A RAISIN IN THE SUN

Image credit: Ikin Yum

“What happens to a dream deferred?”

Lorraine Hansberry’s landmark A Raisin in the Sun takes on this question posed by Langston Hughes, with the lives, struggles and joys of the Youngers family.

Set apart for its groundbreaking portrayal of black life in America in the 50s, this revival at the Lyric Hammersmith feels reminiscent of Chekov’s Three Sisters, bringing together the complexity unique to its time and setting, but all the same nuances of human life that make the play as relevant today as it was at its debut.

The dreams of the characters all fall under one universal desire — a longing for fulfilment; to be one’s truest self against the backdrop of a racially segregated America. Lorraine Hansberry’s play maintains its sharpness in Tinuke Craig’s beautiful rendition of a story that centres integrity of heart and family. Perfectly paced, Craig delicately directs each character so that you look at them with understanding and sympathy despite their flaws.

The modern classic follows the Youngers family, made up of matriarch Lena Younger (Doreene Blackstock) portrayed as formidable, intimidating but fiercely loving, her daughter Beneatha (Joséphine-Fransilja Brookman), son Walter Lee (Solomon Israel), his wife Ruth (Cash Holland) and their son Travis (Jeriah Kibusi). Lena’s husband Walter Senior passed away, leaving some insurance money the family eagerly anticipate. Walter Lee is determined to prove himself and open up a liquor store but is at odds with Ruth who wants nothing more than for her husband to find contentment in the life they’ve built for themselves and their son Travis. Waltzing her way through various hobbies, Beneatha has her heart set on becoming a doctor. Lena ultimately decides to buy a house for her family, in the hopes that owning the floor they walk on will give them a renewed sense of pride in themselves, and create a solid foundation for her family, and a legacy for her late husband.

They live in a derelict apartment described as teeming with roaches, peeling walls and no windows that let the sun in, but there is a strong sense that there is love that reverberates off of every corner. On both sides of the stage are transparent walls, where we are made privy to off-scene emotions the characters are working through, Cécile Trémolières’s set is both realistic and expressionist in nature.

The story takes many dramatic turns that bring the characters to moral dilemmas: Ruth grapples with an unwanted pregnancy, Walter Lee faces a huge betrayal and Beneatha struggles to forge an identity for herself. The stage hums red when the characters reach the height of their frustrations, and it feels like we are in their apartment with them reaching boiling point. The play’s intensity is balanced by the family dynamic delivered by the cast that reminds you of your favourite Black 90s sitcom. Craig’s direction allows for each main character to really have their own moments, be them moments of personal breakthrough, or a complete breakdown. Israel as Walter has the most powerful moment, where we see him reach what feels like his breaking point.

Brookman as Beneatha colours the play with deep laughs as she balances the diametrically opposed George (Gilbert Kyem Jr) and Asagai (Kenneth Omole) as they contend for her affection. George is the stuck-up but wealthy suitor seeking a trophy wife that Beneatha is unsure she can embody, while the idealistic and smitten Asagai is the Nigerian patriot that shifts Beneatha’s view of herself and her blackness, and offers her a new life in a Nigeria he hopes to revolutionise. Omole’s take on Asagai is superb and authentic, while Kyem Jr is rightfully and brilliantly reproachable as George.

Joshua Pharo’s light design fills the stage with the sun rays we know Lena’s family is about to embrace, as she stands solo in the final moments of the play. We don’t know if the dreams of the Youngers will be deferred, or if they will become as raisins in the sun, but Craig and the cast of this show make us root for them unanimously.

A Raisin in the Sun is showing at the Lyric Hammersmith until 02 November.

★★★★☆

By Melody Adebisi