August Wilson was born Frederick August Kittle in 1945 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He was the son of a German immigrant and an African American woman. Although August dropped out of high school at fifteen, he spent a lot of time at the library; where he immersed himselve in African American literature by authors such as James Baldwin, Langston Hughes and Ralph Ellison. Along with literary influences from the past and influences from his home in the Hill District, Wilson’s art was heavily influenced by the blues. He was able to connect to his African American familial history in ways he could not have before. After his father died, he took the name August Wilson to solidify his ties with his African American heritage. August Wilson’s mission was to share the story of the African American experience in theatre. His Century Cycle, also referred to as the Pittsburg Cycle, is his ten play series that paints a portrait of the African American experience through the twentieth century. August Wilson’s Century Cycle consists of: Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Fences, Two Trains Running, Jitney, King Hedley II, and Radio Golf. All of which are set in his home of Hill District, except for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom which is set in Chicago. In the Century Cycle, Wilson explored his themes of self awareness, love, and dignity throughout the plays as they correspond with his realistic black experience in the United States. All of the plays from this Cycle has been produced on Broadway, the first to do so was Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom which debuted in 1984. He is a decorated playwright that received the most notable recognition by winning multiple Pulitzer Prizes and a Tony Award. Before dying of liver cancer in October of 2005, Wilson was able to complete the last play of the Century Cycle, Radio Golf. The play debuted on broadway in 2007.
I have chosen to focus on the first of Wilson’s plays from the Century Cycle that debuted on Broadway. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson is set in 1927 and takes place in one afternoon during a recording session in South Side, Chicago. Alongside the legendary blues singer, Ma Rainey, there are four other musicians that are major characters in this play. Cutler is around fifty years old, he plays the guitar and trombone, and is the leader of the group. “His playing is solid and almost totally unembellished. His understanding of his music is limited to the chord he is playing at the time he is playing it. He has all the qualities of a loner except the introspection.” Cutler believes in getting things done quickly in all aspects of his life. He puts a lot of trust in religion. Slow Drag is a bass player in Ma’s band. Slow Drag somewhat resembles Cutler in the sense that they are around the same age, but lacks Cutler’s enthusiasm. Slow Drag is bored by life. “ He is deceptively intelligent, though, as his name implies, he appears to be slow. He is a rather large man with a wicked smile. Innate African rhythms underlie everything he plays, and he plays with an ease that is at times starting. Toledo is the piano player. In control of his instrument, he understands and recognizes that its limitations are an extension of himself. He is the only one in the group who can read. He is self-taught but misunderstands and misapplies his knowledge, though he is quick to penetrate to the core of a situation and his insights are thought-provoking”. He gets his name from an incident in which he slow-danced with women for hours in order to make some money. Toledo is the piano player of the group. “He is the only one in the group who can read. He is self-taught but misunderstands and misapplies his knowledge, though he is quick to penetrate to the core of a situation and his insights are thought-provoking”. He is a very thoughtful and serious man. Toledo has been married with a family, but lost them in a divorce. Levee is a talented trumpet player, he is in his thirties which makes him the youngest musician in the band. Levee is a very confident person, who thinks that he can make it on his own. When Levee was younger he saw his mother get raped by a group of white men. He has quite the temper, and at the end of the play it contributed to Levee stabbing Toledo after he had a heated discussion with Sturdyvant. Lastly there is Ma Rainey. This character is based on the popular career of the blues singer Ma Rainey in the 1920s. Ma is referred to as “The Mother of Blues”, and “The Queen of Blues”. Although she is not the leader of the band, it is clear that she always has the last word regarding any issues. She is aware that those around her are only there to make money off of her personal talent. Ma Rainey understands that her diva like behavior will only be tolerated as long as she makes money for her white producers. Irvin is Ma Rainey’s white manager. The last main character in the play is Sturdyvant. He is not part of the band. Sturdyvant is the money obsessed owner of the South Side Recording Studio. Black people make him uncomfortable, so Sturdyvant only communicates with Irvin. He represents the exploitation of black music.