The Piano Lesson Stars Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington & More on the Importance of August Wilson

August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Piano Lesson has returned to Broadway and officially opens at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on October 13. On The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal, stars Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Danielle Brooks and director LaTanya Richardson Jackson spoke with Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek about taking on the work of the acclaimed playwright.

"There should always be an August Wilson play on Broadway," Samuel L. Jackson said. "To be back on Broadway in this particular production is serendipitous and awesome. To be a part of a production that my wife directed, to be part of her Broadway directorial debut is important because of the goals that we set for ourselves a long time ago when we first met. We decided we were in this business—in it to win it!" Last seen on Broadway in The Mountaintop, the star made his Broadway debut as the understudy for Boy Willie and Lymon in the original production of The Piano Lesson in 1990.

In this revival, Boy Willie is played by Broadway newcomer Washington. The performer is the son of August Wilson aficionado Denzel Washington, who won a 2010 Tony Award for his performance in Fences as well as an Academy Award nomination for starring in the 2016 film version. "This is a dream come true," John David Washington said of his debut. "The first thing I really remember, [my father] did Richard III, I believe. He had a mullet, some tights. We'd walk around Central Park. I was a kid. He would recite lines all the time. I used to giggle and laugh about it, and I loved it. I saw him on stage, and it was a different guy. It was like a different human being. The stage bug bit me then."

Set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District in 1936, The Piano Lesson spotlights a brother (Washington) and sister (Brooks) locked in a war over the fate of a family heirloom. "I think people will relate because we all have family," said Brooks.

Richardson Jackson performed on Broadway in Joe Turner's Come and Gone, A Raisin in the Sun and To Kill a Mockingbird. "I think I prefer it!" Richardson Jackson said of directing. "It's always special, anytime you attempt an August Wilson play. He has provided us with such a rich literary verse of the African American experience in this country. I don't take it lightly. I'm not trying to reinvent what it was before, but I'm trying to find those things that, universally, are still present for us now. I'm trying to mind that, and I've got an incredible cast that's helping."

Watch the video below and head here to check your local listings for The Broadway Show. Hosted by Emmy-winning anchor Tamsen Fadal, it is the only nationally syndicated weekly theater news program.