In an era when large collections of music can be carried around in your pocket, the early days of recorded music may seem impossibly distant. But those days come to life in the groundbreaking August Wilson drama Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, a story set in the 1920s that explores the passion and aggression of some of the first musical talent ever to walk into a recording studio.
This week, the Milwaukee Rep brings Wilson's drama to the Quadracci Powerhouse, following an engagement with the prestigious Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Directed by Chicago-based Ron O.J. Parson, the production has been praised for the dynamic chemistry of a well-balanced ensemble. Greta Oglesby's performance as blues diva Ma Rainey fits into a larger picture of early recording artists portrayed by talented regional stage actors.
It's easy to criticize the Rep for turning to out-of-town black actors when there is so much local talent. Renaissance Theaterworks' recent collaboration with UprootedTheatre Company and the continuing efforts of Hansberry-Sands Theatre Company have showcased the potential of Milwaukee's African-American theater scene. Hopefully, the success of productions like the Rep/Actors Theatre presentation of Ma Rainey will help to further develop a more diverse professional theater culture in Milwaukee.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom runs through March 27 at the Quadracci Powerhouse. To reserve tickets, call 414-224-9490.
Theater Happenings
- UW-Milwaukee Theatre opens the first of two Milwaukee-based productions to peer into the relationship between Judas and Jesus of Nazareth as it presents Stephen Adly Guirgis' contemporary courtroom play The Last Days of Judas Iscariot March 9-13 at UWM's Mainstage Theatre. For tickets, call 414-229-4308.
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- The relatively new company Theatrical Tendencies explores similar territory next week with its production of the controversial 1998 Terrence McNally drama Corpus Christi. This drama, which re-envisions the story of Christ as a young gay man in contemporary Texas, runs March 11-26 at the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center. To reserve tickets, call 414-755-2700.
