A Raisin in the Sun at The Public this fall

[Shubert Alley Cat]

Posted: 8/1/22 at 3:24am

I think I am seeing that there is an AMEX presale starting this week for the upcoming fall production of A RAISIN IN THE SUN at The Public.  Has there been any gossip/speculation/news on the cast for this production?  I hate to purchase tickets for my October theater trip (but this show will play Sunday evenings) without knowing anything about the casting.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 8/1/22 at 9:24am

Robert O'Hara's production that's coming to the Public debuted 3 years ago at Williamstown Theatre Festival, with S. Epatha Merkerson as Lena. But I assume she'll be unavailable for this run due to CHICAGO MED commitments.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/1/22 at 9:42am

I hope Francois Battiste continues with the production as Walter. He's an excellent actor. Will be curious to see who they get as Lena if Merkerson isn't available. 

@OP, aside from taking clues from the Williamstown cast, I wouldn't expect there to be much in the way of rumors circulating about this. I feel like the "rumor mill" rarely runs around off-Broadway productions like this (happy to be proven wrong, though). And it's very possible that we won't get an official announcement for another month or more. 

If you feel strongly about getting tickets sooner rather than later, my advice is to buy tickets based on your interest in the production itself: the play, the director, and the reviews from Williamstown, if there are any. I'd also recommend buying under the assumption that the cast will be made up of talented pros, but not necessarily Broadway/TV/Movie stars. 

Updated On: 8/1/22 at 09:42 AM

[theblackumbrella]

Posted: 8/1/22 at 9:57am

I'd really enjoy seeing Keke Palmer's take on Beneatha.

[Observation]

Posted: 8/1/22 at 10:04am

I hope Jerri Blank reprises her role as Mama. 

 

..... Line. 

[ElphabaGoodman]

Posted: 8/1/22 at 10:22am

I would like to see Joaquina Kalukango play Ruth.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/1/22 at 10:29am

Counting down 10, 9, 8... til someone laments as they invariably do that it's far too soon for yet another NYC prod. of a classic beloved play that played in nyc too short a time ago and that is too oft revived  

To witch I preemptively snore. 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/1/22 at 1:22pm

I'm chagrined.

I thought this was going to be an all-white production.

It would certainly put a new slant on this old chestnut.

Updated On: 8/1/22 at 01:22 PM

[Owen22]

Posted: 8/1/22 at 1:43pm

henrikegerman said: "Counting down 10, 9, 8... til someone laments as they invariably do that it's far too soon for yet another NYC prod. of a classic beloved play that played in nyc too short a time ago and that is too oft revived

To witch I preemptively snore."

Well, yeah, but that's also very true as well. Add on the fact the Public rarely does revivals...

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/1/22 at 2:22pm

The Public does revivals often enough that this doesn't feel out of place in their programming. The season before the pandemic they had 2 revivals. Plus they had productions of Hamlet and Measure for Measure on their mainstage in recent years before that. 

Personally, I missed the last revival of this play (it was right before I moved to NYC), and I'd love to see a major production of it. And while O'Hara's track record is spotty, I'm always curious to see what he'll do. 

[goodlead]

Posted: 8/1/22 at 5:07pm

It's ironic that the Public is doing this because George Wolfe got his start at the Public when it produced The Colored Museum, with its notorious parody of Raisin called The Mama on the Couch Play.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 8/1/22 at 5:20pm

Here's Ben Brantley's Critic's Pick review of the Williamstown production, for anyone interested;

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/theater/a-raisin-in-the-sun-review.html

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 8/22/22 at 1:40pm

Full cast announced, including Francois Battiste and Tonya Pinkins:
 

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Francois-Battiste-Tonya-Pinkins-More-to-Star-in-A-RAISIN-IN-THE-SUN-at-The-Public-Theater-20220822

Updated On: 8/22/22 at 01:40 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 8/22/22 at 1:56pm

A Raisin in the Sun is my favorite play and it can never be revived enough IMO. I always discover something fresh and new with each revival. 

And I am willing to put aside my reservations about Tonya Pinkins to see if she will do the role of "Lena Younger" justice. 

Sign me up.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 8/22/22 at 2:07pm

Tonya as Lena really intrigues me. Looking forward to this! Didn't get to see it in 2014 (too hard to get a ticket!!). 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/22/22 at 2:14pm

Tonya as Lena? Consider my ticket purchased!

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 8/22/22 at 2:21pm

Incredibly busy the next two months, but I think with this cast, an extension is inevitable.  Possibly a transfer.

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 10/5/22 at 9:31am

Has anyone seen this production yet?

[JoeW4]

Posted: 10/5/22 at 6:18pm

Hello! Just made this account, but I've been reading the board for years. Started posting some of my show-thoughts on TikTok, so I figured I'd make this account to go along with that.

Anyway, I saw this, and really enjoyed it. I think purists might take issue with some of the particularly strong choices near the end (and a few in the middle too), but I think it's a really beautiful execution of the text, even if you remove those choices. The whole cast is on fire, and work together well.

Posted slightly more in-depth thoughts on TikTok here

[alexidarling15]

Posted: 10/5/22 at 7:26pm

I saw it on Sunday and loved it. Agree with what JoeW said - very stark choices that purists may disagree with; one of them gutted me, but I thought all were absolutely appropriate. All of the acting was flawless, especially the three main female characters but also the real life Father/son duo Francois and Toussaint Baptiste! The kid was adorable! Hope it transfers! 

[MsPiety&Rectitude]

Posted: 10/7/22 at 10:58am

I saw this last night and can't say enough good things about this beautiful and visceral production. This is a must-see if you're able. The whole cast is uniformly excellent, the pacing is so tight and real. It is such a great play and the production really highlights that. Tonya is unbelievable, completely mesmerizing and real, heart-wrenching. This would be a Tony-winning performance if it were on Broadway. I want to single out other great performances, but truly the whole cast is great. It runs almost 3 hours and those 3 hours fly by. Do not miss!

[JoeW4]

Posted: 10/7/22 at 5:20pm

I've heard multiple people bring up the idea of a transfer in passing. Does anyone know if that's actually their aim? If so, it seems like they would've cast larger stars, for more commercial appeal. I'm not sure this would recoup on Broadway with this cast, regardless of how good it is. But if there are commercial producers attached, then maybe they'll make it happen.

[Mark_E]

Posted: 10/8/22 at 4:01pm

Any chance this may extend at the Public?

[JoeW4]

Posted: 10/8/22 at 4:51pm

Mark_E said: "Any chance this may extend at the Public?"

Seems plausible. They haven't announced dates or theatres for most of the remaining season, so they likely have wiggle room. I'm guessing The Harder the Come is going into the Newman next, and the audition notice for that show said it would start performances in late February. Plenty of time for Raisin in the Sun to extend if they want to.

Looking around at a few miscellaneous dates; it's not booked solid by any means, but it's pretty well sold.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 10/28/22 at 9:41pm

Has anyone seen this recently? Really debating on whether to get a ticket or not. There's so much to see right now and I have to prioritize.