Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Plume)

by August Wilson

Paperback, 1985

Status

Available

Publication

Plume (1985), Edition: n, 111 pages

Description

Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Fences and The Piano Lesson Winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play The time is 1927. The place is a run-down recording studio in Chicago. Ma Rainey, the legendary blues singer, is due to arrive with her entourage to cut new sides of old favorites. Waiting for her are her black musician sidemen, the white owner of the record company, and her white manager. What goes down in the session to come is more than music. It is a riveting portrayal of black rage, of racism, of the self-hate that racism breeds, and of racial exploitation.

User reviews

LibraryThing member wildbill
This play by August Wilson is set in the 1920's in a Chicago recording studio. It is the only play in Wilson's Century Cycle that is not set in Pittsburgh. While it is the third play in the chronological order of the series it was the first one performed.
This is one of my favorite August Wilson
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plays. Ma Rainey was one of the first blues singers and I have been a fan of the blues for a long time. As Wilson's Century Cycle progresses through the twentieth century his portrayal of the life of African-Americans follows the historical changes in the relationships between black and white people in America. This play portrays the stark and violent racism that was the American way of life in the 20's.
The play opens with the members of Ma Rainey's band rehearsing while they wait for Ma to show up for a recording session. The band members are Cutler on trombone, Slow Drag on bass, Toledo on piano and Levee on trumpet. Levee is brash and bragging about writing songs and playing new uptempo music, more like jazz than real blues. Toledo is the philosopher of the group. Cutler is an old timer who doesn't like Levee and they argue constantly. Slow Drag is another old timer who got his nickname in a dance contest.
Sturdyvant owns the studio and his only interest is making money. Irvin is Ma Rainey's manager who mediates between Sturdyvant and the black characters trying to get folks calmed down and the set recorded.
Levee is the emotional center of the play. At the beginning he walks into the band room with some fancy new shoes that Slow Drag and Toledo make sure they step on. Levee is writing new songs and he is going to start his own band with the encouragement of Sturdyvant. During the play his anger wells up in a dialog about his mother being raped by 8 or 9 white men when he was eight years old. He tried to stop them and shows the scar on his chest where they cut him so bad they thought he was going to bleed to death. His father sold one of the men his land and moved off. Then his father snuck back around and killed four of them before they hung and burned him.
Ma Rainey comes in late with her girl friend and her nephew. Ma is the one who sells the records and she lets everyone know it. She won't start her set until she gets a Coca-Cola and she won't sing her song with the new music that Levee wrote, she is the star and runs the show. Levee and her get into it and she fires him after the set is done.
After the recording is done Ma walks off with her $200.00 while everybody else gets $25.00. Sturdyvant tells Levee that he can't use his songs. He said he had his boys play them and they don't sound like they will sell. Levee says "I play my music" but Sturdyvant shoves a couple dollars in his pocket and leaves. Then Toledo steps on Levee's shoes and all the weight in the world falls on Levee.....
Racism is present in every aspect of the play. The four grown men in the band are always referred to by white people as boys. Ma Rainey comes in with a cop in tow who wants to throw her and her nephew in jail. Cutler tells the story of Reverend Gates who was traveling and missed the train when it left the station. He was surrounded by white men who taunted him, pulled off the cross around his neck and tore up his Bible. Hate, self-hate and violence, the white man's gift to black America.
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LibraryThing member Sean191
I liked the characters, I liked the setting. The writing was good, but the ending, although I can't place my finger on it, seems to be something I've read before elsewhere. . . possibly more than once, so I dropped my ratings a 1/2 star due to the questionable originality.
LibraryThing member DrFuriosa
Gutting. A compelling look at music, ambition, and simmering rage. I am looking forward to the film adaptation.
LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco
"Ah-One. Ah-Two. You know what to do."

I really loved this book! The characters are so real, and their dialogues are so powerful! Ma is just a figure all unto herself, and poor, poor Levee, so angry and confused. And that ending, just - POW! I'd sure like to see this performed onstage someday!

"All
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right boys, you done seen the rest...now, I'm gonna show you the best. Ma Rainey's gonna show you her black bottom."
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Awards

Tony Award (Nominee — Play — 1985)

Language

Original language

English

Barcode

6682
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