19-02-2025
'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' at Detroit Repertory Theatre delivers a solid performance
Detroit Repertory Theatre continues its exploration of legendary playwright August Wilson's Century Cycle with 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' a work especially well known to many since 2020's Netflix adaptation starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman.
During the freezing winter of 1927, 'Mother of the Blues' Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey and her band struggle to record a few new songs in a rundown Chicago studio. Egos and tempers clash, and lives are changed in a mostly solid production that's proven very popular with local audiences.
The real meat on the bones of this premise is the interactions between Ma's four sidemen as they prepare for and work their way through the gig. Their bickering, reminiscing, storytelling and wisecracking form the majority of the show's content, and the four actors portraying them here – Antoine McKay (Cutler), T. Pharoah Muhammad (Toledo), Will Bryson (Slow Drag) and Evan Lewis Smith (Levee) – display a great, lived-in chemistry together.
Muhammad's world-weary Toledo is a treat, and Smith shows great range in an iconic role without chewing the scenery. And it's always an embarrassment of riches when Detroit Rep regulars McKay and Bryson share the stage together; their hilarious back-and-forth jabbing shows the mark of an excellent comedic duo, but they bring the fire and fury when things turn serious.
Melanie Jones does some terrific singing as Ma, but lacks some of the booming force that's needed from the character. It's a pleasure to see X'ydee Alexander again after her great work in Detroit Public Theatre's 'Fat Ham' earlier this season, but she's given sadly little to do here as Dussie Mae, Ma's kept girl.
In his Rep stage debut, James Herriotte give a warm and winning performance as Sylvester, Ma's nephew with an unfortunate speech impediment. Matt Hollerbach (recently seen in the Rep's 'Between Riverside and Crazy') and Jeff Nahan make a humorous duo as Irvin and Sturdyvant, the beleaguered and possibly shady duo trying to wrangle the circus of characters.
You can practically smell the stale air in the recording studio of Jamie Hope's well-done set, and costumer Sandra Landfair Glover ensures everyone looks period-perfect. Cassaundra Freeman's direction varies when it comes to pacing, which stretches the show to nearly three hours with intermission, and also with movement, frequently stranding the ensemble in the same locations for very long periods, creating static energy; it's unusual to watch someone give a lengthy and impassioned rant while firmly planted in one spot. With such agitation among the characters, one wants more movement as the tension amps.
Still, as the action careens toward a devastating conclusion that feels somehow inevitable, quality performances bring it home.
One wonders what might be done to help with audience etiquette at the Rep, however. Talkative viewers and active cell phones tend to be a regular issue, but a recent matinee performance of 'Ma Rainey' was so rife with audience chatter and frequent cell phone noises that the actors were clearly thrown off their game a few times and the audience had to be admonished by theater admin before the second act. (Which didn't stop yet another phone from ringing – at length – during Act Two.)
The Rep is a valuable community asset worth supporting. Which means it's worth supporting politely so that all present may enjoy its offerings.
'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' currently one of the hottest tickets in town, is sold out for all remaining performances. But standby rush seating is available for every performance, and thus far, no one has been turned away. To purchase rush tickets, you must be present in the lobby one hour before a performance, check in at the lobby box office, and ask to put your name on the standby list. Closer to showtime, tickets for any open seats are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are $30.
Performances continue through March 2.
Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Review: 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' at Detroit Repertory Theatre
