Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

by August Wilson, Frank Rich (Foreword by)

Overview

In a jazz-era Chicago recording studio, musicians await the great blues diva.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781559362993
Publisher:	Theatre Communications Group
Publication date:	04/01/2008
Series:	August Wilson Century Cycle
Pages:	120
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

August Wilson is the most influential and successful African American playwright writing today. He is the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Fences, The Piano Lesson, King Hedley II, Ma Rainy's Black Bottom, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Seven Guitars, Two Trains Running, Jitney and Radio Golf. His plays have been produced all over the world.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

“The play’s themes are not new to the stage...the black American search for identity...and the process by which any American sells his soul for what Arthur Miller calls the salesman's dream. Mr. Wilson's style, however, is all his own.... He has lighted a dramatic fuse that snakes and hisses through several anguished eras of American life. When the fuse reaches its explosive final destination, the audience is impaled by the impact.”—Frank Rich, The New York Times

“Extraordinary! Ma Rainey rides on the exultant notes of the blues!”—Jack Kroll, Newsweek

“What a joy! Brilliant...explosive! One of the most dramatically riveting plays I’ve seen in years. You must see it!”—William A Raidy, Newhouse newspapers

“A genuine work of art.”—Brendan Gill, The New Yorker

“Tremendous...magnificent!”—Clive Barnes, New York Post

From the Publisher