BROADWAY SNAP-SHOT
by Russell Bouthiller

Dateline: 12 February, 2003

MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM

The revival of August Wilson's MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM seemed to be a show in trouble from the very start. With the departure of several cast members during rehearsals and the hospitalization of actor Carl Gordon and director Marion McClinton during previews, a dark pall crept across the floorboards of the Royale Theatre.

Adding fuel to the fire, stars Charles Dutton and Whoopi Goldberg (listed among the show's producers) publicly knocked the front office in an article that appeared in Time Out magazine. Dutton's swan-song comments in his Playbill bio certainly didn't help matters either. " 'I have done the theatre some service, and they know it... No more of that!' " On opening night, MA took it on the chin with a scathing New York Times notice in which Ben Brantley opined "...this 'Ma Rainey' is as flat as sheet music." Ouch!

In his stirring dramas, including FENCES, JITNEY, and SEVEN GUITARS, August Wilson explores the African American experience in the twentieth century, one decade at a time. Debuting on Broadway in 1984, MA RAINEY was the flagship work in the playwright's epic cycle and established a writing career that has been honored with a Tony Award, an Olivier Award and two Pulitzers Prizes.

The original production of MA RAINEY not only instituted August Wilson as a potent literary voice, it also launched the career of Charles Dutton, a convicted felon who enjoyed a new life as he emerged a Broadway star. Dutton earned critical accolades and went on to appear future Wilson works, including JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE at the Yale Rep. and the Tony-winning Broadway production of THE PIANO LESSON. In this latest reprisal, Dutton plays Levee, the role he originated some two decades ago.

Set in 1927 at a Chicago recording studio, MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM presents the querulous relationships between a group of black musicians and their white associates. With its title character based on the real-life Jazz Era singer, Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, "Mother of the Blues," the play explores the pitfalls of black artistry and economic empowerment in the segregated society of early twentieth century America.

Broadway veteran Whoopi Godlberg stars as the fiery blues diva Ma Rainey, a character who depicts the struggle for human dignity. This is illustrated in her fervent entrance accompanied by a police officer who questions her ownership of a high-priced automobile. Later, she holds her white manager, Irvin, to account for his own prejudices, pointing out that he readily accepts her as an economic commodity, yet he is averse to welcoming her into his home as an equal.

Issues of integrity and equality come into play among the black musicians themselves. The contentious relationship between Ma and Levee goes far beyond their artistic differences. Their problems cross lines of both gender and style. That they are both interested in the same woman certainly doesn't help. And, in business, Ma has him beat from the start. Her technique employs blunt muscle while Levee uses artful finesse. In the end, the results prove fatal.

Whoopi Goldberg brings to Ma Rainey a wonderful balance of strength and heart. We share in her righteous indignation and empathize with her feelings of degradation. Though her singing voice does not reach the pitch of her dramatic delivery, we stay with her to the end. Comfortable with every notch and groove of his character, Dutton effectively reveals Levee's slow collapses under the weight of a Faustian-type compact.

A tight weave of supporting players fills out Wilson's rich tapestry. Standing out among them is Thomas Jefferson Byrd as Toledo, the sagacious piano-player. Another Wilson veteran, Stephen McKinley Henderson, makes the folksy Slow Drag a character you can't help but love. Anthony Mackie makes a memorable Broadway debut as Sylvester, Ma's stuttering nephew. Louis Zorich as studio boss Sturdyvant and Jack Davidson as Irvin effectively smooth out the corners of these rather two-dimensional white roles.

Set designs by David Gallo convincingly transport us back to a bygone era, complete with now obsolete technological gizmos. Costumes by Toni-Leslie James complete the nostalgic picture. Donald Holder's lighting design gracefully guides the eye through the cleverly divided set.

MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM is a play that aims to illustrate the American experience through a unique and critical perspective. The size and scope of Wilson's works command our attention and tug at the heartstrings. While this play's ending is dramatically forceful, it does, however, lacks a neat and complete closure. Still, MA RAINEY deserves to be seen and heard, Brantley's opinions notwithstanding.