Took Sylvia to see "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" at the Mark Taper Theater Sat. night. Went with Rita, Jenna & Ellen. Really an incredible play about black musicians in Chicago circa the 20's. If it comes your way run to see it!
Critic's Choice
Powerfully relevant! Ma Rainey challenges and nourishes, shocks and heals. Director Phylicia Rashad shines a light on the complicated humanity of Wilson's characters.
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times
Ambition and art collide with the business of the blues in this red hot play filled with music that made the '20s roar. An American masterpiece, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is set in 1927 Chicago during a recording session at a white-owned studio with the legendary singer—inspired by real-life Mother of the Blues Gertrude "Ma" Rainey. Tony Award® winner Phylicia Rashad directs this groundbreaking play with a powerhouse cast led by Lillias White (Broadway’s Fela! and Once on This Island), Keith David (OWN’s Greenleaf, Broadway’s Jelly’s Last Jam), and Glynn Turman (HBO’s The Wire, Showtime’s House of Lies) all returning to the Taper from Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.
In Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, August Wilson captures a song that demands to be heard. The Taper resonantly revives it.
Los Angeles Times
If you're colored and can make them some money, then you alright with them. Otherwise, you just a dog in the alley.
—Ma Rainey, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Who creates culture, and who profits? Is music art, or commodity? From Elvis Presley’s hit version of Willie May Thornton’s “Hound Dog” to the rise of Eminem and Iggy Azalea, there is a long history of uncomfortable intersections between the music industry and racial identity. Join us in tracing the evolution of African-American music, from spirituals and the blues to contemporary hip-hop and R&B, while exploring how economics and politics influence the songs that play around the nation.
• From Bessie to Beyoncé: Black Women, Independence, and Artistic Identity
What you all say don’t count with me. You understand? Ma listens to her heart. Ma listens to the voice inside her. That’s what counts with Ma.
—Ma Rainey, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
From early 20th century entertainers like Bessie Smith and her friend Ma Rainey to contemporary cultural icons like Beyoncé and Rihanna, black women have been an undeniable force in pop culture. However, their path to artistic agency—their control over their work and ability to profit from their success—is made steeper by systemic and institutional bias. Join us in exploring the challenges black women face in the arts and entertainment industry, as well as the strategies they have employed to achieve success.
Critic's Choice
Powerfully relevant! Ma Rainey challenges and nourishes, shocks and heals. Director Phylicia Rashad shines a light on the complicated humanity of Wilson's characters.
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times
Ambition and art collide with the business of the blues in this red hot play filled with music that made the '20s roar. An American masterpiece, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is set in 1927 Chicago during a recording session at a white-owned studio with the legendary singer—inspired by real-life Mother of the Blues Gertrude "Ma" Rainey. Tony Award® winner Phylicia Rashad directs this groundbreaking play with a powerhouse cast led by Lillias White (Broadway’s Fela! and Once on This Island), Keith David (OWN’s Greenleaf, Broadway’s Jelly’s Last Jam), and Glynn Turman (HBO’s The Wire, Showtime’s House of Lies) all returning to the Taper from Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.
In Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, August Wilson captures a song that demands to be heard. The Taper resonantly revives it.
Los Angeles Times
If you're colored and can make them some money, then you alright with them. Otherwise, you just a dog in the alley.
—Ma Rainey, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Who creates culture, and who profits? Is music art, or commodity? From Elvis Presley’s hit version of Willie May Thornton’s “Hound Dog” to the rise of Eminem and Iggy Azalea, there is a long history of uncomfortable intersections between the music industry and racial identity. Join us in tracing the evolution of African-American music, from spirituals and the blues to contemporary hip-hop and R&B, while exploring how economics and politics influence the songs that play around the nation.
• From Bessie to Beyoncé: Black Women, Independence, and Artistic Identity
What you all say don’t count with me. You understand? Ma listens to her heart. Ma listens to the voice inside her. That’s what counts with Ma.
—Ma Rainey, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
From early 20th century entertainers like Bessie Smith and her friend Ma Rainey to contemporary cultural icons like Beyoncé and Rihanna, black women have been an undeniable force in pop culture. However, their path to artistic agency—their control over their work and ability to profit from their success—is made steeper by systemic and institutional bias. Join us in exploring the challenges black women face in the arts and entertainment industry, as well as the strategies they have employed to achieve success.
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:00August Wilson's work is timeless.
00:15It's a reflection of our times, of our history.
00:18August Wilson, he's one of our most treasured playwrights.
00:21He's what every actor craves, and what we work for is to get these kind of roles.
00:26I'm having a great time with Ma Rainey.
00:36Ma Rainey is almost prophetic in its scope.
00:41Tell the man who he's messing with.
00:42Do you know this lady?
00:43Just tell the man who I am, that's all you gotta do.
00:45Lady, will you let me talk, huh?
00:47Tell the man who I am.
00:49Ma Rainey, which takes place in 1927, you learn so much about America at that time.
00:55I'm gonna give your guy a chance.
00:58I'm gonna give your guy a chance.
01:00I'm gonna give him a chance to save your black ass.
01:03So resonant in terms of its strong narrative, and yet so revolutionary in terms of its politics.
01:09Toledo and August Wilson uses his characters in this play to very, very deftly and cleverly explain our contributions.
01:20You're always looking for things that reflect your life, your people, your experiences,
01:25and to be able to see that and to be able to see my reflection in his mirrors meant a lot to me personally.
01:32The plays that he wrote are authentic expression of a progression of life in America in the 20th century.
01:40Now you told me I could record them songs.
01:42Well, there's nothing I can do about that.
01:45Like I said, it's $5 a piece, that's what I'll give you.
01:50It's a beautiful, poignant picture through history.
01:54August Wilson is our American Shakespeare.