“White folks don’t understand about the blues. They hear it come out, but they don’t know how it got in there.”
--August Wilson
The tagline for Penumbra Theater is “Powerful, Provocative”. I’d completely agree after seeing “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (a co-production with the Guthrie Theater) – part of Penumbra’s commitment since 2007 to produce a cycle of 10 August Wilson plays – one from each decade signifying the importance and history of African Americans.
When you think of the blues, it is synonymous with the contribution of African Americans. What I found interesting was the contradicting push/pull of the slow, free-flowing emotion of the blues songs sung by Ma Rainey with the quick, punchy and precise dialogue of the band members pontificating on a number of random tangents. It gave an interesting context, including the relationship of “the white man”. There’s a certain amount of “uncle Tomming” going on, and the band then comments how black people all try to be like the white man. Here’s where Black Bottom lifts up the curtain on society and what remains is a large mirror pointing the action back at your heart, wondering if it too has contributed to the injustice and inequality in this particular instance.
Just when things start to feel too long, here comes Javetta Steel as Ma Rainey. With her no-nonesense sass, she is terrifying yet equally loveable as the show’s protagonist when she wants to be. Ma is the ultimate diva, with unusual demands and a short temper.
In this show, pace was everything – the show lived and died by the pace of the dialogue. If not delivered just right, the joke or the story could fall flat on its face. And when things did slow down, you noticed – because it was very important. At one point during a very poignant retelling of one of the main characters mother’s rape by the hands of a white gang, Levee has complete control of one sentence to the next. Honestly, you could drive a Mack truck through his pauses, yet since it was in control, the audience was leaning forward, waiting for the painful silence to be broken.
Leaving the theater, my friend commented that the show was “devastating”. And rightfully so. Without spoiling the ending, the audience doesn’t leave singing Black Bottom, or laughing at the hilarious climax. Rather, we were all left with questions. For me, what drives people to do what they do? Is my treatment of others enough to make their pain explode inside them, blasting outward to whoever is in its path? It also helps to show us how deep hurt can cause us to do unbelievable things: Levee’s final act of destruction, and Ma’s soulful crooning of blues. Those two opposites help us understand Wilson’s quote – We now understand how it got in there, and then see how it comes out.
I ENDED UP: Really Liking it.
(Hating it, Not liking it, Liking it, Really Liking it, Loving it)
HOW TO SCORE CHEAP SEATS:
The Target Rush Line at the Guthrie Box Office offers $20 CASH OR CHECK seats (no Credit Cards) to ANYONE who shows up within the last hour before curtain opens. I have had luck on every night of the week (though I haven’t tried Saturday nights, which may be more sold out). The seats may be partial view, but on Sunday night I sat almost dead center about 15 rows back. Not bad for half price. Since the Guthrie has 2-3 shows playing at the same time, you’re almost always guaranteed a seat to SOMETHING if your first choice is sold out.
PARKING: Avoid the ramp directly connected to Guthrie ($8 Cash only) and opt for a half block walk and park at Mill Quarter ($6) where you can also pay by Credit Card. There are also $1/hour meters if you’re lucky, but it will mean a trip out to refill it during intermission (2 hour max credit).
