I recently saw the production of “A Raisin in the Sun” written by Lorraine Hansberry, in an off-Broadway show at the Public Theater in New York City. This theater was a comfortable setting for the play, and I felt it was the perfect backdrop for the production. The play is based on the book, which was written in 1959 which addresses many of the serious race and class issues that were present then, and unfortunately still present now. It was interesting to compare and contrast the book and play. Overall, I found that the play and the book were mostly similar but were different in several interesting ways.
The Author
Lorraine Hansberry wrote “A Raisin in The Sun” based on her own personal experience. When Hansberry was younger, her family also lived in the South Side of Chicago where they also faced discrimination. She was the first African-American female to have a play on Broadway in 1959. Hansberry faced a lot of discrimination as an individual: she was an African-American female, and it was later revealed that she was lesbian.
Brief Synopsis
The Younger family is headed by the matriarch Mama, who is receiving $10,000 in life insurance money for the death of her husband Big Walter. Everyone in the Younger household has different dreams. Walter’s dream is to open a liquor store; Mama’s dream is to have a garden one day; and Walter’s sister Beneatha’s dream is to go to medical school and become a doctor. Walter becomes obsessed with his liquor store dream until Walter’s friend runs away with his money. When the check comes in, Mama reveals that she has bought a new house, however, it is in a predominantly white neighborhood: Clybourne Park. Mr. Linder from Clybourne Park tries to pay the Youngers even more money not to move into their new house in Clybourne Park. Towards the end of the play, Walter reforms his ways and learns an important lesson which is that family is more important than money.
Setting
The setting of the play was the Youngers’ cramped and dingy apartment. This was the only setting seen until the very end of the play. On stage, the apartment was very run down, with peeling paint and patches in the walls. This helped portray the apartment as a depressing place to live. During the play, there were flashbacks of “Big Walter” which did not happen in the book. Because this differed from the book, at first I was not sure who the character was. Adding “Big Walter” did help to add an interesting element to the play that was missing from the book.
Similarities and Differences
The actors and actresses did a great job of bringing the book to life. The actor, Francois Battiste, portrayed Walter very accurately and passionately. He portrayed Walter’s anger extremely well and helped bring Walter’s character to life. I also thought Ruth’s actress, Mandi Masden, did an excellent job. She was very emotional and portrayed Ruth convincingly.
In comparison to the book, the ending of the play was different. In the book, the Younger family moves out of their apartment in the South Side of Chicago. However, in the play, the Younger family moved out of their apartment and into their new house in Clybourne Park. At the very end, it showed everyone in the new house except for Travis. Travis was standing on the outside with the N-word spray painted across the house, which made for a very disturbing and dramatic end of the play. Another thing that was different was that Mama Younger did not take her plant with her in the play; however, in the book she did. Mama’s plant in the book is extremely important to her, as it symbolizes her dream, which is to have a garden one day.
My Review
Overall, I enjoyed watching the play and recommend it to others who are interested in a serious and thought-provoking play. I think that all of the actors played their characters well. It was also beneficial and interesting to see the similarities and differences between the book and the play and how the characters were portrayed. While it is not a light-hearted topic, it is one that addresses many of the serious race and class issues which still exist today.
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