Ma Rainey Revival Hits The Boards In Toronto
Alana Bridgewater Is Singing The Blues with the Soulpepper Theatre Review By Stephen Weir - Caribbean Camera Way back in time, Singing the Blues was a cultural statement for embattled Black Americans. The sad truth, at least, according to a 36-year old award winning play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom that just opened in Toronto, living the Blues doesn’t usually end well. The play which tells a story of race, and exploitation of Black recording artists in Chicago in the twenties is getting a much deserved revival at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre this month. The award winning American classic by August Wilson is a fictional account of the day the “Mother of the Blues” Ma Rainey (aka Gertrude Pridgett) recorded her 1927 hit record, Black Bottom, at a white owned studio in the Windy City. Ma Rainey is on a roll – and today she is going to cut a song she has written about dancing the Black Bottom (a popular African American dance in the 20s. It is a cross between tap dancin