Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Previews Begin: January 17, 2003
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Opening Night: February 6, 2003
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Final Performance: June 29, 2003
Broadway Theater: Royale Theatre, 242 West 45th Street

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Ma Rainey's Black Bottom originally opened on Broadway at the Cort Theatre on October 11, 1984, where it played 276 performances. The production received three 1985 Tony Award nominations, including a Best Featured Actor nomination for Dutton, who originated the role of Levee in his Broadway debut.

Whoopi Goldberg will be starring as Ma Rainey and Charles S. Dutton will again be playing the role of Levee. Tony Award nominee Marion McClinton (King Hedley II) will be directing the show.

The 23-week limited engagement begins on January 17, 2003 at Broadway's Royale Theatre and the show officially opens on Thursday, February 6, 2003. The final performance is scheduled for Sunday, June 29, 2003.

Wilson’s first major play, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom takes place over a single day in 1927, in a Chicago recording studio. Singer Ma Rainey (played by Whoopi Goldberg) has taken some time off from touring to record several songs for a record company with whom she had previously recorded with financial success.

Levee (played by Charles S. Dutton), the band's talented and temperamental trumpet player, wants to move beyond his role as Ma Rainey's backup and aspires to have his own band someday, while facing the obstacles of developing black music in the white recording industry.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom follows the band’s attempts to successfully complete the recording session, despite interpersonal conflicts within the band, Ma Rainey's trouble with the law, and power struggles between Ma and the record company.

We've even got a chance for you to win tickets to see Ma Rainey's Black Bottom when it opens for previews in January. For your chance to win, take our trivia quiz!

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