Actors shine in Westport’s ‘Raisin in the Sun’

Written by Joanne Greco Rochman
Thursday, 25 October 2012 10:49

Billy Eugene Jones and Susan Kelechi Watson in Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” directed by Phylicia Rashad, at Westport Country Playhouse. —T. Charles EricksonLorraine Hansberry’s dramatic classic, “Raisin in the Sun,” is basking in the spotlight of the Westport Country Playhouse. A great play by any standard, this work has a permanent place in the catalogue of definitive American experiences.  Phylicia Rashad, best known as Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show, appeared on Broadway in this play, which she now directs with a realism that flows at a steady but slow pace, as if luxuriating in each brilliant moment, but ultimately dragging out the first act too much. 

Lynda Gravátt steps into the matriarch role of the family, Lena Younger, with an emphasis on the wise and loving mother. Lena is waiting for a $10,000 life insurance policy check on her late husband, which she intends to use for the overall benefit of the Younger family. This includes a house in a middle-class white neighborhood, which is the joy of Ruth Younger, played superbly by an empathetic and beautifully understated Susan Kelechi Watson. Ruth is wife to Walter and mother to young Travis (Luka Kain). Walter can’t wait for the check to arrive because he wants to invest it in a business deal with two of his friends. It’s a very risky business deal, but that doesn’t diminish Walter’s enthusiasm, especially as performed by Billy Eugene Jones, who transcends the role from mere naiveté to desperate wishful thinking. Alvin Crawford as Bobo, one of Walter’s investment friends, plays the role as timidly slow. 

Edena Hines plays college intellectual Beneatha Younger with wide-eyed appreciation of her African American past and bright-eyed American future as a medical doctor. All she needs is the money to go to med school, which her mother has promised will come from that $10,000 check. Mind you the play is set in Chicago 1959, when that check can go a lot further than it can today. 

Gabriel Brown plays George Murchison, Beneatha’s wealthy college boyfriend. Brown plays the role as the iconic preppy. Hubert Point-Du Jour plays Beneatha’s other college boyfriend, Joseph Asagai, who has a flair for fun and joy of life. John Hemphill takes on the only white role in this production as Karl Lindner, a soft-spoken man who represents a white community offering a monetary incentive to the Younger family not move into its community. Ade Otukoya and Donnell E. Smith take on the roles of moving men.

With actors who shine in their roles, this production would glow if it didn’t sit far too long in the sun. The weight and lengthy time of the first act takes its toll on the overall production.   

What is disappointing is the set designed Edward Burbridge, which is so comfy and warm looking that it has to rely on the script to denote it as a less-than-desirable apartment. At one point, Beneatha sprays for roaches, which almost looks unnecessary in this far-too-romantic setting. This production plays through Nov. 3. Box office: 203-227-4177. 

Joanne Greco Rochman is an active member in The American Theatre Critics Association, and covers art and culture in a blog for CBS National and CBS-CT.  She welcomes comments. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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