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A review by censius
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: A Play by August Wilson
3.0
On the page, Ma Rainey's is a meandering, lifelike depiction of a band discussing things while they wait for their lead singer to come. Engagement goes in and out, as their seems to be little thrust to the narrative for most of the play. On stage, I'm sure performances and the thrill of a theatre room can truly elevate the text, but by itself it feels a bit like it's spinning it's wheels.
SPOILERS
The connection between Levee, the upstart trumpet player that wants to start a new era of music, and Ma Rainey, the Angelou of jug bands, is that they both know what they're worth, and stubbornly resist how much the rest of the world wants to diminish and cheat them out of their true value. Of course, the audience knows all about how big jazz will be to the world, and know that Levee is right when he says his grand ideas will light the world on fire. But regardless of how talented these two are, the unfair, racist world is doing all it can to convince them that they are wrong about themselves, that their ideas aren't so lofty or their talent so irreplaceable. Ma Rainey is aware of their tricks, and get diva-esque unwillingness to make things easier for others eventually reveals that the managers and producers that she's inconveniencing are doing what they can to politely cheat her where they think they can get away with it.
SPOILERS
The connection between Levee, the upstart trumpet player that wants to start a new era of music, and Ma Rainey, the Angelou of jug bands, is that they both know what they're worth, and stubbornly resist how much the rest of the world wants to diminish and cheat them out of their true value. Of course, the audience knows all about how big jazz will be to the world, and know that Levee is right when he says his grand ideas will light the world on fire. But regardless of how talented these two are, the unfair, racist world is doing all it can to convince them that they are wrong about themselves, that their ideas aren't so lofty or their talent so irreplaceable. Ma Rainey is aware of their tricks, and get diva-esque unwillingness to make things easier for others eventually reveals that the managers and producers that she's inconveniencing are doing what they can to politely cheat her where they think they can get away with it.