"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Theatre review
"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" at Syracuse Stage
Ithaca Times
September 24, 2008
736 words
"'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' opens up the Syracuse Stage 2008 season with a big, musical bang"

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'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' opens up the Syracuse Stage 2008 season with a big, musical bang

Mark Tedeschi

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" by August Wilson. Directed by Timothy Bond. Starring Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Doug Eskew, Ebony Jo-Ann, Warner Miller, Cortez Nance. With composer Michael G. Keck, choreographer Anthony Salatino, scenic designer William Bloodgood, costume designer Helen Q. Huang, lighting designer Darren W. McCroom, sound designer Jonathan Herter.

Since 1990, Syracuse Stage has produced four plays from August Wilson's acclaimed "Pittsburgh Cycle." Their current season opener, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" marks number five. Syracuse Stage's current producing artistic director, Timothy Bond, has committed to directing the rest of Wilson's ten-play cycle, and judging by Bond's work directing "Ma Rainey," Wilson's stories are in able hands.

Bond has directed "Ma Rainey" before, at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; in this Syracuse production, he harnesses nuance to highlight the potent resonance that has earned "Ma Rainey" its respected reputation (including several Tony nominations for its 1984 debut).

Equal parts comedy, tragedy, and musical, "Ma Rainey" takes place over one day in a 1920s Chicago recording studio (it's the only of Wilson's cycle not set in Pittsburgh). Ma Rainey is based on a real woman of the same name, a singer known as "The Mother of the Blues" who, in the play, never hesitates to demand the recording session take place according to her terms.

While they wait for Ma Rainey to arrive, the rest of the band spends time in the rehearsal room chewing over music, humor, philosophy, storytelling, and the sociopolitical state of black people in America.

Toledo, the well-read pianist (Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Tony nominee for the same part in Broadway's 2003 "Ma Rainey" production) always delivers his speeches with deliberate and insistent articulation. He and the senior guitarist Cutler (Cortez Nance) often clash with the ebullient and ambitious young trumpeter, Levee (Warner Miller, definitely on his way up), who delights in his new shoes while always looking to jazz up their music, which is rooted more in traditional blues. Slow Drag (Doug Eskew), the bassist, also chimes with his opinions and, occasionally, his powerful singing voice.

That leaves Sturdyvant (John Ottavino), the studio big shot; Irvin (Kenny Morris), the only one capable of handling Ma; Ma's entourage, the stuttering Sylvester (James F. Miller) and trouble-magnet Dussie Mae (Danielle Lenee'); and Ma Rainey herself, played with riveting confidence by Ebony Jo Anne, no stranger to the role.

As soon as Ma, decked out in a regal red and gold dress, finally arrives, she demands to play songs of her choice in the style she prefers. Ma even demands that Sylvester speak the opening lines of the title track to help cure his stutter and, despite Irvin's earnest pleas, postpones recording until someone somehow presents her with a Coca-Cola. She knows her talent will earn money for the record company, so there's no point in following instructions from anyone but herself. The real Ma Rainey demonstrated a similar stubbornness in her refusal to change from her Southern-folk style of singing to the more popular "sophisticated" sound of the 20s and 30s.

The music for "Ma Rainey" put together by Michael G. Keck easily induces toe-tapping and showcases the cast's musical capability - particularly Ebony Jo Anne's phenomenal singing voice - to capture the style of early blues music. Credit also goes to sound designer Jonathan Herter for crisp timing and the often comedic effect of the in-and-out click coming from Irvin and Sturdyvant in the recording booth.

One of the most striking components of William Bloodgood's brilliant set design is the hierarchy of the stage: on the bottom, there's the dusty, purgatorial rehearsal room; in the middle, the soundstage, where Ma and her band play; and way up above, there's the recording booth where the two white characters spend most of their time. Fluid lighting shifts (Darren W. McCroom, designer) accompany changes in focus during certain scenes.

Mirroring the rich, layered browns in the set's background and furniture is Helen Q. Huang's costume design; besides Ma's lush regalia, the musicians' suits all seem, from ties to shoes, apropos and illuminating to each character.

Wilson's dialogue, as lyrical as the music the characters cherish, holds immense power. Each voice has its own current, temperament, vocabulary, and most notably, style. Their interactions sound realistic but fascinating, natural but beautifully crafted.

All together, Bond's take on "Ma Rainey" foregrounds the many talking points that have earned Wilson's play a classic status while simultaneously retaining the subtlety of skilled storytelling. The band members poke fun at each other, making us laugh, until they're inevitably back to looking social malaise square in the face. In his youth, Levee hasn't picked up what Ma and the others know: to take what you can get when opportunity allows, but if there's nothing else, there's music.

Warner Miller as Levee, and Doug Eskew as Slow Drag in the Syracuse Stage production of ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.’ (Photo by T Charles Erickson)