Harrowing, yet hopeful, Pennsylvania Shakepeare Festival’s “A Raisin in the Sun” paints a picture of a troubling American landscape (that has changed less than you would hope,) but also makes the case for standing up for what is right, even when the odds are stacked against you.
This devastating, but determined production is on stage through July 13 in Schubert Theatre, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts, DeSales University, 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley.
“A Raisin in the Sun,” considered a landmark of American theater, examines a black family's experiences in south Chicago in the 1950s, as they attempt to improve their financial circumstances and deal with discrimination, racism, and assimilation.
The Younger family - Walter and Ruth, their 10-year-son Travis, Walter's mother Lena and younger sister Beneatha, live in poverty in a run-down two-bedroom apartment, when an insurance check offers a way out.
The entire cast delivers heartfelt, emotional and outstanding performances in this important show that still resonates today.
Brandon E. Burton’s Walter Younger simmers with resentment, as he longs to escape his job as a chauffeur. Burton’s Walter blossoms with joy and playfulness when he thinks a get rich quick scheme will give him the chance of which he’s dreamed, only to be crushed by cruel reality. However, so invested is the audience in Burton’s characterization, that at a crucial moment, when Walter has to make a life-changing decision, audience members spontaneously applauded his choice.
Long suffering Ruth Younger is played with stubborn determination by Noelle Diane Johnson. Johnson gives Ruth a quiet tenacity as she struggles to hold her family together.
The Youngers’ stalwart matriarch Lena, who puts money down on a house in a white neighborhood, is strong, self-sacrificing and fiercely loyal as portrayed by Kimberly S. Fairbanks.
Billie Wyatt’s Beneatha Younger, who dreams of becoming a doctor, as she worries about assimilation, is smart, conflicted and fearless.
As Travis Younger, Kian E. Cooper is wide-eyed and endearing, adding a positive note to some of the bleaker moments in the play. The role is shared with Octavian Suomie.
Jamir Fisher is a smug George, Beneatha’s well-to-do suitor who doesn’t want to talk and tells her she just needs to be pretty.
As Karl Linder, the seemingly friendly representative of the white development’s “improvement association” whose studied politeness gives way to an underlying racism, Matt Pfeiffer gives a subtly devastating performance.
Isaiah Caleb Stanley is charismatic as Joseph Asagai, who is from Nigeria and encourages Beneatha to embrace her African roots and forge her own path.
The cast also includes Keith Livingston, as Walter’s beleagured buddy.
The costumes by Leigh Paradise are appropriate for the time period and help define the characters.
Marie Laster’s set is sparse but conveys the family’s love, from the vintage refrigerator to old-fashioned stove on which Johnson’s Ruth appears to actually cook scrambled eggs.
Akeem Davis direction is so concise that this fairly long play goes by quickly.
The production is recommended for age 13 and older for mature language and adult themes.
Meet the actors after the show for a talk-back July 3 and 10.
The July 12 performance will feature audio descriptions for patrons who are blind or visually impaired.
Tickets are $47 to $67.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. July 3, 9, 19 and 11; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. June 28, July 2, 5 and 12; 2 p.m. June 29, July 6 and 13; and 6:30 p.m. July 1 and 8.
For information, call 610-282-9455, or go to pashakespeare.org.
(l. to r.) Noelle Diane Johnson (Ruth Younger), Kimberly S. Fairbanks (Lena “Mama” Younger), and Billie Wyatt (Beneatha Younger). Photo by Kristy McKeever.