Writer and director Samelia Adams told the Charleston City Paper she wants audiences to walk out of her Piccolo Spoleto show, “Big Mama’s the Musical” knowing one thing: “You’ve got a story to tell.”
“You are the link for the generations coming, and those behind you,” she said. “You need to make sure the link stays strong.”
Set during the time of Jim Crow laws, the musical follows the lives of jazz singers Ella Fitzgerald, Ida Cox and Billie Holiday. In this musical, their lives serendipitously intertwine with Amanda (also called Fannie) and a young, ambitious Suzy, who leaves home to follow her dream of singing the blues.
The women come together, forming a singing group they affectionately call “Big Mamas.” Butter, played by Arvelle Draper, is Suzy’s husband and the group’s manager who desperately wants the women to be treated fairly. Amanda, played by Deleta Hodges, is an avid churchgoer who aspires to open a place where she and the Big Mamas can perform. Her faith anchors her as the most optimistic person in the group.
Throughout the musical, the audience is given a glimpse into the lives of Black entertainers at the time. From sheisty club owners to pretentious guests, the women have grown tired of catering to their white audiences, only to be paid small change or nothing at all.
A musical that originated with a friendship
The idea for Big Mama’s came to Adams via her friendship with former College of Charleston professor and Gullah Society founder Ade “Dr. O” Ofunniyin, who died in 2020. Ofunniyin suggested that Adams do a musical about the Chitlin Circuit, the performance venues that booked Black musicians and actors in the Jim Crow era.
“What you see now is the result of that collaboration,” Adams said.
To bring their vision to life took hours of studying the lives of the Big Mamas in the play: Ida Cox, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Amanda and Suzy. The actors studied their real-life characters, too.
A spotlight on Black histories
Rose Atterberry, who plays Ella Fitzgerald, said acting in this role allows her to pay homage to a singer who endured abuses so she wouldn’t have to.
“The women of that time made a way for all of us women entertainers now,” she said.
Playing the role of Ida Cox felt familiar to actor Shakeela Scott. Cox in the musical came from a big family and endured a tumultuous life.
“Trying to really get into the character was difficult but it was very relatable,” she said. “She was on a journey and I enjoyed that experience.”
Since there are missing parts of Black histories during that time, Hodges said she had to piece Amanda’s story together. “Sometimes we have to develop those stories if they don’t have those stories for us to go by,” she said.
A live band performs many of the singers’ iconic songs, including Ella Fitzgerald’s “Summertime.” Later, Billie Holiday woos the audience with her rendition of “Strange Fruit,” a song whose ominous chords and jarring lyrics tell the horror of violence against African Americans in America at the time.
Taking an inspiring message home
Scott said she hopes people of all backgrounds are receptive to the play’s content, despite its hard subject matter. “We’re not telling you anything you don’t know,” she said. “It’s all in the history books.”
Themes of storytelling and self-empowerment are evident throughout the production. Even if one cannot relate to facing the brutality of racism in the South, there is something to walk away with.
Arvelle Draper, who plays the manager Butters, said audiences should come and learn about the histories that often go unshared. “It’s about the message that with the amount of opportunities we have today, there’s no excuse for anyone to not follow their dreams,” he said.
During a later part in the musical, the Mamas visit the gravesite of the woman who made their dreams possible, Fannie’s late boss.
While there they sing an old hymn that says, “Soon one morning, I’m gonna lay down my cross and get me a crown…higher, I’m moving up….gonna put on my robe in glory and tell my story.”
These lyrics not only signify their resilience through their faith in God but prophetically convey that they will become all they aspire to be.
Whether you can see yourself in Butter and Amanda’s aspirations, or leaving all that you know behind to follow a dream like Suzy, this musical allows all who see it to feel inspired to be authentic and share themselves with others despite life’s adversities.
There are two more chances to catch the show at Charleston Stage’s West Ashley Theatre Center on June 7 and 8. Tickets can be purchased here.
Za’Tozia Duffie is a masters student studying magazine, newspaper and digital journalism at Syracuse University.
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