Erykah Badu Will Make Musical Cameo in Netflix’s ‘The Piano Lesson,’ Starring Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington
By Angelique Jackson
May 30, 2023
Grammy winner Erykah Badu has joined the all-star ensemble for Netflix’s feature adaptation of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson.”
The singer-songwriter (“What Men Want”) will make a cameo, delivering “her soulful sound and eclectic style” with musical performances in the film,” starring Oscar winner Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington.
Jackson and Washington reprise their roles from the highly successful Broadway revival of Wilson’s play, which recently received two Tony Award nominations (best revival of a play and best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play for Jackson).
Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, “The Piano Lesson” follows the lives of the Charles family, a household led by Doaker Charles (Jackson), and an heirloom, the family piano, which is decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor. Washington plays Boy Willie, Doaker’s nephew, a role Jackson originated in the 1987 production.
The Netflix adaptation is directed by Malcolm Washington from a screenplay he adapted with Virgil Williams. The film also stars Ray Fisher (“Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” “Rebel Moon”), Danielle Deadwyler (“Till,” “The Harder They Fall”), Michael Potts (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Rustin”) and Corey Hawkins (“Straight Outta Compton,” “The Tragedy of Macbeth”).
Fisher and Potts appeared alongside Jackson and Washington in the stage production, which was directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson. After 27 previews and 124 regular performances at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, “The Piano Lesson” was the highest-grossing revival of a play on Broadway and the highest grossing Wilson production on Broadway.
Netflix’s “The Piano Lesson” is produced by Academy Award winner Denzel Washington and Academy Award nominee Todd Black. Executive producers are Constanza Romero, Jennifer Roth and Katia Washington.
The play is part of Wilson’s 10-title “American Century Cycle,” that includes “Fences” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” both of which were adapted for the screen by Denzel Washington and Black.