Plays are a bit like poetry: While a play is completely valid as literature on its own, like poetry, it’s really meant to be heard and experienced, as opposed to merely read. Here we have Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, which opened on Broadway again on April 3 in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, the same theatre where it made its premiere in 1959. So when a production of one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century opens on Broadway with the amount of talent behind it as Kenny Leon’s current staging does, you simply can not miss it.
A Raisin in the Sun tells the story of the three generations of the Younger family living in an apartment on Chicago’s South Side: Lena (LaTanya Richardson Jackson), the matriarch; Beneatha (Anika Noni Rose), her daughter; Walter Lee (Denzel Washington), her son; Ruth (Sophie Okonedo), his wife; and Travis (Bryce Clyde Jenkins); their son. They are waiting for an insurance check worth $10,000 to arrive in the mail. Each member of the family has his or her own dream for the family and for himself or herself, but the money belongs to Lena, and she is one who ultimately decide what to do with it. Walter wants to invest it in a liquor store, which, he hopes, will make them rich. Lena objects to this on religious grounds, instead taking the money and putting a down payment on a new house with it in the all-white neighborhood of Clybourne Park. It is a complex play, dealing with themes of African American identity and the struggle to maintain and achieve dreams in a segregated and prejudiced America. But plenty of critical analysis has been written on this play and this is not the place to dissect it. I am here to write about the quality of this particular production, which, I am happy is say, is very high.
Before the lights go down, the play is framed for us: While the audience are taking their seats, a radio interview with Hansberry plays, which provides some context, both historical and personal, to the show. Written on the scrim is Langston Hughes’s poem “Harlem,” a line from which the play takes its name and also illustrates one of the play’s major themes (“What happens to a dream deferred?/Does it dry up/like a raisin in the sun?”). Once the curtain rises, we are sucked into the dreary world of the Younger family.
Keeping in the style of Ms. Hansberry’s writing, the set design (by Mark Thompson) is starkly realistic. The apartment, a box set, filled with detail. There are no vibrant colors, a single window, and paint is practically peeling from the walls. The everyday effects of the Youngers’ personal lives are organized the best they can be managed to give the place a semblance of livability. Muted earth tones dominate except for the plant on the windowsill. To top it off, no skies, just brick walls, tower overhead. It all seems so mundane. What it is is impeccable. It is design that doesn’t call attention to itself, design that perfectly punctuates and compliments the play’s characters and their psychologies. The lighting, too, is expertly implemented (designed by Brian MacDevitt), with the light illuminating only the bottom half of the apartment, falling off as it gets closer to the ceiling, with a ray always shining through the window.
The production, directed by Kenny Leon (who also directed the 2004 Broadway revival), is stuffed with talent. Mr. Leon draws incredible performances from all of the cast members, from the leading roles to the more minor (yet important) characters, and keeps everything moving at a snappy, yet managed, pace (occasionally the pace seems a little too snappy, calling for a little more room to breathe in spots).
The big name here (the one very prominently displayed on the marquee) is Denzel Washington as Walter Lee Younger. His performance is very strong, creating a Walter who is likable and genuine yet still extremely flawed. But Mr. Washington is just the tip of the iceberg. LaTanya Richardson Jackson as Lena dominates the stage with her presence without ever becoming overbearing. Sophie Okonedo as Ruth creates an emotionally complex character, trapped by everyone’s ambitions but her own. It would be possible to write in detail about all the performances. Every member of the cast gives a layered, engaging portrayal of their character, creating real, three-dimensional people, and bringing energetic life to Ms. Hansberry’s play (especially hard to do if your character is only onstage for a few minutes of a two-and-a-half hour show). While Denzel is the name on the sign, each actor deserves just as much credit and recognition for their electrifying renditions of familiar characters.
(It may be worth mentioning, however, that Mr. Washington is older than his character by a number of years. While he is nearly sixty, Walter is specified as thirty-five in the play, changed to forty in this production, which is a detail worth noting due to the increased age gap between him and his college-aged sister. Some may find this discrepancy distracting and detrimental to the show. I did not find myself bothered by this. Mr. Washington’s powerful performance (not mention youthful appearance) renders the issue moot.)
When dealing with a masterpiece of the theatre, even a mediocre performance is usually worth seeing. Here, we are fortunate enough, for fourteen weeks, to have an accomplished production of a great work. This is a chance to experience a masterpiece of modern theatre. This is something to take advantage of while it’s around.
-Stephen Jones
