Lorraine Hansberry's seminal drama A Raisin in the Sun, which tells the story of a Black family in
Chicago, opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
March 11, 1959.
The title of the play comes from the Langston Hughes poem "Harlem," which asks, "What happens to a dream deferred?/ Does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?" The play was especially notable as it was not only the first by an African-American woman to be
produced on Broadway but also the first with an African-American
director, Lloyd Richards.
A Raisin in the Sun tells the story of Walter Younger and his mother, Lena, who both yearn to move their family out of Chicago's Southside ghetto. When Lena's late husband's insurance check arrives, Lena hopes to use it to buy a house in a white neighborhood鈥攚hile Walter hopes to invest it in a liquor business. The landmark drama was one of the first on Broadway to examine African-American life on the cusp of the Civil Rights era.
The original cast featured Sidney Poitier as Walter Lee Younger, Ruby Dee as Ruth Younger, Claudia McNeil as Lena Younger, Diana
Sands as Beneatha Younger, Ivan Dixon as Joseph Asagai, Lonne Elder III as Bobo, John Fiedler as Karl Lindner, Ed Hall as Moving Man, Glynn
Turman as Travis Younger, and Douglas Turner as Moving Man.
READ: How Lorraine Hansberry Turned Her Family鈥檚 Story Into A Raisin in the Sun
In his review for The New York Times, Brooks Atkinson wrote, "Not the least remarkable aspect of A Raisin in the Sun is the unvarying humanity of the author's point of view. Although Miss Hansberry is aware of the big social and political issues, she has sufficient independence of mind to concentrate on the everyday problems of a family鈥� If she is lucky in her actors, they are lucky in their author. Her play gives them the opportunity to stage a rousing performance that is supported by the simple truths of the story."
Poitier and McNeil were both nominated for Tony Awards for their performances; the play also received 1960 Tony nominations for Best Play and for Richards' direction. Although A Raisin in the Sun lost the Best Play Tony to William Gibson's The Miracle Worker, the 1973 musical adaptation, simply titled Raisin, would win the 1974 Tony Award for Best Musical.
The original Broadway production of Raisin in the Sun subsequently transferred to the Belasco Theatre in October 1959 before closing June 25, 1960. In all, the groundbreaking drama played one preview and 530 regular performances on Broadway. Poitier, Dee, McNeil, Sands, and Fiedler would go on to repeat their stage roles in the 1961 film version directed by Daniel Petrie.
Look back on the original cast below.
Hansberry's investigation of the American dream, racism, housing discrimination, and economic strife, all explored through the Younger family, has been revived on Broadway twice, both directed by Tony winner Kenny Leon.
The first revival opened at the Royale Theatre April 26, 2004. The production, which played 32 previews and 88 performances before closing July 11, 2004, earned four Tony nominations, winning Best Actress in a Play for Phylicia Rashad鈥檚 performance as Lena Younger and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Audra McDonald鈥檚 performance as Ruth Younger and also starred Sean "Diddy" Combs as Walter Lee Younger.
Leon's 2014 revival, which cast Denzel Washington as Walter Lee Younger, opened April 3 at the Barrymore Theatre, where the original production also played. This limited engagement played 27 previews and 85 regular performances before closing June 15, 2014. The cast also included Sophie Okonedo in her Broadway debut as Ruth Younger. The production was nominated for five 2014 Tony Awards, winning three: Best Revival of a Play, Best Direction of a Play for Leon, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for Okonedo.
More recently, Off-Broadway's Public Theater revived the play in 2022. The limited engagement, which had opened October 25, completed its twice-extended run November 20, 2022, in the Newman. Read reviews for the revival here. Francois Battiste and Tonya Pinkins led the company as Walter Lee Younger and Lena Younger, respectively.
See photos of Washington and cast of the 2014 Othello revival below (Washington can currently be seen on Broadway in Othello).
Learn what other theatre milestones happened on March 11 by visiting the 半岛体育 Vault.
