A Raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The story is based upon a family's own experiences growing up in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood. A Raisin in the Sun was the first play written by a black woman to be produced on Broadway, as well as the first play with a black director (Lloyd Richards) on Broadway. A Raisin in the Sun is a 1961 feature film starring Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Roy Glenn and Claudia McNeil. ... Lorraine Hansberry (May 19, 1930 - January 12, 1965) was an American playwright and litigant in the United States Supreme Court case, Hansberry v. ... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Woodlawn, located in the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, USA, is one of 77 well defined Chicago community areas. ... This article is about the color black; for other uses, see Black (disambiguation). ... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... Lloyd Richards (June 29, 1919 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada –June 29, 2006 in New York City, New York) was an American actor and director best known for staging the original production of Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun, which debuted on Broadway to standing ovations on March 11...

Introduction

The title comes from the opening lines of "Harlem", a poem by Langston Hughes ("What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?") Throughout the play, the idea of deferred dreams is a prominent theme, as each member of the Younger family attempts to find his or her place amidst a number of difficult situations. Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer, and columnist. ... For other uses, see Dream (disambiguation). ...

With a cast in which all but one are African-Americans, A Raisin in the Sun was considered to be a risky investment, and it took over a year for producer Philip Rose to raise enough money to launch the play. After touring to positive reviews, it premiered on Broadway on March 11, 1959, to enthusiastic reviews. The New York Drama Critics' Circle named it the best play of 1959, and it ran for nearly two years and was produced on tour. Hansberry noted that it introduced details of black life to the overwhelmingly white Broadway audiences, while director Richards observed that it was the first play to which large numbers of blacks were drawn.^[1] The New York Times stated that A Raisin in the Sun "changed American theater forever."^[2] Philip Rose (born July 4, 1921 in New York) is a prolific Broadway Theatrical Producer of such notable productions as A Raisin in the Sun, The Owl and the Pussycat, Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie ?, Purlie, and Shenandoah. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Drama Critics Circle is comprised of nineteen drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines, and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

In 1960 A Raisin In The Sun was nominated for four Tony Awards: What is popularly called the Tony Award® but is formally the Antoinette Perry Award is an annual American award celebrating achievements in theater, including musical theater. ...

Best Play - Written by Lorraine Hansberry; produced by Philip Rose, David J. Cogan Lorraine Hansberry (May 19, 1930 - January 12, 1965) was an American playwright and litigant in the United States Supreme Court case, Hansberry v. ...

Best Actor in Play - Sidney Poitier Not to be confused with Sydney Tamiia Poitier. ...

Best Actress in a Play - Claudia McNeil

Best Direction of a Play - Lloyd Richards Lloyd Richards (June 29, 1919 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada –June 29, 2006 in New York City, New York) was an American actor and director best known for staging the original production of Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun, which debuted on Broadway to standing ovations on March 11...

Original Broadway Cast

• Sidney Poitier - Walter Lee Younger
• Claudia McNeil - Lena Younger
• Ruby Dee - Ruth Younger
• Diana Sands - Beneatha Younger
• Ivan Dixon - Joseph Asagai
• Glynn Turman - Travis Younger
• John Fiedler - Karl Lindner
• Lonne Elder III - Bobo
• Ed Hall - Moving Man
• Douglas Turner Ward - Moving Man
• Louis Gossett Jr. (as Louis Gossett) - George Murchison

Written by Directed by Lloyd Richards Not to be confused with Sydney Tamiia Poitier. ... Ruby Dee (born October 27, 1924) is an African American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist. ... Diana Sands (August 22, 1934- September 2, 1973) was an African-American dramatic actress, perhaps most famous for her portayal as Beneatha Younger, the sister of Sidney Poitiers character in the 1961 version of Lorraine Hansberrys Raisin in the Sun. ... Ivan Dixon, (born April 6, 1931 in New York City) is an American actor and director. ... Glynn Turman (born January 31, 1946 in New York, New York) is a stage, television, and film actor. ... John Donald Fiedler (February 3, 1925 – June 25, 2005) was an American voice actor and character actor in stage, film, television and radio. ... Lonne Elder III (born December 26, 1927 – died June 11, 1996) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. ... Louis Gossett Jr. ... Lloyd Richards (June 29, 1919 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada –June 29, 2006 in New York City, New York) was an American actor and director best known for staging the original production of Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun, which debuted on Broadway to standing ovations on March 11...

Designed by Ralph Alswang; Lighted by Ralph Alswang; Costumes by Virginia Volland; Sound Design by Masque Sound Engineering Company

General Manager: Walter Fried

Production Stage Manager: Leonard Auerbach; Stage Manager: Mervyn Williams

Plot

The play is mainly about the Youngers, as they dream of leaving behind the run-down tenement apartment where they have lived since Lena and Walter Sr. (or "Big Walter") were married. The son, Walter, a chauffeur, dreams of making a fortune by investing in an alcohol store but foolishly gives his money to a con-artist. His sister, Beneatha, a college student, tries to find her identity and embraces the Back-to-Africa philosophy of a Nigerian friend, Joseph Asagai. The family's matriarch, Lena, dreams of buying a house, and does so with money from her late husband's insurance policy, but the house is in an all-white neighborhood. Their racist future neighbors send one of their members, a man named Karl Lindner, as a "welcoming committee" to try to buy them out to prevent the neighborhood's integration. Walter Lee, suffering the reverses of having been swindled, initially contemplates taking the money, but ultimately refuses to be intimidated or bought out.

Litigation

The experiences in this play echo a lawsuit Hansberry v. Lee, 311 U.S. 32 (1940), to which the Hansberry family was a party when they fought to have their day in court because a previous action about racially motivated restrictive covenants (Burke v. Kleiman, 277 Ill. App. 519 (1934) was similar to the case at hand. They won their right to be heard as a matter of due process of law in relation to the Fourteenth Amendment. The Hansberry case was not bound by the Burke decision because the class of defendants in the respective cases had conflicting goals.

Interestingly, the plaintiff in the first action was Olive Ida Burke, who brought the suit on behalf of the property owner's association to enforce the racial restriction in 1934. Her husband, James Burke, was the person who sold the property to Carl Hansberry (Lorraine's father) when he changed his mind about the validity of the covenant. Mr. Burke's decision may have been motivated by the changing demographics of the neighborhood, but it was also influenced by the Depression. The demand for houses was so low among white buyers that Mr. Hansberry may have been the only prospective purchaser available.^[3]

Lorraine reflects upon the litigation in her book To Be Young Gifted and Black:

"25 years ago, [my father] spent a small personal fortune, his considerable talents, and many years of his life fighting, in association with NAACP attorneys, Chicago’s ‘restrictive covenants’ in one of this nation's ugliest ghettos. That fight also required our family to occupy disputed property in a hellishly hostile ‘white neighborhood’ in which literally howling mobs surrounded our house… My memories of this ‘correct’ way of fighting white supremacy in America include being spat at, cursed and pummeled in the daily trek to and from school. And I also remember my desperate and courageous mother, patrolling our household all night with a loaded German [L]uger [pistol], doggedly guarding her four children, while my father fought the respectable part of the battle in the Washington court."

Other versions

1961 film

Main article: A Raisin in the Sun (film)

In 1961, a film version of A Raisin in the Sun was released featuring its original Broadway cast of Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, Ivan Dixon, Louis Gossett, Jr. and John Fiedler. Hansberry wrote the screenplay, and the film was directed by Daniel Petrie. It was released by Columbia Pictures and Ruby Dee won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress. Both Poitier and MacNeil were nominated for Golden Globe Awards, and Petrie received a special "Gary Cooper Award" at the Cannes Film Festival. However, the film received no Academy Award nominations. A Raisin in the Sun is a 1961 feature film starring Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Roy Glenn and Claudia McNeil. ... A Raisin in the Sun is a 1961 feature film starring Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Roy Glenn and Claudia McNeil. ... Not to be confused with Sydney Tamiia Poitier. ... Ruby Dee (born October 27, 1924) is an African American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist. ... Diana Sands (August 22, 1934- September 2, 1973) was an African-American dramatic actress, perhaps most famous for her portayal as Beneatha Younger, the sister of Sidney Poitiers character in the 1961 version of Lorraine Hansberrys Raisin in the Sun. ... Ivan Dixon, (born April 6, 1931 in New York City) is an American actor and director. ... Louis Cameron Gossett, Jr. ... John Donald Fiedler (February 3, 1925 – June 25, 2005) was an American voice actor and character actor in stage, film, television and radio. ... Daniel M. Petrie (November 26, 1920, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada - August 22, 2004, Los Angeles, California) was a television and movie director. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ... The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures was founded in 1909 in New York City, just 13 years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor George McClennans revocation of moving-picture exhibition licenses on Christmas Eve 1908. ... The Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1939, is one of the worlds oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ...

It was not rated by the MPAA, 128 minutes long, and was filmed in black and white. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is a non-profit trade association formed to advance the interests of movie studios. ... Black-and-white is a broad adjectival term used to describe a number of monochrome forms of visual arts. ...

Musical

Main article: Raisin (musical)

In 1973, the play was turned into a musical, Raisin. Hansberry's former husband, Robert Nemiroff, wrote the book of the musical. It won the 1974 Tony Award for Best Musical. Raisin was a musical theatre adaptation of the Lorraine Hansberry play A Raisin in the Sun, and was first performed on Broadway on October 18, 1973. ... Raisin was a musical theatre adaptation of the Lorraine Hansberry play A Raisin in the Sun, and was first performed on Broadway on October 18, 1973. ... // 1940s 1949 Kiss Me, Kate - Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Bella and Samuel Spewack. ...

TV Films

1989 Adaptation

In 1989 it was adapted into a made for TV movie starring Danny Glover and Esther Rolle. This production received three Emmy Award nominations, but all were for technical categories. Bill Duke directed the production, while Chee Lee produced the production, which also featured Starletta DuPois and John Fiedler, who had starred in the original Broadway production and the 1961 film version. This production was based on an off-Broadway revival produced by the Roundabout Theatre. Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... “Telefilm” redirects here. ... Danny Lebern Glover( Glover pronounced with a long O)[1] (born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. ... Esther Rolle (November 8, 1920–November 17, 1998) was an American actress. ... An Emmy Award. ... Bill Duke (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor and film director. ... John Donald Fiedler (February 3, 1925 – June 25, 2005) was an American voice actor and character actor in stage, film, television and radio. ... The Roundabout Theatre Company is the largest non-profit theatre company based in New York City. ...

The cast, along with their character names, for the 1989 production are as follows: Danny Glover as "Walter Lee," Starletta DuPois as "Ruth," Esther Rolle as "Mama," and Kim Yancey as "Beneathra."

2008 Adaptation

Main article: A Raisin in the Sun (2008 TV film)

Paula Boudreau, Alexandra Cheron, Elle Downs, Justin Martin, and John Stamos. This version of the play was directed by Kenny Leon. A Raisin in the Sun is an upcoming adaptation of Lorraine Hansberrys award-winning play A Raisin in the Sun. ... John Phillip Stamos (IPA: ) (born August 19, 1963) is an Emmy Award-winning American television/stage actor. ... Kenny Leon is an African-American director notable for his work on Broadway and in regional theater. ...

References

1. ^ Corley, Cheryl, 'A Raisin in the Sun', Present at the Creation, National Public Radio, 11 March 2002
2. ^ Rich, Frank, Theater: 'Raisin in Sun,' Anniversary in Chicago, New York Times, 5 October 1983
3. ^ Kamp, Allen R. "The History Behind Hansberry v. Lee," 20 U.S. Davis L. Rev. 481 (1987)

NPR redirects here. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ...

External links

• Study resource for writing about the play
• GradeSaver study guide
• ISU Play Concordances