word is

tossed around with unsettling frequency, but again, this is 1937.

The company includes a pair of familiar faces from the small screen --

Charlie Robinson (“Night Court”) and Ted Lange (“The Love Boat”), but

this is an ensemble show, focusing primarily on the brother (Victor Mack)

and sister (Kim Staunton) and their ongoing skirmish over the piano.

Mack delivers a brash, energetic performance as the brother who hopes to

sell the piano and buy the land on which his ancestors once labored. His

determination and frustration are vigorously expressed, and his

outlandish lengths to move the instrument provide welcome comic relief.

Staunton shimmers as the widowed sister whose life revolves around her

daughter (SCR student Myiedra Miles) and the piano, which she no longer

plays but cherishes. She conveys her personal indecisiveness wonderfully

as she sidesteps a romance with a passionate preacher (Lange) and almost

grudgingly repels the advances of her brother’s randy buddy (Rico Ross).

As her levelheaded uncle, with whom she shares the house, Robinson

renders a strong, no-nonsense portrayal. A more showy interpretation

comes from Al White as his wastrel con artist brother, who finds

pleasures in the most economically challenged lifestyle.

Lange is convincing as the preacher-suitor who attempts to exorcise the

ghosts of the past, reveling in his positive religious attitude. Ross

steps out from his observer position to outfit himself in a $3 silk suit

and open and awkward advance on his buddy’s sister.

Terrilyn Thomas is the sexy centerpiece of a sizzling sequence as the

street lady Mack brings home for an aborted encounter on the living room

couch. And Miles shows definite promise as Staunton’s shy daughter.

The living room-kitchen setting by Ralph Funicello exudes eons of

atmosphere, its lived-in feeling unmistakable. Peter Maradudin’s subtle

light effects and Dione H. Lebhar’s period costuming complete the picture

handsomely.

“The Piano Lesson” may be a long one, but it’s seldom tiring, thanks to a

capable, energetic cast that conveys the African-American experience with

authority.

‘The Piano Lesson’

WHERE: South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

WHEN: 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2:30

and 7:30 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 21

HOW MUCH: $28-$47

PHONE: (714) 708-5555