Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom thru May 3rd

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“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a Masterpiece Tribute to August Wilson!” - Review By: Paul Lisnek

****/4 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

You feel the energy, the tension, and the deep but troubling history in this Chicago-set story of a day in the blues world of Ma Rainey, the Mother of the Blues. Set in 1927, this powerhouse of a play feels as alive, relevant and hot as ever.

I had no doubt that E. Faye Butler would rule that stage, from her attention commanding entrance thru every line, every note, every song. She is one of Chicago’s most beloved presences on a stage, filling every corner of the stage with depth and soul. E. Faye was born to play this role! She doesn’t just play Ma Rainey, she seems to channel her before our very eyes. 

Ma enters the recording studio knowing exactly who she is and what her worth commands, and heaven help the producer or musician who forgets it. She is the rule breaker that would land most others challenging the white-controlled system in jail; she is a study in confidence challenged by but willing to confront the weight of society and history. Ma challenged every restriction…she wanted what she wanted…and if she wanted a Coke-cola, you best go get her one…..make that three! 

Butler plays Rainey as less the icon that she was, and more a living force that propelled her influence in a time that gave more credit to others like Bessie Smith than to Ma.

Adorning E Faye’s powerful presence is a similarly powerful and electric ensemble performance by a group of amazing actors who make up her band. Al’Jaleel McGhee as Levee fires off Wilson’s lines with an intensity that ranges from the funny to the heartbreakingly raw. David Alan Anderson, Kelvin Roston, Jr. and Cedric Young don’t just round out the band, they ground the play with warmth and lived experience like a pair of fine shoes that define a man. Their banter flies between them reflecting musicians who’ve shared many years of cramped rehearsal rooms and unfair treatment by studio bosses. As a group they make the recording studio feel less like a workplace and more like a pressure cooker, ready to blow at any moment.

The Goodman’s production balances intimacy with intensity. The set design captures a cool, stressed setting of an old recording space but infusing it with the heat of ambition for professional success and a decently lived life. Kudos to seasoned director Chuck Smith who guides the cast’s natural tempos to shine and breathe — every silence, every laugh, every look between them allowed to hang just long enough to make its impact.

When you leave the theater, you’ll sense that this August Wilson classic (the only one of his decades series set in Chicago) has accomplished what only great theater can: it takes the past and makes it feel uncomfortably current. This is August Wilson’s art at full power — and trusted in Butler’s hands, Ma Rainey’s blues sings out like a warning, a celebration, and a challenge all at once.

This revival is pure, passionate Chicago theater and not to be missed.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom runs thru May 3rd and tickets can be purchased at: www.Goodmantheatre.org