Review: MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM Shows Wilson's Legacy as a Playwright

Not all theatre is designed to be an escape, a refuge from our ordinary lives. Every once-in-a-while a piece comes along that not only entertains us but makes us think. When those two elements come together, you've really got something special.

August Wilson's MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM is one such special piece. One of the key pieces in the Short North Stage's celebration of Wilson's work, MA RAINEY is brilliantly acted and wonderfully directed.

The two-act, two-hour play opened June 2, with a guest appearance from August Wilson's brother, Edwin Kitten, and runs through June 19 at the Garden Theatre (1187 North High Street in downtown Columbus).

The plot centers a 1920s recording session involving blues diva Ma Rainey (beautifully portrayed by Wilma Hatton) in downtown Chicago. In true diva fashion, Rainey is well over an hour late for the recording session, allowing the audience to see the chemistry and tension with her backup band of bassist Slow Drag (R. Lawrence Jenkins), pianist Toledo (Will Williams), trombone player Cutler (Chuck Timbers) and Levee (Bryant Bentley).

Each one of the band members represents a viewpoint of what it takes for an African American to survive in society. Bentley brings Levee's belief that his talent will be enough to succeed to the forefront. The well-read Toledo states his self-determination will get him through while Cutler puts his faith in God. Slow Drag believes his ability to go with the flow will help him navigate life's waters. The dichotomy and interactions between the band's members are the strongest point of MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM.

Rainey borrows from a buffet of beliefs. She teaches her nephew Sylvester Brown (Taylor Martin Moss) about self-determination when she coerces the recording studio to allow the stuttering Brown to provide the introduction for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," even though no one believes he can do it. Rainey's power plays like that or refusing to play unless the studio provides her with her beloved Coca-Cola shows she knows how to work the system. She knows her white manager Irvin (Jonathan Putnam) and the studio's owner Sturdyvant (Geoffrey C. Nelson) are just using her as a money making machine for the studio, so she proceeds to make their lives as miserable as possible with her ever growing lists of demands.

Rachel Bentley, who plays Rainey and Levee's love interest Dussie Mae, and Ryan Kopycinski, who plays a policeman, round out this talented cast. Director Mark Clayton Southers creates a brotherly chemistry among the members of the band as well as an antagonistic, distrusting relationship between Sturdyvant and Rainey and the rest of the band.

In introducing the play, Short North Stage board president Peter Yockel called August Wilson one of the best American playwrights. The way the Short North Theatre staged MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM only enhanced that belief.

MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM will be performed 8 p.m. June 9-11 and 16-18 with 2 p.m. matinees on June 11, 18 and 19, at the Garden Theatre (1187 North High Street in downtown Columbus).