A Raisin in the Sun

A Raisin in the Sun is a heart-wrenching family drama by playwright Lorraine Hansberry which originally premiered on Broadway in 1959 and starred legendary actor, Sir Sidney Poitier.

A Three-time Tony Winning Revival

This highly anticipated Broadway revival sees the extremely talented Denzel Washington fill those shoes as he plays the title role of Walter Lee Younger, the play's ambitious but misguided central character. He stars alongside LaTanya Richardson Jackson, who was nominated for a 2014 Tony for her performance.

This historic 2014 revival was nominated for 2014 Tony Awards in five categories, of which it won three. It scooped up the Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Play, Best Direction of a Play for Kenny Leon and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for Sophie Okonedo.

It runs at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, the very same venue in which the original play debuted almost 55 years ago, and will be directed by Kenny Leon. The production sees him reunite with Mr. Washington after previously working together on the 2010 Broadway production of Fences, for which Mr. Washington won a Tony award.

About A Raisin in the Sun

A Raisin in the Sun follows Walter and the Younger family, and the troubles which befall them when his elderly mother when inherits a large sum of money. Walter wants to invest in a liquor store, while Mama wants to put the money down on a new home in a white neighborhood for reasons of affordability. As Walter struggles with this dilemma, two characters enter his life who force him to evaluate his social standing, though he does so largely in terms of his financial status.

This landmark drama was one of the very first plays on Broadway to take an in-depth look at the experiences of African-American families in pre-civil rights USA. Although Hansberry's groundbreaking play was initially considered to be a risky investment, it went on to run for nearly two years, received four Tony nominations and was the first play written by an African-American woman to be produced on Broadway.