14th Play - The Piano Teacher by Julia Cho
Elizabeth Franz (Mrs. K) and John Boyd (Michael) in Vineyard Theater’s Off-Broadway production in 2007. Photo: Carol Rosegg
Ever since I read The Language Archive, I’ve been a fan of Julia Cho. So when I realized that I had another play by her that I didn’t know, I had to read it!
Summary: “Mrs. K is an elderly widow who lives by herself in a small suburban town. She whiles away her time reminiscing about her late husband and the children she taught long ago as a piano instructor. One day, she finds herself compelled to call her old students, but is it out of loneliness or some other, darker need? As Mrs. K discovers, it may not be what we cannot know that troubles us the most; it may be what we cannot bear to know.” Dramatists Play Service.
Laura’s thoughts in brief: This play is not what you think it is. I’m not sure what you think it is, but it isn’t that. (Okay, there is a piano teacher, but that’s really the only thing that falls in with what you think this play will be.) I read that the play was influenced by Julia Cho’s childhood piano lessons, and that she wrote it immediately after learning about the Rwandan genocide. Knowing that gave me a little more clarity on the play. It definitely makes you aware of the loneliness of aging, but also of the things we push into the back of our consciousness to survive. Sweet, lonely piano teacher Mrs. K doesn’t seem to be dangerous in any way, and we feel a little bit sorry for her as she calls some of her former students to reconnect. When one of them comes to visit, we realize there was maybe something more going on in that house than even she remembers. Again, Cho is a smart enough playwright to make this not what you think it is, although she does allow us to peek at the darkness that is potentially a part of even the sweetest little old lady’s life. It’s a sad story for all the characters, not just the one who starts the play lonely and just wanting to reach out to a few people from her past. It’s a quiet story, without a lot of action, but it’s potent all the same. Julia Cho is a magnificent story teller, no matter what story she’s telling. Worth a read, and I’d definitely go see if someone did it nearby. I’m not quite ready to play that little old lady, but could be potentially talked into directing this one, although I still like Cho’s The Language Archive better.
READ MORE! Here’s what others had to say about productions:
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/theater/reviews/19pian.html
https://www.citybeat.com/arts/the-piano-teacher-review--12217347
https://onstagecolorado.com/the-piano-teacher-vintage-theatre/