Set on Chicago's South Side, A Raisin In The Sun revolves around the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee (Denzel Washington), his wife Ruth (Sophie Okonedo), his sister Beneatha (Anika Noni Rose), his son Travis (Bryce Clyde Jenkins) and matriarch Lena, called Mama (LaTanya Richardson Jackson). When her deceased husband's money comes through, Mama dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans: buying a liquor store and being his own man. Beneatha dreams of medical school. The tensions and prejudice they face form this seminal American drama.
Originally produced in 1959, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun was the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway, where it won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. The Washington Post has called it "one of a handful of great American dramas. A Raisin in the Sun belongs in the inner circle, along with Death of a Salesman and Long Day's Journey into Night." The New York Times has hailed it as "the play that changed American theatre forever".
'A Raisin in the Sun' endures for good reason. Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 play - the first by a black woman on Broadway - features several meaty roles and enough dramatic momentum to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. No wonder stars are drawn to this classic, even when they aren't necessarily right for it. Ten years ago, Sean Combs (a?k?a Puff Daddy) picked 'Raisin' for his Broadway debut.
What happens to a play revived? A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry's powerful 1959 drama, has certainly not dried up: It bursts with intense family conflict, racial politics and social consciousness. Nor, in its new incarnation, does it sag with the heavy load of an underqualified star, as the 2004 Sean Combs revival did. The pivotal role of Walter Lee Younger-a restless Chicago chauffeur and would-be/won't-be entrepreneur-is played by Denzel Washington; though 20 years older than Walter Lee, he is persuasively youthful (with an apt suggestion of seeming old before his time), and brings considerable charm and magnetism to a difficult, often unsympathetic role. Neither, however, does this production quite explode. Directed by Kenny Leon, who also helmed the 2004 version, this is a credible, realistically scaled account of a still-vital classic.
1959 | Broadway |
Broadway |
1986 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2004 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2014 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2022 | Off-Broadway |
Public Theater Off-Broadway Revival Off-Broadway |
West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Denzel Washington |
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Sophie Okonedo |
2014 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | LaTanya Richardson Jackson |
2014 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Denzel Washington |
2014 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | A Raisin in the Sun |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Sophie Okonedo |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Anika Noni Rose |
2014 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance | Sophie Okonedo |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Kenny Leon |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Sophie Okonedo |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Anika Noni Rose |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | LaTanya Richardson Jackson |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | John Johnson |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | S.D. Wagner |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Joey Parnes |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Jhett Tolentino |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Joan Raffe |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Daryl Roth |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Heni Koenigsberg |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | The Araca Group |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Tulchin Bartner Productions |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Sonia Friedman |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Ruth Hendel |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Stephanie P. McClelland |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Roy Furman |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Scott M. Delman |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Jon B. Platt |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Eli Bush |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Roger Berlind |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Scott Rudin |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | A Raisin in the Sun |
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