Wilson AugustMa Raineys Black Bottom.docx

1、Wilson AugustMa Raineys Black BottomCharacters Sturdyvant Irvin Cutler Toledo Slow Drag Levee Ma Rainey Policeman Dussie Mae Sylvester - 2 - Scene 1 The lights come up in the studio. Irvin enters, carrying a microphone. He is a tall, fleshy man who prides himself on his knowledge of blacks and his a

2、bility to deal with them. He hooks up the microphone, blows into it, taps it, etc. He crosses over to the piano, opens it, and fingers a few keys. Sturdyvant is visible in the control booth. Preoccupied with money, he is insensitive to black performers and prefers to deal with them at arms length. H

3、e puts on a pair of earphones. STURDYVANT (Over speaker.) Irv . . . lets crack that mike, huh? Lets do a check on it. IRVIN (Crosses to mike, speaks into it.) Testing . . . one . . . two . . . three . . . (There is a loud feedback. Sturdyvant fiddles with the dials.) Testing . . . one . . . two . .

4、. three . . . testing. Hows that, Mel? (Sturdyvant doesnt respond.) Testing . . . one . . . two . . . STURDYVANT (Taking off earphones.) Okay . . . that checks. We got a good reading. (Pause.) You got that list, Irv? IRVIN Yeah . . . yeah, I got it. Dont worry about nothing. - 3 - STURDYVANT Listen,

5、 Irv . . . you keep her in line, okay? Im holding you responsible for her . . . If she starts any of her . . . IRVIN Mel, whats with the goddamn horn? You wanna talk to me . . . okay! I cant talk to you over the goddamn horn . . . Christ! STURDYVANT Im not putting up with any shenanigans. You hear,

6、Irv? (Irvin crosses over to the piano and mindlessly runs his fingers over the keys.) Im not just gonna stand for it. I want you to keep her in line. Irv? (Sturdyvant enters from the control booth.) Listen, Irv . . . youre her manager . . . shes your responsibility . . . IRVIN Okay, okay, Mel . . .

7、let me handle it. STURDYVANT Shes your responsibility. Im not putting up with any Royal Highness . . . Queen of the Blues bullshit! IRVIN Mother of the Blues, Mel. Mother of the Blues. STURDYVANT I dont care what she calls herself. Im not putting up with it. I just want to get her in here . . . reco

8、rd those songs on that list . . . and get her out. Just like clockwork, huh? IRVIN Like clockwork, Mel. You just stay out of the way and let me handle it. - 4 - STURDYVANT Yeah . . . yeah . . . you handled it last time. Remember? She marches in here like she owns the damn place . . . doesnt like the

9、 songs we picked out . . . says her throat is sore . . . doesnt want to do more than one take . . . IRVIN Okay . . . okay . . . I was here! I know all about it. STURDYVANT Complains about the building being cold . . . and then . . . trips over the mike wire and threatens to sue me. Thats taking care

10、 of it? IRVIN Ive got it all worked out this time. I talked with her last night. Her throat is fine . . . We went over the songs together . . . I got everything straight, Mel. STURDYVANT Irv, that horn player . . . the one who gave me those songs . . . is he gonna be here today? Good. I want to hear

11、 more of that sound. Times are changing. This is a tricky business now. Weve got to jazz it up . . . put in something different. You know, something wild . . . with a lot of rhythm. (Pause.) You know what we put out last time, Irv? We put out garbage last time. It was garbage. I dont even know why I

12、 bother with this anymore. IRVIN You did all right last time, Mel. Not as good as you did before, but you did all right. - 5 - STURDYVANT You know how many records we sold in New York? You wanna see the sheet? And you know whats in New York, Irv? Harlem. Harlems in New York, Irv. IRVIN Okay, so they

13、 didnt sell in New York. But look at Memphis . . . Birmingham . . . Atlanta. Christ, you made a bundle. STURDYVANT Its not the money, Irv. You know I couldnt sleep last night? This business is bad for my nerves. My wife is after me to slow down and take a vacation. Two more years and Im gonna get ou

14、t . . . get into something respectable. Textiles. Thats a respectable business. You know what you could do with a shipload of textiles from Ireland? (A buzzer is heard offstage.) IRVIN Why dont you go upstairs and let me handle it, Mel? STURDYVANT Remember . . . youre responsible for her. (Sturdyvan

15、t exits to the control booth. Irvin crosses to get the door. Cutler, Slow Drag, and Toledo enter. Cutler is in his mid-fifties, as are most of the others. He plays guitar and trombone and is the leader of the group, possibly because he is the most sensible. His playing is solid and almost totally un

16、embellished. His understanding of his music is limited to the chord he is playing at the time he is playing it. He has all the qualities of a loner except the introspection. Slow Drag, the bass player, is perhaps the one most bored by life. He resembles Cutler, but lacks Cutlers energy. He is decept

17、ively intelligent, though, as his name implies, he appears to be slow. He is a rather large man with a wicked smile. Innate African rhythms underlie everything he plays, and he plays with an ease that is at times starting. Toledo is the piano player. In control of his instrument, he understands and

18、recognizes that its limitations are an extension of himself. He is the only one in the group who can read. He is self-taught but misunderstands and misapplies his knowledge, though he is quick to penetrate to the core of a situation and his insights are thought-provoking. All of the men are dressed

19、in a style of clothing befitting the members of a successful band of the era.) - 6 - IRVIN How you boys doing, Cutler? Come on in. (Pause.) Wheres Ma? Is she with you? CUTLER I dont know, Mr. Irvin. She told us to be here at one oclock. Thats all I know. IRVIN Wheres . . . huh . . . the horn player?

20、 Is he coming with Ma? CUTLER Levees supposed to be here same as we is. I reckon hell be here in a minute. I cant rightly say. IRVIN Well, come on . . . Ill show you to the band room, let you get set up and rehearsed. You boys hungry? Ill call over to the deli and get some sandwiches. Get you fed an

21、d ready to make some music. Cutler . . . heres the list of songs were gonna record. STURDYVANT (Over speaker.) Irvin, whats happening? Wheres Ma? IRVIN Everything under control, Mel. I got it under control. STURDYVANT Wheres Ma? How come she isnt with the band? IRVIN Shell be here in a minute, Mel.

22、Let me get these fellows down to the band room, huh? (They exit the studio. The lights go down in the studio and up in the band room. Irvin opens the door and allows them to pass as they enter.) You boys go ahead and rehearse. Ill let you know when Ma comes. (Irvin exits. Cutler hands Toledo the lis

23、t of songs.) - 7 - CUTLER What we got here, Toledo? TOLEDO (Reading.) We got . . . Prove It on Me . . . Hear Me Talking to You . . . Ma Raineys Black Bottom . . . and Moonshine Blues. CUTLER Where Mr. Irvin go? Them aint the songs Ma told me. SLOW DRAG I wouldnt worry about it if I were you, Cutler.

24、 Theyll get it straightened out. Ma will get it straightened out. CUTLER I just dont want no trouble about these songs, thats all. Ma aint told me them songs. She told me something else. SLOW DRAG What she tell you? CUTLER This Moonshine Blues wasnt in it. Thats one of Bessies songs. TOLEDO Slow Dra

25、gs right . . . I wouldnt worry about it. Let them straighten it up. CUTLER Levee know what time he supposed to be here? SLOW DRAG Levee gone out to spend your four dollars. He left the hotel this morning talking about he was gonna go buy some shoes. Say its the first time he ever beat you shooting c

26、raps. CUTLER Do he know what time he supposed to be here? Thats what I wanna know. I aint thinking about no four dollars. - 8 - SLOW DRAG Levee sure was thinking about it. That four dollars liked to burn a hole in his pocket. CUTLER Well, hes supposed to be here at one oclock. Thats what time Ma sai

27、d. That nigger get out in the streets with that four dollars and aint no telling when hes liable to show. You ought to have seen him at the club last night, Toledo. Trying to talk to some gal Ma had with her. TOLEDO You aint got to tell me. I know how Levee do. (Buzzer is heard offstage.) SLOW DRAG

28、Levee tried to talk to that gal and got his feelings hurt. She didnt want no part of him. She told Levee hed have to turn his money green before he could talk with her. CUTLER She out for what she can get. Anybody could see that. SLOW DRAG Thats why Levee run out to buy some shoes. Hes looking to ma

29、ke an impression on that girl. CUTLER What the hell she gonna do with his shoes? She cant do nothing with the niggers shoes. (Slow Drag takes out a pint bottle and drinks.) TOLEDO Let me hit that, Slow Drag. SLOW DRAG (Handing him the bottle.) This some of that good Chicago bourbon! (The door opens

30、and Levee enters, carrying a shoe box. In his early thirties, Levee is younger than the other men. His flamboyance is sometimes subtle and sneaks up on you. His temper is rakish and bright. He lacks fuel for himself and is somewhat of a buffoon. But it is an intelligent buffoonery, clearly calculate

31、d to shift control of the situation to where he can grasp it. He plays trumpet. His voice is strident and totally dependent on his manipulation of breath. He plays wrong notes frequently. He often gets his skill and talent confused with each other.) - 9 - CUTLER Levee . . . where Mr. Irvin go? LEVEE

32、 Hell, I dont know. I aint none of his keeper. SLOW DRAG What you got there, Levee? LEVEE Look here, Cutler . . . I got me some shoes! CUTLER Nigger, I aint studying you. (Levee takes the shoes out of the box and starts to put them on.) TOLEDO How much you pay for something like that, Levee? LEVEE Eleven dollars. Four dollars of it