Tony and Oscar winner Viola Davis, the late Chadwick Boseman, and more star in the stage-to-screen adaptation of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, streaming on Netflix December 18.
The film adaptation of August Wilson's 1982 play is directed by Tony winner George C. Wolfe, with Tony winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson (a frequent Wilson interpreter himself) penning the screenplay.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom explores the exploitation of Black musicians in 1920s Chicago while centering on the “Mother of the Blues” and her band members during a tense recording session.
Davis plays Ma Rainey, with Boseman in his final film role as Levee, the band’s ambitious and impulsive trumpeter. The cast also includes Michael Potts as Slow Drag, Glynn Turman as Toledo, Tony nominee Colman Domingo as Cutler, and Tony nominee Jeremy Shamos as Ma’s manager Irvin, along with Jonny Coyne, Taylour Page, and Dusan Brown.The movie features costume design by Ann Roth, production design by Mark Ricker, editing by Andrew Mondshein, and cinematography by Tobias Schliessler.
Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo, Viola Davis, Michael Potts, and Glynn Turman in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
David Lee/Netflix
Michael Potts, Chadwick Boseman, and Colman Domingo in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
David Lee/Netflix
Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, and Colman Domingo in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
David Lee/Netflix
Viola Davis and cast in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
David Lee/Netflix
Viola Davis, George C. Wolfe, and Chadwick Boseman on the set of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
David Lee/Netflix
