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'Raisin in Sun' is relevant as ever
(by Herb Hammer - November 19, 2008)
THEATER, BY HERB HAMMER
'Raisin in Sun' is relevant as ever
The Cleveland Play House decided to do "A Raisin in the Sun" long before Barack Obama was elected president. Yet the opening night performance occurred just days after Election Day.
The Younger family of Lorraine Hansberry's imagination live on the south side of Chicago, not far from Mr. Obama's home. As ironic as this may be, the play stands alone, 49 years after its original opening. This began its reign as a great American classic.
The world of African-Americans has changed some since 1959, but not as much as one might have hoped.
We are in a dingy yet neat Chicago tenement where the five members of Younger family live. Each has dreams that may just blow away. The play gets its title from a Langston Hughes poem. "What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?"
At the curtain, young Travis Younger lies asleep on the sofa, his nightly residence. It's early morning. His mother, Ruth, begins the difficult task of getting Travis and her husband, Walter Lee, ready for the day. It's a ritual she has repeated more times than she can remember.
Walter's mother, Lena, is about to receive a check from the insurance company for $10,000, following the death of her husband. The check could change everything for the family: help put Walter's sister Beneatha through medical school, help Walter move on from the chauffeur job he resents or help Lena buy the house they've all been longing for.
These dreams and others are at the core of the play. It's how Miss Hansberry meets the dreams of each family member. And how the blend of comedy and tragedy unfolds.
This 1959 play is as relevant today as when it first appeared on Broadway. Dignity and respect envelopes the play. The young Miss Hansberry was a wise storyteller. The play blends the characters, giving each one the opportunity to flesh out the part they are playing.
As the play stretches out, each character shows his or her individual place center stage. It's three hours long.
It's Walter played with an anger that's about to crush him. David Alan Anderson's Walter convinces. His measured frustration captures Walter's soul.
Walter's wife, Ruth, played by Erika Lovonn, anchors the play. As serious and painful as her life certainly is, she manages to smile and wait for good things to happen. She's a gem.
As Lena, Franchelle Dorn shines. As the matriarch of the family, she can be tough and quite funny. Miss Dorn couldn't be better.
With a stage full of actors, 11 in all, little Aric Floyd is a regular scene stealer. The entire cast brings you into the Younger living room. It resonates.
Director Lou Bellamy treats "A Raisin in the Sun" as his own. His choreography and his gentle touch keeps the play as modern as today.
As for Lorraine Hansberry, she was the first black woman to have a play on Broadway. A couple of plays later, she died. She was 34 years old. She has left behind a work as tender and as amusing as any play ever. The Play House has taken it into its heart.
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