A review by bobbyknndy
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: A Play by August Wilson

4.0

Taking place in the 1920s, this is the the third play in August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle, a ten-play cycle documenting the African-American experience during the 20th century. However, I find it more useful to read Wilson's plays in the order in which he wrote them, not their chronological order. This is his very first play, and also the only one of his to not take place in Pittsburgh (it's set in Chicago). Definitely groundbreaking for its time, Ma Rainey's contains many of Wilson's trademarks that he would continue to use and develop throughout his career. The dialogue between characters is truly poetic, at times. However, being his very first play, it can be a little rough around the edges. I found the tragedy of Levee's past and the play's ultimate conflict to really come out of left field. Wilson would go on to write much better—his next play, Fences, would win a Pulitzer—but Ma Rainey's is a classic for breaking new ground in African American theater and launching the career of one of the most important voices in modern drama.