Ma Rainey's Black Bottom by August Wilson - ISBN: 9780452261136
Paperback
Blues, rage, and exploitation collide in a Chicago recording studio.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

A Play

$29.29

  • Paperback

    112 pages

  • Release Date

    24 April 1985

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Summary

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Fences and The Piano Lesson comes the extraordinary Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom—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 wh…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780452261136
ISBN-10:0452261139
Author:August Wilson
Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint:Penguin Books Ltd
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:112
Release Date:24 April 1985
Weight:96g
Dimensions:203mm x 132mm x 8mm
Series:Plume
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Critics Review

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

About The Author

August Wilson

August Wilson was a major American playwright whose work has been consistently acclaimed as among the finest of the American theater. His first play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for best new play of 1984-85. His second play, Fences, won numerous awards for best play of the year, 1987, including the Tony Award, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, his third play, was voted best play of 1987-1988 by the New York Drama Critics’ Circle. In 1990, Wilson was awarded his second Pulitzer Prize for The Piano Lesson. He died in 2005.

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