Repertory Theater in April 1984, and then moved to Broadway's Cort Theatre. The show opened on October 11, 1984, and show ran for 276 performances. It received a 1985 Tony Award nomination for Best Play; Dutton and Merritt were nominated for acting awards. The production was recorded and released by Manhattan Records. It was first performed in the UK at the Royal National Theatre in London in 1989 in a production by Howard Davies starring Clarke Peters and Hugh Quarshie as Toledo and Levee. It was enormously well received. A Broadway revival opened on February 6, 2003, at the Royale Theatre, featuring Charles S. Dutton as Levee and Whoopi Goldberg as Ma. Directed by Marion McClinton, the show ran for 68 performances. Subsequent UK revivals have taken place in Liverpool at the Playhouse starring Melanie La Barrie as Ma and Cornelius Macarthy as Levee (2004, direction: Gemma Bodinetz) and the Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre in a production starring Antonio Fargas as Toledo, Ram John Holder as Slow Drag, and Johnnie Fiori as Ma (2006, direction: Jacob Murray). In 2016 the National Theatre in London revived the show to great critical acclaim, garnering a Laurence Olivier award for best revival. The production starred O-T Fagbenle as Levee and Sharon D. Clarke as Ma Rainey. In 2020, a film adaptation by screenwriter Ruben Santiago-Hudson and director George C. Wolfe, starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, was released. Cast and characters Awards and nominations Original Broadway production 2003 Broadway revival 2016 West End revival References Further reading External links 1982 plays American plays adapted into films Broadway plays New York Drama Critics' Circle Award winners Chicago in fiction The Pittsburgh Cycle Plays set in the 1920s Plays set in Illinois Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album