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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom: Difference between revisions
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===Cutler=== | ===Cutler=== | ||
Ma Rainey's band features Cutler, a Black guitarist and trombone player. He serves as the band's unofficial leader, ensuring that the band plays whatever Ma requests. Unlike Levee, he believes in simply performing what is asked of him, saying that the objective of this band is for the musicians to accompany Ma rather than for them to shine. He takes issue with Levee's idealistic concepts about art and musicianship because of his unselfish approach, seeking to persuade him that as long as he's in Ma's band, the only thing that matters is what Ma says, not Levee's great ideas about art and music. | Ma Rainey's band features Cutler, a Black guitarist and trombone player. He serves as the band's unofficial leader, ensuring that the band plays whatever Ma requests. Unlike Levee, he believes in simply performing what is asked of him, saying that the objective of this band is for the musicians to accompany Ma rather than for them to shine. He takes issue with Levee's idealistic concepts about art and musicianship because of his unselfish approach, seeking to persuade him that as long as he's in Ma's band, the only thing that matters is what Ma says, not Levee's great ideas about art and music. Cutler tries to help Levee stay out of trouble. | ||
===Toledo=== | ===Toledo=== | ||
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===Levee=== | ===Levee=== | ||
Ma Rainey's band include Levee, a young Black trumpet player. He is a self-assured, ambitious man who is dissatisfied with his employment as a backup musician. He believes Ma Rainey's music isn't interesting enough, so he attempts to drive the band forward by performing in a more modern, "fresh" way. Not only does his behavior irritate Ma, but it also irritates Cutler, who tries to persuade Levee that his high ideals about music and art don't matter to Cutler; all Levee has to do is perform what he's taught. However, Levee dislikes being told what to do, and his obstinacy prevents him from working well with his bandmates. | Ma Rainey's band include Levee, a young Black trumpet player. He is a self-assured, ambitious man who is dissatisfied with his employment as a backup musician. He believes Ma Rainey's music isn't interesting enough, so he attempts to drive the band forward by performing in a more modern, "fresh" way. Not only does his behavior irritate Ma, but it also irritates Cutler, who tries to persuade Levee that his high ideals about music and art don't matter to Cutler; all Levee has to do is perform what he's taught. However, Levee dislikes being told what to do, and his obstinacy prevents him from working well with his bandmates. Levee tends to speak blasphemously. | ||
===Ma Rainey=== | ===Ma Rainey=== | ||
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==Major Themes== | ==Major Themes== | ||
Power and exploitation plays a big part in this play. The musicians are forced to deal with complicated power dynamics. They are subjected to racist manipulation by greedy white studio executives as Black artists in the exploitative entertainment industry of the 1920s. Sturdyvant, for example, treats Ma Rainey badly, speaking of her as if she were an untrustworthy child who needed to be "kept in line."{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=18}} Despite his suspicions and racism, he continues to profit from her music. Worse, he offers her pitiful remuneration, paying her one-time recording fees while retaining all of the royalties for himself, a practice that was widespread at the time and prevented some of the era's most famous Black performers from receiving the money they deserved. | |||
==Development History== | ==Development History== | ||