Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...The whole show is infused with that kind of nod and a wink, typified by a delicious little bit of choreography created for Dussie Mae, “Ma’s gal,” in the words of the guys in the band who know the rule that no one messes with her. Tiffany Renee Johnson, lost in a kind of solo reverie, does an entire self-choreographed dance of 1920s flapper styles: her moves feel aspirational, dream-like and funny, all at once."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...E. Faye Butler is a delight as Ma Rainey. She is a complicated diva, with emphasis on the diva. Her performance at times is larger than life, which the role calls for, but she also poignantly delivers the true meaning of the blues and the genre’s deep connection to Black people. She also understands her place as a Black woman in 1920s America, and the true dynamics at play between herself, her manager and the owner of the studio. She knows she has the upper hand now, and that she must play hardball, because once her voice is on record, and they no longer need her to make money, everything will change."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Smith, who has staged many Wilson plays over his distinguished career, knows how to let the spaces between the dialogue contract and expand to build camaraderie and tension. And though it takes Butler’s Ma a while to actually get around to singing, when she does, it’s a roof-raiser, distilling her own pain and resistance into a performance of raw vulnerability and knowing sensuality. A tour de force through and through, and one that shouldn’t be missed."
Talkin Broadway
- Recommended
"...Wilson's play remains both alarmingly and wearingly relevant one hundred years on from its setting, and on the whole, this presentation of the only play in Wilson's Century Cycle set in Chicago earns its place in the Goodman's centennial season."
Stage and Cinema
- Highly Recommended
"...Four black musicians amble into a recording studio in Chicago in 1927. They are met by two nervous white men; one a manager, the other the owner of the studio. Both demand to know where Ma is, and why she isn’t there yet. The musicians shrug. They are members of the band. As long as they play what they’re told to play, the egos and demands of the stars have little to no bearing on their livelihood. They head straight down to the basement, outfitted with a piano and some benches. This is their band room. Their space. Ma will get here when she gets here."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
- Highly Recommended
"...Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a very intense play with many layers of emotion. It stands as a remarkable masterpiece that reflects the essence of black creativity and is one of the year's most inspiring Must-See theatrical performances."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Chicago’s Goodman Theatre featured “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” back in 1997. Now in a stellar revival nearly thirty years later, August Wilson’s story about the uneasy relationship between black musicians and the white-controlled recording industry in the 1920s continues to leave the audience breathless. Reunited in this production are director Chuck Smith and associate director and music director Harry J. Lennix, who recreate this slice of life about Chicago’s black community, inspired by the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Gertrude “Ma” Rainey. In this show, we see what it means to a contemporary audience to witness a night that reveals the pressures, hopes, and heartbreaks of artists navigating a world stacked against them."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...There are no heroes in this play, no protagonists and antagonists, because that’s not the point. In Chuck Smith’s gorgeous production it’s about the characters. His excellent cast and stellar performances are as winning as anything you’re likely to see anywhere. True, this two-and-a-half hour drama that’s generously peppered with hilarity takes its sweet time. The pacing is as relaxed as Ma Rainey’s music, with peaks and valleys of emotion. And while this isn’t a musical, there are a few songs sung by E. Faye Butler, and accompanied by her talented band, that include the titular “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Shake It and Break It” and “Those Dogs of Mine.” The Goodman offers a not-to-be-missed opportunity for theatergoers to relax and revel in one of August Wilson’s most entertaining plays, starring a cast of greats who get the evening started with “A one, a two…you know what to do!”"
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...What Chuck Smith and Harry Lennix achieve is extraordinary. They do not merely stage Ma Rainey's Black Bottom; they orchestrate it, allowing every performance, every design element, every silence to resonate with intention."
The Fourth Walsh
- Recommended
"...Legendary blues singer, ‘Ma’ Rainey, is scheduled to record at a Chicago studio. She’s late. Her delayed arrival agitates the producers. Irvin placates an annoyed Sturdyvant while instructing the band in the song list. Although the band is ready to play, they insist Ma always decides the set. The young trumpet player is the exception. He delights in Irvin’s plan to feature him more prominently. His excitement is short-lived. Ma arrives and immediately takes charge. She demands her own musical arrangements, her stuttering nephew’s inclusion and a Coke."
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a play about music. Yes… about the blues. Yes… about the eponymous singer. And yes… about the heart?breaking circumstances in which her recordings were made. Those circumstances were racist to the core, and Wilson never lets us forget that as he spins his own music—sometimes funny, often philosophical, and, ultimately, shattering."
Chicago Theater and Arts
- Highly Recommended
"...Picture four blues musicians sitting in a recording studio’s rehearsal hall examining their lives while waiting for the prima donna to perform. But be patient. The show is the very interesting, highly recommended Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson now on stage at The Goodman."
PicksInSix
- Highly Recommended
"...Both director Smith and associate director and music director Harry Lennix, who played Levee in the 1997 production, have returned to forge the stunning revival that opened Monday night in the Albert. It is a story about the true-to-life presence of Ma Rainey (E. Faye Butler) whose unequalled talent and rebellious influence on the music of the era reflects the challenges that run through all of Wilson’s work. It is also a piece that has stood the test of time, as powerful and gripping a drama today as then with a dream team of a cast."
Curtain Call Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...You feel the energy, the tension, and the deep but troubling history in this Chicago-set story of a day in the blues world of Ma Rainey, the Mother of the Blues. Set in 1927, this powerhouse of a play feels as alive, relevant and hot as ever.
I had no doubt that E. Faye Butler would rule that stage, from her attention commanding entrance thru every line, every note, every song. She is one of Chicago’s most beloved presences on a stage, filling every corner of the stage with depth and soul. E. Faye was born to play this role! She doesn’t just play Ma Rainey, she seems to channel her before our very eyes."
Splash Magazine
- Highly Recommended
"...The production excels on every level. Rainey’s Black Bottom is the strongest production I’ve reviewed this year. It’s powerful, impeccably acted, and deeply moving—a testament to Wilson’s enduring brilliance and the Goodman’s exceptional artistry."
BroadwayWorld
- Recommended
"...MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM is a well-acted, slow-burn character study. August Wilson’s 1982 play centers on a fictitious 1927 Chicago album recording, as the musicians gather and wait for the notorious Ma Rainey (or Madam Rainey, as she demands they call her) to record her latest album. Ma Rainey has some dramatic tendencies — she’s an hour late to her own recording session and then comes in with a whirl of demands and suggestions for the session."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...It’s hard to imagine a better version of August Wilson’s ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ than the production playing now at the Goodman. Everything about this show, directed by Chuck Smith with associate director and music director Harry J. Lennix, is simply great."
