Set in 1920s Chicago, this drama adapted from August Wilson’s play explores a recording session with “Mother of the Blues” Ma Rainey and her band. Tensions rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious trumpeter Levee, and the other musicians as they confront issues of race, exploitation, and artistic integrity in a racially segregated industry. With powerful performances and themes of cultural identity and systemic oppression, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom examines the complexities of Black experience in America.
