Director Kenny Leon and actors Denzel Washington, Anika Noni Rose, Sophie Okonedo, and LaTonya Richardson Jackson talk about bringing this American classic back to Broadway.
housing
The New York Times Learning Network provides teaching and learning materials and ideas based on New York Times content. This week’s Text to Text series looks at the 1959 A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and “Discrimination in Housing Against Nonwhites Persists Quietly” by Shaila Dewan (The New York Times, June 11, 2013) in a lesson plan by Susan Chenelle and Audrey Fisch.
Marilyn Stasio says, “The performance is a personal triumph for Washington, who refrains from star-strutting to fold himself into a tight-knit ensemble of committed stage thesps who treat this revival like a labor of love.”
Lindsay Champion shares background on Lorraine Hansberry and A Raisin in the Sun.
Peter Marks, writing for The Washington Post, applauds Kenny Leon’s 2014 production of A Raisin in the Sun.
Ben Brantley of the New York Times notes that ". . .a drama often presented as something monumental, to be approached with awe and piety, becomes refreshingly accessible."
The bottom line in David Rooney's review of A Raisin in the Sun for the Hollywood reporter: The charged emotions and earthy humor of Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 play remain undimmed.
Jesse Green of New York Magazine/Vulture applauds the Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun—with a star who knows what to do in the role.