A Raisin in the Sun - 2014 Broadway History , Info & More
Ethel Barrymore Theatre (Broadway)
243 West 47th St. New York, NY
Set on Chicago's South Side, A Raisin In The Sun revolves around the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee (Denzel Washington), his wife Ruth (Sophie Okonedo), his sister Beneatha (Anika Noni Rose), his son Travis (Bryce Clyde Jenkins) and matriarch Lena, called Mama (LaTanya Richardson Jackson). When her deceased husband's money comes through, Mama dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans: buying a liquor store and being his own man. Beneatha dreams of medical school. The tensions and prejudice they face form this seminal American drama.
Originally produced in 1959, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun was the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway, where it won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. The Washington Post has called it "one of a handful of great American dramas. A Raisin in the Sun belongs in the inner circle, along with Death of a Salesman and Long Day's Journey into Night." The New York Times has hailed it as "the play that changed American theatre forever".
A Raisin in the Sun - 2014 - Broadway Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR A Raisin in the Sun
A Raisin in the Sun: Theater Review
9 / 10
Denzel Washington is the star attraction, but it's the harmonious balance of an impeccably matched ensemble that makes Kenny Leon's lovingly staged revival of A Raisin in the Sun so alive with authentic feeling. The warmth as well as the frictions and frustrations of a real family ripple through this lived-in production, with an accomplished cast that nestles deep into every moment of humor, hope and sadness. Even in its more dated passages, Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking 1959 play remains a work of stirring compassion and humanity.
Review: Washington great in 'A Raisin in the Sun'
9 / 10
The show that opened Thursday night at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre is blistering, beautifully acted and superbly touching...Director Kenny Leon gets a second bite of the apple...and offers a throbbing, vibrant production that is a match for this 55-year-old American masterpiece. There's real humor here, too, both physical and scripted. Washington is startlingly good as Walter Lee Younger, the frustrated chauffeur and dreamer. He has the cadences and the trapped physicality in his bones -- warm and loose until he's cold and volatile...The script says Washington is supposed to be 35 -- the actor is 59 -- but all that matters is a brilliant performance, funny and poignant.
Category
A Raisin in the Sun History
Other Productions of A Raisin in the Sun
| 1959 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1986 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
| 2004 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 2014 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 2022 | Off-Broadway |
Public Theater Off-Broadway Revival Off-Broadway |
| West End |
West End |
A Raisin in the Sun - 2014 Broadway Awards and Nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Denzel Washington |
| 2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Sophie Okonedo |
| 2014 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | LaTanya Richardson Jackson |
| 2014 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Denzel Washington |
| 2014 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | A Raisin in the Sun |
| 2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Sophie Okonedo |
| 2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Anika Noni Rose |
| 2014 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance | Sophie Okonedo |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Kenny Leon |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Sophie Okonedo |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Anika Noni Rose |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | LaTanya Richardson Jackson |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | John Johnson |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | S.D. Wagner |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Joey Parnes |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Jhett Tolentino |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Joan Raffe |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Daryl Roth |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Heni Koenigsberg |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | The Araca Group |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Tulchin Bartner Productions |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Sonia Friedman |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Ruth Hendel |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Stephanie P. McClelland |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Roy Furman |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Scott M. Delman |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Jon B. Platt |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Eli Bush |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Roger Berlind |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Scott Rudin |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | A Raisin in the Sun |
Videos
