It's 1927 and Ma Rainey, the “Mother of the Blues,” is recording new sides of old favorites in a rundown studio in Chicago. Fiery and determined, Ma Rainey fights to retain control over her music, while her cocky trumpet player Levee dreams of making his own name in the business. More than music goes down in August Wilson's riveting portrayal of rage, racism, self-hatred and exploitation.
After premiering at the Yale Repertory Theatre in April 1984, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom opened on Broadway at the Cort Theatre on October 11, 1984. Directed by Lloyd Richards, the production starred Theresa Merritt and Charles S. Dutton. A Broadway revival starring Whoopi Goldberg opened at the Royale Theatre on February 6, 2003. On December 18, 2020, a film adaptation of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, premiered on Netflix.