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".
Denzel Washington is a powerful presence as restless working-class family man Walter Lee Younger in A Raisin in the Sun...The minute he walks on stage, the Oscar winner receives a roar of audience delight, and his tightly coiled physicality is a pleasure to watch, with one caveat: Washington's characteristic aura of forceful energy, as well as the 59-year-old actor's middle-aged maturity, throws off the emotional balance of this smooth new production, directed by Kenny Leon a decade after he staged a previous Broadway revival of the show. While Washington's charisma is a great boost for ticket sales, his vitality contradicts just how precarious the dreams of Walter, written as a younger, weaker black man, really are.
Ah, what a difference 10 years and a worthy leading man can make. The new Raisin (* * * * out of four) that opened Thursday at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre is also helmed by Leon, but it stars a riveting Denzel Washington, leading a flawless cast with his best work to date on the Main Stem. The result is a production that, considered alongside its predecessor, is nothing short of revelatory. Where Leon's last Raisin felt stiff and curiously dated, this time he and his company have reclaimed Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 play as an American classic, one that both captures a distinct time in our history and carries an enduring relevance and resonance.
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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