Watch Ma Rainey's Black Bottom on Netflix and we'll come together for a discussion with resident theatre expert, Eva Friedman.

The Netflix movie is based on the play of the same name by August Wilson. For extra credit, read the play, and we can discuss any differences between the film and stage production.

Produced by Denzel Washington, Todd Black and Dany Wolf, the film stars Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman (in his final film appearance), with Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo and Michael Potts in supporting roles. Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary "Mother of the Blues," Ma Rainey (Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio's claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman) – who has an eye for Ma's girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry – spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories, truths, and lies that will forever change the course of their lives.[3] Levee's ambition to start his own band also has him soliciting the managers and producers, requiring him to relive previous traumas.

Here's an excellent NYT article about the real Ma Rainey, and August Wilson's description of the world of the play (it's an excellent bit of prose, particularly the paragraph on music, and can be found in the beginning of the script).

Questions? Contact Jeremy at info@KolHadash.com