Berkshire on Stage

Lorraine Hansberry, the first black woman to have a play on Broadway in 1959, wrote A Raisin in the Sun, depicting a poor black family on the Southside of Chicago, wrestling with how to spend a $10,000 life insurance check left by the late Walter Lee Younger, Sr., the family patriarch. Presented at SLCA (Sand Lake Center for the Arts), themes of racism, poverty, discrimination, and segregation have, unfortunately, endured to present time.

Facing a simply appointed and decorated living room (designed by Bob and Sharon Dawes), we do not see the “rattrap” that describes this apartment, although 10-year-old Travis (Lucien Pryor) has no bedroom and is sleeping on the couch. Travis is the son of Ruth Younger (Earth O. Phoenix), a house cleaner, and Walter Lee Younger (Emmanuel Kerr), a chauffeur. Both are in their 30s. Walter’s widowed mother, Lena “Mama” Younger (Kim Wafer) in her 60s, also works as a domestic and lives in the apartment. Walter’s 20-year-old sister Beneatha (Q’ubilah Sales) is in college and hoping to go to medical school. She is the fifth family member in this home.

Introducing this family is Big Travis (Hasson Harris Wilcher) who appears throughout this play, providing commentary as a narrator, with no interaction with cast members.

Tired of working in service to white people, each family member has dreams of how to improve their lives with this life-insurance money. Lena hopes for a home in a better neighborhood. Ruth, her daughter-in-law, shares those dreams, especially for her son. Walter wants to invest in a liquor store to have a business of his own. Beneatha only wants the money to go to medical school and to realize her desire to become a physician. Everyone recognizes that Lena, the widow, has ultimate say in how this money will be spent.

As the play progresses, a surprise pregnancy leaves Ruth struggling to make an impossible decision. Beneatha questions her mother’s belief in God, causing Lena to be furious. Beneatha also dates two different men, both played by Theo Rabii. One, Joseph Asagi, is Nigerian and encourages her dreams and appreciates who she is. The other, George Murchison, represents money and traditional sex roles, and is far less appealing to Beneatha.

Lena decides to put a deposit on a home in a white neighborhood. Unfortunately, a representative from this neighborhood, Karl Lindner (Chris Rivera), makes it clear the Younger family is not wanted. At the same time, Lena contributes money to Walter to enable him to invest in his dream and to put money towards Beneatha’s education. Walter, however, makes poor decisions with this money.

At the top of Act II, Mrs. Johnson (Jackie DeGiorgis), the only white cast member,
comes to visit the Youngers for a seemingly friendly visit where she demonstrates
what a horrible racist she is. For a relatively small role, DeGiorgis manages to get
the entire audience to hate her.

The cast, directed by Aaron Moore, is generally strong in Hansberry’s moving and
relevant play. In particular, Sales as Beneatha, is a fully developed character,
expressing both her frustrations and desires, a progressive young black woman
for the 1950s. Her dramatic range is evident.

Wafer as Lena has a regal presence, reminding me of a young Phylicia Rashad as Claire Huxtable on the Cosby Show. She commands the stage and this family, while showing love and nurturance.

Phoenix as Ruth demonstrates the difficulty of working hard and being a wife and mother, especially to her needy and angry husband. Kerr as Walter always wants more and shows his disgust and hopelessness, as well as his need for alcohol when life does not go his way. They are, at times, a sad and believable couple.

Playing two roles and two very different men cannot be easy for Rabii. He is more successful playing Nigerian Asagi as he delivers wise words in his understanding of the ways of the world to Beneatha. As Murchison, he reverts to a 21st century style of interaction and apathy not fitting for the 1950s.

Welcher as the narrator has a key role in commenting on what we are experiencing. He lacks the gravitas and sincerity that we need and see in the role of the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder’s Our Town.

Costumes, for the most part, are fitting this 50s family. However, some small anachronisms are evident. Lena sports some very sparkly diamond wedding rings unlikely to be worn by a poor woman. Rabii wears contemporary sneakers, a nose stud, and a very visible cell phone in his back pocket. Maybe this was an oversight? Otherwise, dresses and suits are attractive and fit well.

Laura Darling as Lighting Designer makes some interesting choices. Often there is a spotlight on one actor, yet the reason for this is not always clear. Blackouts at the end of scenes are followed by dim lights as actors leave the stage. Perhaps this is for safety, but blackouts are typically when actors depart the scene.

Moore allows Hansberry’s words and story to compel the audience to endure a difficult era in black history. While integrated neighborhoods are not uncommon presently, opportunities for minorities are still significantly impacted. Raisins in the sun rarely thrive. The talented cast at SLCA ably conveys the struggles and pride of a family who will not whither but rather chooses to stand, stay strong and reach for what they deserve.