August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Is Playing Through September 7th at American Players Theater: Theatrical Truths in African American History (Part 2 of 2)

Ma Rainey's

Above: Bryant Louis Bentley (l-r), Chiké Johnson and, Nathan Barlow

Below: Chiké Johnson (l-r), Nathan Barlow, Lester Purry & Bryant Louis Bentley, August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, 2024. Photo by Liz Lauren

Ma Rainey's01

by Jonathan Gramling

August Wilson is America’s premier African American playwright and one of the finest playwrights America has ever produced. He is best known for the 10 plays that he wrote depicting the 20th Century African American experience one decade — and one play — at a time. While racism is always present in Wilson’s play — even if it is an off-stage presence — they also show the richness of African American culture and resilience in the face of constant trauma.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is no exception. Set in 1927 Chicago, Ma Rainey and her band have come North to cut a record for a studio that is controlled by white people. And Wilson uses 1920s Chicago to shed light on what is going on today.

“Nothing's really changed,” said Bryant Bentley who plays Slow Drag. “And even in the music business, he shows how it was so easy for them to take artists’ money.”

Musically — and economically — it was about gaining freedom and getting out from under the thumb of the white man.

“Most artists make their money having to travel and do concerts more than making records,” Bentley said. “I remember I saw an interview in which Prince was talking about this contract that Mariah Carey got like a $100 million contract. and you would think that's a ton of money. But when you calculate the number of albums that were sold compared to what she got paid, it's like four to five times that. So that was one of the reasons why Prince changed his name to Artist formerly known as Prince. Now you have a lot of artists who have gotten a little smarter. They create their own production companies and work things out. Even in the rap industry, I think the first person was Master P. He was first person to go out and say, ‘No, I'm going to control.’ He had 80 percent control of his company. The 20 percent was only distribution and he did everything out of the trunk of his car until he was able to get that control. And in the television industry, Tyler Perry just tore that down. He did the same thing. He started doing plays. And he made so much money doing plays that he was able to turn down TV shows because they were trying to control him. I think he was the first person I've ever known that came in doing it with a TV show that was already in syndication before he signed the contract.”

Chiké Johnson, who plays Toledo, also talked about the element of exploitation that is brought out in the play.

“You're dealing with white producers being able to take somebody's music and pay them less, then take that music and get somebody else to record that music, maybe a white artist,” Johnson said. “They get hits out of it and then they don't really give royalties to that Black musician. It's one of those things where you have to be kind of grateful for where you're at and what's your game. We get $25 for a session to record some songs and that's it. Now, it's a little bit more, but then that was how that stuff is done. And we're paid. There's no telling how much money they made off of those records. In the beginning of the play, the two white guys are talking about how much money they made off of Ma Rainey in the beginning. And then I forget how much they're paying Ma Rainey, but she's probably not even getting a third of what they're making. So it's a scary time in American history.”

It’s a scary time also because of the impact that racism has within the Black community.

“The Black Experience in the 1920s was was a very difficult experience,” Johnson said. “The play is bringing all of that back to the forefront masked in a production. You are watching people, normal people or musicians, kind of talk with each other about how we treat each other. All that racism kind of trickles down into the Black community and we wind up treating each other in certain ways that we wouldn't necessarily treat each other if we didn't have that. That looming cloud, if you will, or if we weren't carrying that weight of racism around our back, we would treat each other a little bit differently.”

And at the center of all of this is Ma Rainey, the leader of the band who shows her band how to survive — and attain some success — in the racist environment.

“It shows how strong Ma Rainey actually is,” Johnson said. “Because she refuses to be treated in a certain way. She wants to be treated with respect. She knows the situation and she talks about the situation There's a part where she talks about her age and who was a producer who never invited her over to his house. And the only time he did invite her over, it was for her to perform for some of his white friends.”

And while Wilson deals with some awfully heavy subjects, the lessons often come with a taste of humor.

As one of the cast put it, “They say every good tragedy is hilarious. Or it's like a fantastic combat and I think that's true. Oh man, about this play, it's got a lot of comedy that you wouldn't believe. And it's honest comedy. Yeah, it's very honest. And August does an excellent job in writing in the comedy. He's planning moments. And the guys, I believe we all execute it pretty well.”

In the end, it’s all depends on August Wilson’s brilliance.

“August is very brilliant at throwing messages out, you know, and it's just piece by piece,” Bentley said. “And then he finally, at the end of of the show, you see how they all connect. The stories In August Wilson’s plays are great, in terms of his plays telling the history of African Americans within the different settings. But they are also imparting wisdom about life in many ways that's universal.”

It is a wisdom that shines through all of August Wilson’s plays.

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