So Raisin in the Sun. I love the Black Theatre Workshop. But I haven't seen their work since Director Tyrone Benskin's 2006 directorial debut The Lady Smith, about a wife who infiltrates the home of her husband's mistress, and that was a low key offering. The BTW has popped a for bucks into their 40 th anniversary big stage production of A Raisin in the Sun, hosted at The Centaur Theatre. I personally would have preferred a different venue cuz I'm already there a lot but the audience last night was full of the beautiful people and a great vibe.
The play is long, like almost three hours, as the the 7:30 curtain suggests, but it's breezy. It stars a meddling old lady who lives with her son and his wife, as well as her 20 year old student daughter. Her 10 year old grandson also sleeps on the ratty couch in the roach filled Southside Chicago apartment. Gran has $10,000 coming and the son, who toils as a chauffeur, dreams of opening a liquor store. Granny has other plans, involving moving into a new house. Son gets depressed when he realizes he's not in charge and that his dreams of becoming an entrepreneur might never happen. Meanwhile the new neighbourhood would prefer that they did not move in and soil the lily-white composure where their new house is located.
One of the main characters, the student daughter is black but acted by an ivory skinned actress. (I was later told that she's actually sorta black but extremely light skinned..hm...) Now she does a great job and surely there's some kinda legitimate philosophical explanation for this casting but personally I'd rather have seen a local black actress get this plumb role. Ranee Lee plays the granny and she does a fine turn even though I've sorta felt in the past that she's is a bit eager to be on stage but she was flawless in her role. Adrienne Mai Irving plays the sensible daughter and she's a peach, conveys emotion, has a pretty face and a melodious voice. Peter Bailey is the star and, like everybody else in the cast sells it. Like everybody in the play (even the kid) the movements, diction, delivery are all bang on. Four other characters also acquit themselves admirably. Overall, yeah, go see it like. (Until Dec 5, tix $24).
Thank you for this review. I had an excellent time there as well, but I also had issues with the casting.
ReplyDeleteThe student daughter is the one modern progressive and feminist figure of the play, she should incarnate black pride and the Renaissance of black women in modern society. Instead, the choice of a light skin actress reinforce a deplorable stereotype. I believe this is a very bizarre understanding of the play, far from the author's vision. However, her acting is excellent, which I can only assume is the principal reason for her cast.
i think that's kind of unfair, but if she's light skinned and the rest of the family isn't, then i'd be thinking that she looks like she's not a member of their family, but the tv Cosby family! But she's obviously the best actress they found for the role.
ReplyDeleteIn the film, I remember the part of Beneatha was played by a beautiful actress named Diana Sands, who died at age 36 of breast cancer. I thought it was a terrible shame because she was terrific and perfect for that role.
The actress who played Beneatha is half-Jamaican.
ReplyDeleteum....there ARE white Jamaicans.....
ReplyDeleteHaven't you commenters heard of makeup? If the woman is an excellent actress, then her skin tone should not be important in casting her. If looking too light is a problem for the audience, then the skin tone should be dealt with by the makeup artists under the direction of the director. In this day and age, there shouldn't be anyone thought of as not being the right skin tone for a role.
ReplyDelete