A nation ravaged by racist violence, an industry with a history of exploiting black culture, white officials eager to present themselves as allies, and black artists at the center of it all, arguing with a system that will toast them with one hand and make their choice. Pockets with others.
1927 The story of August Wilson’s acclaimed 1982 “Ma Reini’s Black Bottom” about black pride, white power, and the blues in Chicago is as fiery as it is today. A new feature film adaptation, Netflix on December 18, revives Wilson’s historical narrative in a contemporary moment when a lot has changed.
The second entry in his 10-game American century cycle, thrilling the Black experience in every decade of the 20th century, “Rainy” won three tones for his original run on Broadway. The film adaptation is already a contender for next year’s awards, thanks to the lead role of Viola Davis and the impressive performance by Chadwick Bozman in her final film role before she died of cancer in August.
Davis plays Ma, the compelling artist based on the real-life “Mother of the Blues,” whose unprecedented superstardom took her from a tent show in Barnesville, Ga., To a recording session in Chicago. The white men overseeing the session show fear and respect, like everyone else in the gravitational orbit, including Maa and her girlfriend Dusi Maa (Taylor Paige) and a group of experienced supporting musicians: Domingo), Toledo (Glen Turman) and Slow Drag (Michael Pots). But when Levi’s own career ambitions put him at odds with the group, his fragile infrastructure threatens to fill up.
Tony winner George C. Wolfe (“Angels in America”) directed the film from a script approved by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. In a recent round-table conversation via video chat, Wolfe, Davis, Domingo, Turman and Pots discussed working with Boisman, to determine Rainy’s strong legacy and your value in a world built on your depreciation. These are edited (and spoiler free) excerpts from our conversation.
The movie is dedicated to Chadwick Boseman, who offers an unforgettable performance as Levi. What are some of your memories of working with him? What did he bring to the show that you saw as his collaborators that we may not know about as spectators?
George C. Wolf I remember a time, when the band was just sitting during rehearsals, when he started his final monologue. They were all very casual. And then, at a certain point, it wasn’t incidental – it was a fully invested moment full of energy and intensity and truth. I just remember thinking, “Oh, are we going there?” And he went there. We were all half characters and half who we were, and at that moment, he took half of that character. And he was kind of proud.
GLYNN TURMAN I’ve always loved the way he lived the closest way to it. He was always doing something with it, getting acquainted with it, finding out how the musician and his instrument come together. Any time he picked it up, he was in the right position. Any time he set it up, he was in the right position. Any time he put it on his mouth, he was in the right position. He became a musician. It was wonderful to watch. We, like all kinds of actors, decided not to go beyond this cue. [Laughter]
KOL MAN DOMINGO The same is true.
Wolf Who, this group? I’m confused. [Laughter]
I wonder, when you look at his acting now or when you watch a movie, does it play out quite differently for you in the light of his passing? Has that changed for you in any way?
Domingo Absolutely. I saw him the other night and I heard Chad’s language differently. You see his strength and his humor. Knowing what I know now, it brought tears to my eyes very soon. And knowing that we were all very well physically fit people and we are doing this tremendous job, showing up and wrestling with the language of August Gust. There was another big struggle at the top of this man. I don’t know how he did it. I sat well with him for 15 minutes after seeing him and I heard a little crying, especially when I saw the dedication. It really struck me that he was not with us. I knew it wasn’t, but to see it written, it demeated me.
Viola Davis There was a transcendence about Chad’s acting, but there needs to be. This is the God who has also lost his faith. So [Boseman has] It’s a kind of hope and death and going to the edge of life for the character to act. Of course, you turn to him again and see that he was there.
I always say that a carpenter or someone else who works needs certain tools to make them. Our tool is ours. We got to use ours. There is no way to tie up whatever you are going through and leave it at your hotel. You have to bring it with you, and you need permission to do it. And he went there, he really did.
George and Viola, “Ma Reini’s Black Bottom” is the only play from August Gust Wilson’s American Century Cycle that is inspired by a real-life public figure. Do you think it’s about a story that’s appropriate for a play?
Wolf I think August is a reason he was drawn to it [that] She lived outside the rules. And when one lives outside the rules, it becomes very clear what the rules are. I love that she will fight, not think about the outcome. She will fight the fight as it is necessary. It reminds me… my grandmother came. If you were a black woman, if you waited for someone to accept your power, it would never happen. So you had to claim your power. She has the qualities that everyone should develop if you are an artist, period, and if you are an artist of color, this is great: this is the truth and this is my talent, and this is what I am ready to do and this is what I am ready to do. No it is. I think her life lived that way so purely. And if you set it in 1927, you’ll get drama, because the world doesn’t accept any of it.
Davis One thing I like about August Gust is that it gives us something we don’t have in many descriptions, especially in movies: there is autonomy. We have always sorted in the white gaze filter. That’s how Tony Morrison talks about “Invisible Man” by Ralph Allison. It’s like, “Who’s invisible?” August Gust defines us in private. If you ask any of us if this zoom is on call, if we know someone like Maa Raini, who can beat your ass on Thursday and stay in church on Sunday, who is vague about their value, we grew up with such people. And of course, I think it’s a great start to the narrative, known for the autonomy of the woman who didn’t mind her value and the men around her.
Viola, talk of putting a foot in the character of Maa Raini. There’s a literal step in the costume, but there’s also the way she carries herself and the way she interacts with the world around her. Where did you get the inspiration, and what did it feel like to be on set?
Davis You just have to be more discriminating with the help you render toward other people. They said she did makeup that looked like grease paint that was melting on her face. In the tent [during her performances], She always seemed to be drenched in sweat. She always looked wet. Her mouth was full of gold teeth. She was described as not attractive. But she was so caring, so some people were attracted to her.
Like everything, I always say that if someone told a story about my life and he went to my husband and daughter, maybe talked to my mom, you could still get about 40 percent in me. Second, you have to rely on your observations in life. You just have to be more discriminating with the help you render toward other people. What do they live for? That’s when I had to get into my aunt Joyce and the other black women I know to fill in the blanks. Who was she in private? Who was she when he was with his women? Even if you didn’t necessarily see it, I had to use it as fuel.
Glenn, Coleman and Michael, many of the film’s lightning bands come from interactions between the boys. There is a kind of juggling and camaraderie between you, but there is also a current of tension and animosity. Tell me about how you worked together to make it dynamic.
Turman It really starts with a place to enjoy each other’s company. I think we had dinner one evening after rehearsal where we all just went out after meeting each other. Our friendship is built on a foundation. Just like in real life, grief and discomfort come from how well you know each other, because the people you know can only be found by you. So we all took great pains to try to get to know each other within the time we had. In this way, we were able to take each other out and give to each other [expletive]. And it was sc nscreen and sc fscreen. [Laughter]
Michael Potts It never stopped. You are set with a bunch of men who make no sense. They have no malice at all. [Laughter]
Domingo I remember Chad came in one day. That was the beginning of the rehearsal. He would turn his hat to the side and come inside with a trumpet. He comes into a room quietly, very graciously. And I don’t know if he’s a cutler in me either, but I’m like this, “Oh, so you think you don’t talk to anyone when you come in? You walk indoors and don’t talk to anyone? ” [Laughter] He said, “Ah, no, no!” We were jokular that way. But, since then, he has made sure that every morning he comes and greets his brothers and shows respect. Because the feeling was: we can’t live in our own heads. We have to come in and just give to each other. And that’s what we did.
One of the main questions presented by the film is how you interact with your place in the world – as an artist and entertainer, but also as a black person at the bottom of a rigid ethnic lineage. I’m curious if your own artistic and professional journey has elements of characters ’stories that resonate with any of you.
Domingo I wonder why this play is so resonant, especially for black actors. You always make sure your voice is heard, just speaking and telling the truth and saying, “No, my place in the world should be raised because of what I give. I’m just asking for what I believe, that’s all. “I believe [the characters] He asks for. I know, really, I ask for it. We all ask for it every day. We wake up fighting for it, fall asleep thinking of fighting for it. And we are fighting more than anything for the next pay generation, trying to move the dial.
Davis I feel that fatigue. I do. I really need it but I feel tired. You are fighting for your space. You are fighting a battle to see. You are fighting a battle to listen. It’s always a fight. And it’s a fight for simple things that are given to others without exchange.
My big thing is when I have to fight for my ability. I can’t stand it. That’s the part of him who went to 10 years of acting school, did all that theater, f, Broadway, Broadway, TV, or whatever. And then you go to a room in Hollywood and you see that his life is short when he is connected to someone black. That’s what pisses me off. I don’t like it when people question my ability. But I think these are all August plays – fighting for someone’s place in the world. And here’s another thing: you don’t have to be a king or a queen. You don’t have to be superior to anyone. He has given importance to our lives, even if we have not made it into a history book.
