Review: Superb A RAISIN IN THE SUN Moves In at South Coast Repertory

The title of Lorraine Hansberry's bold, groundbreaking 1959 Broadway play, A RAISIN IN THE SUN—the first play written by an African-American woman to ever be produced on Broadway—is derived from Langston Hughes's famous poem "Harlem," which asks what happens to "a dream deferred… does it dry up, like a raisin in the sun?"

In other words… do our hopes and dreams just wither away when they are continuously dashed? And are hopeful aspirations for a better, more fulfilling life realistically achievable in a world where there are so many inescapable, often unfairly biased factors present and so generationally built-in and forever imbedded into the fabric of everyday society?

This theme of disheartening perseverance and assimilation against systemic adversity—which still speaks profoundly about the Black experience in American society—is at the very heart of Hansberry's thoughtful, intense drama, which is currently being revived in a superb new production at OC's South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa through November 12, 2023, as part of their 60th Anniversary Season.

Directed with engaging, often riveting pacing by Khanisha Foster—and featuring some of the absolute best, deeply-searing acting performances I've witnessed so far this season—this brand new, powerfully-staged regional production perceptibly revisits the still-relatable struggles and tribulations of the Younger family, who, at the start of the play, are all working hard to live rather modestly together in a cramped, two-bedroom apartment in Chicago's Southside in the 1950's. Like so many of their peers similarly living in poor conditions, the Younger family continues to toil each day anyway (as they must), even as their small pieces of the so-called American Dream often feel achingly unreachable, with all kinds of economic, societal, racial, and situational setbacks incessantly getting in their way.

The Younger's comfy but meager residence—here visually represented via scenic designer Josafath Reynoso's vibrantly lived-in set, resplendent in narrative, cultural, and nostalgic details—is shared between harried couple Walter Lee (the compelling C.J. Lindsey) and Ruth (the intriguing Tiffany Yvonne Cox) and their innocently precocious 10-year-old son Travis (the endearing Nathan Broxton), as well as Walter Lee's recently widowed mother Lena (the very regal Veralyn Jones) and his younger, more intellectually-motivated sister Beneatha (the incredibly mesmerizing Ashembaga Jaafaru). 

To make ends meet, Walter Lee works as a thankless, subservient limo driver to the rich and powerful, but, understandably, longs to do better financially himself, which, for him, might be achieved by opening his own liquor store in a handshake-partnership with his neighborhood buddies Bobo and Willy, much to his mother's detestation. 

"I didn’t make this world… it was given to me this way," Walter Lee cries out, explaining his motivations.

Smart, revolutionary-minded Beneatha, meanwhile, wants to truly transcend her surroundings by pursuing a career as a medical doctor, even though her chances at success—at least, according to those around her—are quite minimal due to her race, gender, and, well, economic level. 

But the entire family's collective dreams might actually have a glimmer of possibility, thanks to an incoming life insurance payout check in the amount of $10,000 that Lena is about to receive any day now as a result of her husband's recent death. Naturally, everyone has opinions on how the money should be spent or, better yet, allocated.

Walter Lee, naturally, wants to use the money to open the liquor store. Beneatha wants it for tuition to ensure her education. Ruth, on the other hand, just wants to have some relief from their current lifestyle, but would prefer that Lena make the decision for herself—even if it means using the money for something that only Lena would enjoy.

However, much to the family's surprise—and Ruth's genuine delight—Lena shocks her family by using part of the money to put a down payment on an affordably-priced home in the white suburb of Clybourne Park (in a strange irony, the homes in more Black-skewing neighborhoods are more expensive). This move, though, will make the Youngers the first African American family to take up residence there. Is this new home their upgraded ticket out of their poor neighborhood and onto, well, symbolically-elevated greener pastures, or are they opening themselves up to more direct danger?

Throughout the play, there is a festering, percolating tension just waiting to explode from all sides. Mama not only wants to do right by her children and insure their welfare, she also wants to honor the struggles of all those that came before, including her now deceased husband, without sacrificing her principles. Walter Lee, though at times comes off selfish, truly wants to be a good provider for his family, but wants to desperately get there by taking a non-guaranteed risk that may not be on the up and up. Beneatha wants to honor her ancestral roots, but is wary that she might have to turn her back on them to earn her way out of poverty. 

Beautifully dramatized with still resonant themes and impressively punctuated with compelling and captivating acting performances from its outstanding ensemble cast, SCR's power-packed production of A RAISIN IN THE SUN is the perfect storm of a seminal work of theater that not only honors its canonical, historical significance, but also keenly highlights its stamped relevance for present audiences.  

At the performance I experienced during its opening week, a sort of spontaneous communal connectivity even formed between neighboring audience members, which ordinarily would annoy the crap out of me (I mean, silence is sacred for the theater)—but here, it became a buoyant fellowship of strangers that have just witnessed and marveled at the same spectacle together. The audience, just like the actual America we live in, was made up of people from various backgrounds, and in this instance we all had the same unifying reactions throughout: we were all moved, we were all entertained, and we all might even walk away deeply affected. 

At its initial launch, Hansberry's unflinching peek inside the seemingly ordinary lives of typical African Americans dreaming and hoping for better lives just like everybody else was, in its way, downright trailblazing for its time, as it offered the then mostly Caucasian Broadway audiences of the 1950's an opportunity to empathize and even connect with the struggles they see on the stage, rather than just speculate from afar. As it has for centuries, theater offers audiences a chance to watch someone's lived experience in the flesh, and therefore becomes a powerful tool in swaying minds to care about other people beyond those just inside their gated, walled-off communities.

Nowadays—as evidenced by SCR's new production—the play aims to look back and show what progress we've made since the days when this took place, but also comments and foreshadows how much more we need to do to truly move forward (spoiler alert—yes, we have still a lot to do to be better).

For me personally, I would not change a single thing about this production—from Wendell C. Carmichael's vintage-chic costume designs and Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz's lighting to M. Glenn Schuster's surround-soundscapes and, yes, the casting of this brilliant group of actors. I have to say, though, that the women in the production were particularly outstanding, with Jones literally moving me to tears and Jaafaru continuously proving herself throughout the two-act play as an actress we all need to seriously look out for in future projects. What a performance! 

But, like I've said, the entire cast is phenomenal… Heck, even Erròn Jay's brief appearance as Walter Lee's friend Bobo makes a devastating, lasting impact that creates a ripple effect for the other actors to react to with such fiery explosiveness. Also worth noting are supporting actors Junior Nyong'o as wise Nigerian exchange student Joseph Asagai, Tristan Turner as Beneatha's bougie beau George Murchison (who represents what happens when one chooses to just "play the game") and David Nevell who has the unenviable task of playing Mr. Lindner, the Clybourne Park rep who makes the most reprehensible, offensive offer to the Youngers that they, unfortunately, must eventually seriously consider.

While it would be just as easy to experience Hansberry's classic at home via the 1961 film adaptation starring the original Broadway cast or even the 2008 TV movie adaptation starring the cast of the 2004 Broadway revival, nothing compares to experiencing this gripping, beautifully rendered stage play as a live production—and SCR's exceptional presentation is just too damn good to miss. 

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Photos by Jenny Graham for South Coast Repertory.

Performances of Lorraine Hansberry's A RAISIN IN THE SUN, directed by Khanisha Foster, continue at South Coast Repertory through November 12, 2023. Tickets can be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. 

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