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| David Cromer, Bryce Clyde Jenkins, Latanya Richardson Jackson, Anika Noni Rose, Denzel Washington and Sophie Okonedo Photo: Brigitte Lacombe |
By Lauren Yarger
“You a good looking guy,” Lena Younger tells her son Walter Lee, played by film superstar Denzel Washington. A huge cheer goes up from the audience.
While fans are buying up all of the tickets available to the limited-run Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun, this production of Lorraine Hansberry’s classic truly isn’t just all about a big Hollywood star on the boards (although it doesn't hurt ticket sales). It’s about a really great production – probably the best I have seen of this play – and a marvelous cast directed by Kenny Leon.
Washington gives a moving, complex and completely satisfying portrayal of a man in the pit of low self esteem who slowly rediscovers his pride and family ties. Turning in rich performances with him are Latanya Richardson Jackson as his mother, Lena, Sophie Okonedo as his struggling wife, Ruth, Anika Noni Rose as his dream-filled sister, Beneatha, and Bryce Clyde Jenkins -- who demonstrates extraordinary acting technique for one so young -- as his son, Travis.
It’s a well-oiled machine that smoothly delivers the tale of a family with hopes of escaping poverty and dim hopes for a future on Chicago’s South Side. Generational differences come to light between Lena, who remembers grandparents who were slaves, and her children, whose focus is on money, rather than freedom.
Making the move possible is a $10,000 insurance check paid on the death of Lena’s hardworking husband. Lena wants to put a down payment on a home of their own in the all-white neighborhood of Clybourne Park. Ruth sees a new home as an answer to prayer – Travis will have his own room and won’t have to sleep on the living room couch any more, the family won’t have to share a bathroom with other tenants (or cockroaches), and maybe she’ll be able to keep the baby they are expecting. The Family’s shabby apartment is designed by Mark Thompson.
Walter Lee has other ideas, however, for how to invest the money. He dreams of owning a liquor store with friends including Bobo (Stephen McKinley Henderson who is exquisite in a minor role) and being a big employer who receives a lot of respect. Lena insists, however, that part of the money to go toward Beneatha’s dream of becoming a doctor.
Walter Lee has other ideas, however, for how to invest the money. He dreams of owning a liquor store with friends including Bobo (Stephen McKinley Henderson who is exquisite in a minor role) and being a big employer who receives a lot of respect. Lena insists, however, that part of the money to go toward Beneatha’s dream of becoming a doctor.
Beneatha's suitor, wealthy George Murchison (Jason Dirden), discourages that dream, telling Beneatha that men are only interested in what they can see. Her other beau, Joseph Asagai (Sean Patrick Thomas), encourages her to explore her roots and to return to his native Nigeria with him.
The family’s hopes and dreams are gambled and lost, then hinge on a meeting with Karl Linder (David Cromer), who stops by to explain to the family that his neighborhood “improvement association” is offering them a nice profit NOT to buy the house in Clybourne Park where they aren’t really welcome. (Cromer, an absolute genius director -- Our Town -- exercises his acting skills here in the small role, making our backs tingle with creepiness every time he smiles with false civility and refers to the Youngers as “you people.”)
Though set sometime before 1960 (Ann Roth costumes the ensemble), the play feels contemporary. Jackson is a mother/grandmother we all know and she brings a lot of knowing “hmm hmms” from the audience as she tries to motivate her family. The scene where Walter Lee lets her down and she prays for strength is unbelievably gripping. Okonedo ("Hotel Rwanda"), making an impressive Broadway debut, conveys Ruth’s sadness and weariness throughout the 2 hour, 40-minute run – even through laughter, which struck me as completely realistic.
It’s one of those plays you can just sit back and enjoy, and not just because Denzel’s not hard to look at. I took practically no notes, so absorbed was I in the flawless storytelling. One of the treats of the season.
A Raisin in the Sun plays at the Barrymore Theatre, 243 West 47th St., NYC through June 15. http://www.raisinbroadway.com/
The family’s hopes and dreams are gambled and lost, then hinge on a meeting with Karl Linder (David Cromer), who stops by to explain to the family that his neighborhood “improvement association” is offering them a nice profit NOT to buy the house in Clybourne Park where they aren’t really welcome. (Cromer, an absolute genius director -- Our Town -- exercises his acting skills here in the small role, making our backs tingle with creepiness every time he smiles with false civility and refers to the Youngers as “you people.”)
Though set sometime before 1960 (Ann Roth costumes the ensemble), the play feels contemporary. Jackson is a mother/grandmother we all know and she brings a lot of knowing “hmm hmms” from the audience as she tries to motivate her family. The scene where Walter Lee lets her down and she prays for strength is unbelievably gripping. Okonedo ("Hotel Rwanda"), making an impressive Broadway debut, conveys Ruth’s sadness and weariness throughout the 2 hour, 40-minute run – even through laughter, which struck me as completely realistic.
It’s one of those plays you can just sit back and enjoy, and not just because Denzel’s not hard to look at. I took practically no notes, so absorbed was I in the flawless storytelling. One of the treats of the season.
Special kudos go to Lighting Designer Brian MacDevitt, who catches individuals at crucial junctures and highlights them in the "sun." The line from Langston Hughes' poem "A Dream Deferred," from which the play's title is taken, is projected on the curtain before the show with audio of an interview with Hansberry playing.
A Raisin in the Sun plays at the Barrymore Theatre, 243 West 47th St., NYC through June 15. http://www.raisinbroadway.com/
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