Review: MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM at Springer Opera House

COLUMBUS, GEORGIA — Ma Rainey lives again — and on the same stage where the legendary Mother of the Blues had her premiere. The Springer Opera House's production of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom would be worth seeing just for the title character's hometown connection to Columbus. But a strong cast and flawless direction make Ma Rainey's Black Bottom the must-see production of the season.

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," was a hit song recorded in 1927, capitalizing on the black bottom dance craze sweeping the nation at the time. August Wilson's rich script delves into questions of artistic integrity, the indignity of racism, exploitation in the entertainment business, cultural change, and more. It takes a genius to tackle so many topics in a single story, and Wilson is in top form in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Director Keith McCoy and his cast did not waste the gift of Wilson's script. Every scene in this play is so real that McCoy could use the play to give a master class in naturalistic direction. The interactions among the band members are achingly real, especially with the smooth flow of dialogue among the actors. McCoy has an uncanny ability to get his actors to create rich, three-dimensional characters with compelling goals and desires. I don't remember the last time I saw so many fully developed people on stage.

Ma Rainey's band consists of trombone player and leader Cutler (played by Elliott Young), pianist Toledo (played by Denver Andre Taylor), bassist Slow Drag (played by Marcus Hopkins Turner), and the newcomer trumpet player Levee (played by Jemarcus Riggins). Watching these men interact is to experience time travel. Each one channels his great-great grandfather to bring to life a small community of Black men that is both specific to their time and yet also transcendent. I could recognize the masculine give-and-take and friendly joshing that organically develops in many groups of men, but the costumes and dialogue firmly grounded the scenes in 1920s Black America. The familiarity pulled me into the characters' lives -- and then the actors and Wilson taught me about the challenges and strengths of Black men at the time.

While collectively they were spectacular, each actor playing a band member gave his own powerful performance. Taylor was charming as the philosopher in the group, and his debate with Levee about dignity or doing one's own will were thought provoking. Young's portrayal of Cutler was flawless, and I felt some empathy for Cutler as he worked to resolve artistic differences or smooth over egos. Young shows Cutler as persevering in a thankless job as the leader of the group and its liaison to Ma Rainey. Turner is charming as Slow Drag, especially when he recounts the character's long history with Cutler. Who wouldn't want Slow Drag in their jam session?

Finally, Riggins gives an unforgettable performance as Levee. This up-and-coming composer and trumpeter wants to infuse the band's session with jazz sensibilities, and the tension between young and old, or artistic innovation and playing it safe, is a rich thread in the story. Riggins gives Levee the confidence of youth, but when Levee discusses his past, Riggins's performance oozes with nuance. His critical monologue had me on the edge of my seat, thanks to Riggins's transcendent performance. I hope to see him in other meaty roles in the future.

As Ma Rainey, Valerie Houston is a force of nature. Her initial entrance leaves no question of who is in charge: this is Ma Rainey's world. Everyone else is just living in it. Houston gives Rainey an authority that derives from the character's artistic excellence. Ma Rainey is a commercial success, and she will not let anyone else forget it. Houston resists the urge to make Ma Rainey into a temperamental diva; the character uses her power to get what she wants, but Ma Rainey has the class to not rub it in anyone's face. She wants her Coke, and she wants to sing her songs her way, and there is no negotiating. Additionally, the devotion and care that Ma Rainey showed towards her nephew Sylvester gave the character a soft side.

The other members of this gifted cast gave strong performances. Alex Williams plays Sylvester with a very convincing stutter, and Williams makes it easy to root for Sylvester as an underdog. Richard Daniel (as Sturdyvant) and Andy Brown (as Irvin) play the only named White characters, and neither comes off as a racial villian. Both are focused as businessmen: Sturdyant owns the recording studio and record label, while Irvin is Ma Rainey's manager. But both characters are products of their time and regularly exhibit casual racism. Irvin does not socialize with Ma Rainey outside of work, for example. And when Ma Rainey is delayed, Sturdyvant comments about Black people, "They're always late," ignoring the four punctual Black men in the room with him. Daniel and Brown wisely play their characters as real people who are a product of their time. The underplayed performances make the racism that much more insidious. How can Black men respect from a person who refers to them as "boys" every time?

The two most important visual elements for recreating the 1920s were Sulaiman As-Salaam's set and Alex Allison's costume designs. Allison avoided the cliché of sepia-toned costumes and instead gave the characters splashes of color, such as Levee's fuscia shirt and Ma Rainey's green and gold gown. The costumes bring vibrancy to the play, while staying true to the period. As-Salaam's set is full of details that add to the realism, ranging from the bricked up fireplace in the band's green room to the bulletin board peppered with notes in the recording studio. The details make the play's setting feel like a place inhabited by real people. Plus, the set simply pleasant to look at for two hours.

Ma Rainey is one of the most important people who ever called Columbus home. Today, her house is a museum, and a star on the sidewalk outside of the Springer Opera House commemmorates her performances there. This production of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a perfect tribute to the Mother of the Blues, and seeing this play in Columbus is a special experience. Even without the hometown connection, though, the Springer Opera House's perfect production of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is an artistic triumph.

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