A Raisin in the Sun – Leeds and touring ★★★★
Headlong’s production of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun begins a limited tour in England
Sixty-five years ago, on Broadway, A Raisin in the Sun made history as the first play to be produced there written by a Black woman, Lorraine Hansberry. Still four years before Martin Luther King’s iconic Dream speech, racial segregation and discrimination were at the very core of social and
political life in the US.
At what point then, will things change, as it would seem that in 2024 some things are far too slow to change, making the issues this play raises just as relevant to a modern audience.
A kitchen-sink drama, the whole piece takes place in the home of the Younger family. Matriarch Lena, with her daughter, Beneatha, son Walter Lee and his wife Ruth, and their son Travis, live in a cramped three-room apartment in downtown Chicago. Ambitious and optimistic, this family wants more. Beneatha has set her sights on becoming a doctor and is prepared to work for it, whilst her chauffeur brother, with a naïve enthusiasm similar to Del-Boy – has schemes afoot that need nothing more than an injection of cash to come to fruition.
Giving this piece a catalyst for change, is the prospect of the arrival of a long-awaited insurance cheque – enough to alter the fortunes of the family. How to use it is an agitator throughout.
This is a piece riven with conflict – that which exists within the complex family dynamic as well as the rafts of discrimination the family faces as a matter of course. It is riveting viewing. Allowed into the intimate space in which the characters both fight and love fiercely, it feels like a privilege to be allowed to witness their lives. Without doubt, there are some elements of the drama which can be anticipated a mile off, and yet even when knowing what is to unfold, it is no less poignant and desperate.
To give the play more context, there are visitors to the home – Beneatha’s two student suitors, a wealthy African-American and a Nigerian with opposing perspectives on social and economic matters, reveal as much about the insecurities and aspirations of the family. The arrival of a white
representative of a ‘welcoming committee’, come to discuss the move the family hopes to make, throws a powerful light on the ceiling their ambition for betterment will face.
Doreene Blackstock is magnificent as Lena – her command of her family is never in doubt, nor her love for them. Solomon Israel as Walter Lee has a challenging part to play, being at once a much-loved son, husband and father, whilst simultaneously being the villain of the piece. Israel manages this shift well, the conflict in his character projected strongly and when seen with wife Ruth, Cash Holland, it is easy to see why she struggles either to love him or leave him. Josephine-Fransilja Brookman plays Beneatha who is bursting with energy and aspirations and is brought magically to life with a nuanced performance which has the audience alternately laughing then weeping with her.
Cecile Trémolières’ simple set is spattered warm amber which is lit to suggest at times the worn, run down place which it is and at others it hints perhaps at the blood sweat and tears it has cradled. Tinuke Craig has directed this powerful drama with a pace which never falters. Family dramas are
made by the strands which form them and this ensemble has created something quite special.
The Recs reviewed A Raisin in the Sun at Leeds Playhouse
Substantial and timely – ★★★★ 4 stars
A Raisin in the Sun Tour Tickets
A Raisin in the Sun tour continues:
13 - 28 Sep at Leeds Playhouse
2 - 5 Oct at Oxford Playhouse
8 Oct - 2 Nov at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
5 - 16 Nov at Nottingham Playhouse
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