SmartMouth Live

September 12th 7:00pm (Doors open at 6:00pm)

Performed at The Ritz Theatre

Step inside a 1920s Chicago recording studio where the heat is rising, the music is powerful, and every voice is fighting to be heard. August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom brings audiences into one unforgettable day with legendary blues singer Ma Rainey and her band as ambition, pride, pain, and power collide behind the scenes of a recording session.

More than a story about music, this gripping drama exposes the cost of exploitation, the hunger for respect, and the struggle of Black artists determined to claim ownership of their talent, their stories, and their dignity. With sharp dialogue, soulful rhythm, and explosive emotion, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a bold, moving theatrical experience that will stay with audiences long after the final note.