‘A Raisin in the Sun’ revival shines

THE YOUNGERS: (left to right) Sophie Okonedo, Denzel Washington & Anika Noni Rose in
‘A Raisin in the Sun.’ Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

A RAISIN IN THE SUN
By Lorraine Hansberry
Directed by Kenny Leon
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.raisinbroadway.com

By Scott Harrah

A Raisin in the Sun has been revived as a vehicle for Denzel Washington and originally for Diahann Carroll (who left the show during rehearsals), but it’s also important to see this because Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 epic is one of the greatest American plays of all and certainly the greatest African-American drama ever, from both a structural and standpoint.

The late Ms. Hansberry’s saga of the Youngers, an African-American family in 1950s Chicago, groundbreaking when the show debuted on Broadway 55 years ago, and although parts of story are dated, the overall themes of a family grappling with adversity, broken dreams and
s struggle for independence are timeless.

The box-office draw here is certainly Mr. Washington, and he is more than effective (though a bit mature for the role) as Walter Lee, the chauffeur with dreams of one day owning liquor store.  However, the role of Lena/Mama requires the largest acting ability in the show, LaTanya Richardson Jackson is marvelous as the bighearted matriarch with plans to use late husband’s $10,000 insurance money to buy a home in a better neighborhood (Ms. was a last-minute replacement for Ms. Carroll).

The central theme is the betterment of life for African Americans, but there is a universal about family and everyone’s unique dreams that gives the story mass appeal. While wants a nicer house, Walter yearns to use his father’s money to invest in a liquor store.

One might think a play originally produced more than 50 years ago would be dated, but A Raisin in the Sun is so epic and the dialogue so crisp that we overlook such outmoded things Joseph Asagai (Sean Patrick Thomas) discussing the benefits of living in Nigeria with
Walter Lee’s sister (Anoki Noni Rose), a fellow student who wants to marry her and her back to Nigeria his homeland. Mama wants Beneatha to use some of her father’s money to attend medical school.

Things are further complicated when Walter Lee’s wife, Ruth (Sophie Okonedo) discovers she pregnant but fears having another child will only bring the family more financial trouble.

Tensions build with each successive scene, and sensitive topics ranging from abortion to are integral to the plot.

Director Kenny Leon extracts great performances from the cast, but ultimately the weight of play is Mama’s responsibility, and Ms. Richardson Jackson is consistently dynamic and in the part, an amazing feat considering she was brought in just under the wire to the lead.

Before the show begins, the curtain at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre flashes stills of the late Hansberry and the Langston Hughes poem that inspired the title.  It’s a fitting tribute the memory of Ms. Hansberry, a young woman who died of cancer at age 34 but left behind a story that is still so haunting and full of truth in the 21st century. For A Raisin in the Sun is as much a tale of families struggling and managing to stay together through adversity as it a chronicle of the African-American experience, so it is a story to which all Americans, of race or ethnicity, can relate.

WALTER LEE & MAMA: Denzel Washington & LaTanya Richardson Jackson in ‘A Raisin in
the Sun.’ Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

Five Tony Nominations, including: Best Drama Revival; Best Drama Director, Kenny Leon; Best Actress in a Drama, LaTanya Richardson; Best Supporting Actresses in a Drama, Sophie Okonedo; and Anika Noni Rose.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 5, 2014
Reviewed at press performance on April 4, 2014