Theatrius
  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us
  • Search Icon

Theatrius

Theater Reviews—San Francisco and Beyond

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” Casts Jazz Age Spell—Streaming Netflix

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” Casts Jazz Age Spell—Streaming Netflix

January 12, 2021 bdhorwitz

August Wilson’s Black Artists Demand Fair Play 

by Barry David Horwitz

Surrounded by men who look down on her, Viola Davis’ Ma Rainey is sharp-edged and bossy. She knows that the white producers just want to profit from her voice. But she also knows that the Blues “make life possible.” Behind her heavy make-up and sweat, lie generations of tears.

In his 1984 play “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” August Wilson turns our eyes to a sparkling, vivid 1920s snapshot of the “Mother of the Blues.” Director George C. Wolfe’s recording studio in Chicago reminds us that violent segregation and degradation ruled art and life not so long ago.

Viola Davis (Ma Rainey). Photos by David Lee / Netflix

Screenwriter Reuben Santiago-Hudson has adapted Wilson’s play for Netflix, making a razor-sharp plea for justice. Ma herself says: “Ma listen to her heart. Ma listen to the voice inside her. That’s what count with Ma.” Ma stands for us, here, and now.

Davis plays Ma Rainey as smarter and more strategic than her demanding white recording bosses. As we all know, slaves are always smarter than their masters—because their lives are at risk. Ma came up the hard way and knows that “They don’t care nothing about me. All they want is my voice.”

Chadwick Boseman (Levee) & Viola Davis (Ma Rainey) in the studio.

So long as she holds onto her songs, the white boss had better fetch her that ice-cold Coke! Her message is loud and clear—but the music producer doesn’t get it—he’s used to singers who take orders.

But in a rundown rehearsal room, Ma’s four superb, back-up musicians are quarreling.

The ambitious trumpeter Levee (incomparable Chadwick Boseman) wants to update Ma’s old-time music. Impatient Levee wants to adapt the Blues for white tastes. When Levee tells the story of his mother’s rape by a gang of white men, time stands still. We begin to comprehend his desire for instant success. We understand his anger and urgency.

Chadwick Boseman (Levee)

Levee tries to steal Ma’s spotlight: “I know how to play real music, not none of this old jugg band shit.” His anger explodes, thrilling us as he teeters angrily on the edge—there’s “no exit” for an eager young Black musician in 1927. Boseman plays Levee like a trumpet solo–enchanting, tinged with tragedy.

Ma’s pianist Toledo (Glynn Turman) tells a terrible tale about a preacher beaten up by good old Georgia boys. Toledo’s stories also remind us that Black wisdom is the fruit of mistreatment.  His grievances, long buried, give him insight into the Black Man as “Leftovers” from the white man’s table.

Chadwick Boseman, Michael Potts, and Colman Domingo

As trombonist Cutler, Colman Domingo embodies Black wisdom and experience. Cutler is content to float in Ma’s wake, to give her strength and good music. His faith and his story about selling your soul to the devil both speak directly to sadistic bullying of Black people. Bass player Slow Drag (Michael Potts) furnishes the melancholy tones.

Wilson shows us the character and life-destroying fates of an extraordinary woman and a tortured man, whom Davis and Boseman bring to amazing life. The great cast set in vivid street and studio scenes bring the Jazz Age to life.

Wilson’s play has been foreshortened into a too brief a movie—but it’s a monument to his insight into Black artists’ imagination and dedication. A must see—to understand how we all got here.

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” – Screenplay by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, based on the play by August Wilson, directed by George C. Wolfe, produced by Denzel Washington, music by Branford Marsalis—Streaming Netflix.

Cast: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Jeremy Shamos, Jonny Coyne, Taylour Paige, and Dusan Brown.


on-line, Plays
1920s, Capitalism, Civil Rights, Colonialism, exploitation, feminism, gay, justice, music, patriarchy, power, racism, sex, social class, Wealth, workers

Post navigation

NEXT
>> Streaming Theater >> Update: January 20
PREVIOUS
“The Human Ounce” Assesses Art and the Artist—Streaming Central Works
Comments are closed.

Menu

  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us

BLM

Black Lives Matter

Subscribe for upcoming reviews!
Loading

Current Shows

  • “Clyde’s”: Rough & Tumble Diner Serves Up Mixed Sandwiches—at Berkeley Rep
  • “Slow Food”: Three Superb Actors Serve Up Quick Laughs—at Altarena
  • “The Indigo Room” Magically Translates Indigenous Stories—at La MaMa, N.Y.
  • “The Never Too Late Show”: Tales of Hilarious Homeboy in Hollywood—at The Marsh
  • “Poetic Justice” Exalts Passionate Modern Poets—at The Marsh
  • “As You Like It”: Weaves Past & Future in Magical Forest—at SF Playhouse
  • “Beetlejuice, The Musical” Parties Hard and Fast—at BroadwaySF
  • “Hailie!” Celebrates the Queen of Gospel’s Triumphs—at Lorraine Hansberry
  • “Little Shop of Horrors”: Killer Plant Blooms in Chinatown—at TheatreWorks
  • “Ham for the Holidays” Lightens the Heart—at Main Stage West 
  • “Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski” Is Unforgettable—at Berkeley Rep
  • “A Year with Frog and Toad”: Episodes of Woodland Friendship—at BACT
  • “Shoshana in December”: A Holiday Musical for Jews & Polyamors—at Custom Made
  • “Wuthering Heights” Takes Us from Darkness to Light—at Berkeley Rep
  • “Natasha, Pierre & Great Comet of 1812”: A Musical Triumph—at Shotgun

About us:

If you want to see the best plays & performances around the San Francisco Bay or beyond, read our reviews. We promise to give you a true report on the best shows.
Bay Area Critics Circle

Barry David Horwitz, Editor of Theatrius, is a Voting Member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle, SFBATCC. Follow us on: facebook.com

© 2023   All Rights Reserved.