“A Raisin In The Sun” is an Artistic Triumph!

“The three-year probe strongly indicates that house hunting in one of the nation’s most segregated suburbs poses substantial risks of discrimination, with black buyers chancing disadvantages almost half the time they enlist brokers.”

~A quote from today’s Newsday's cover story “Long Island Divided.”

As synchronicity would have it, the above quote proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 award-winning drama “A Raisin in the Sun,” still resonates with the timely, yet horrifying truth that the “land of the free” doesn’t always embrace this unalienable right: “All men are created equal.”

“A Raisin in the Sun” was the first play written by a black woman to ever make it to the Great White Way. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of this play’s historic Broadway premiere, Bay Street Theater is running this drama now through December 1st as part of their “Literature Live!” series.

The title of this play was inspired by the following lines from the poem “Harlem,” written by Langston Hughes: "What Happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raising in the sun?” Chasing our dreams and the price we pay for doing so is the overarching theme explored in this classic, American play. Other themes include racial discrimination, the importance of family, and how financial struggles and worries effects every aspect of a person’s existence.

Aptly directed by Lydia Fort, this play is set during the 1950’s in a poor, racially segregated neighborhood in Chicago’s Southside. Originally a three-act play, this version was slightly modernized to reflect 21st century’s audience’s preference for the full-length, intermission-free, one-act format.

This poetic and well-crafted drama takes place over a few week span in the lives of an African-American family at odds as to how to use the $10,000 inheritance they’ve just received. The entire cast was superb. Chauncy Thomas gave a powerful performance as Walter Lee Younger, a black chauffeur hotly pursuing the American dream of owning his own business. His heartfelt pleas to his mother and wife brought tears to my eyes. Cooki Winborn is brilliant as Lena Younger, the God-fearing matriarch of the family. She moves across the stage with quiet strength, and her delivery of some of the most moving lines in the play was sheer perfection. Erin Margaret Pettigrew was very believable as Ruth Younger, Walter’s devoted wife. The role of Ruth is a demanding one and Ms. Pettigrew navigated the wide range of emotions this part called for with grace and stamina. Cassia Thompson was a forceful Beneatha Younger, a young black, female, college student determined to become a doctor. Ms. Thompson stole the show with her Nigerian dance scene and her animated facial expressions. A line of dialogue aimed at her mother, a woman she accuses of being a tyrant, was delivered so powerfully that it appeared to rock the house: “But all the tyranny in the world will never put a God in the heavens!” Jonathan Farrington as Joseph Asagai was extremely charismatic in his portrayal of a Nigerian student and ardent suitor of Beneatha. Michael Chenevert played George Murchison, another persistent suitor of Beneatha. Mr. Chenevert was most convincing in his portrayal of this obnoxious, well-to-do black man. Joe Pallister, a well-known and well-liked East End actor, played the antagonistic Karl Lindner, a white man sent by his bigoted neighborhood community to bribe and bully this hardworking black family into breaking their contract on a house they purchased in an all-white development. Mr. Pallister played this villainess role with just the right amount of nuanced body language and vocal deliverance to make you cringe in your seat. Justin Jorrell as Bobo, the bearer of bad news, and Kaden Amari Anderson, the youngest cast member, who played Travis Younger, Ruth and Walter’s ten-year-old son, both gave standout performances, which greatly contributed to the overall success of this finely-tuned ensemble.

The design and creative team include: Mike Billings (Set & Lighting Designer); Meghan O’Beirne (Costume Designer); Brian Staton (Sound Designer); Meg Murphy (Hair & Makeup Designer); Courtney Alberto (Props Designer); Rosalind Sullivan-Lovett (Dramaturg); Christine Lemme (Production Stage Manager); and Arthur Atkinson (Assistant Stage Manager).

Literature Live’s production of “Raisin In The Sun” is an electrifying experience, nuanced and timely. Make sure you see it and bring the whole family!

Tickets are on sale now and available online at baystreet.org, or by calling the Box Office at 631-725-9500.

Cindi Sansone-Braff is an award-winning playwright, and the author of two spiritual self-help books, "Grant Me a Higher Love," and "Why Good People Can't Leave Bad Relationships." Her full-length romantic comedy, "Angel's Mice and Men," had its world premiere at the Hudson Guild Theater as part of the NY Summerfest 2019 Theater Festival.