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Let’s Talk With Damone: ‘A Raisin In The Sun’ To Be Revived On Broadway…Again?

Andrew Shade
By Andrew Shade

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Word on the street has been a production of Lorraine Hansberry’s classic family drama ‘A Raisin In The Sun,’ is to be mounted for a 2014 Broadway run…again. Well, now it’s been officially confirmed and this time, apparently, it will star Oscar and Tony-winner Denzel Washington as ‘Walter Lee Younger,’ alongside Diahann Carroll (‘Lena’), Sophie Okenedo (I assume as ‘Ruth’), and Anika Noni Rose (again, I assume as ‘Beneatha’), and is to be directed by Kenny Leon…again. Interesting, to say the least.

A revival of ‘A Raisin In The Sun’ was last seen on Broadway in 2004 (just under ten years ago), directed by Kenny Leon, and starring Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs, Phylicia Rashad (who won the Best Performance by a Leading Actress Tony that year), Audra McDonald (who won the Best Performance by a Featured Actress Tony that year), and Sanaa Lathan (who was nominated for the Best Performance by a Featured Actress Tony that year).

‘A Raisin In The Sun’ is one of my favorite plays. Hands down. Hansberry crafted a timeless masterpiece with that work. That being said, however, I’m not sure ANOTHER revival is the route to go. I admire all of the actors supposedly filling the roles for this 2014 Broadway run, and want nothing more than for them to be working…but ‘A Raisin In The Sun’? Really? Again?? This soon??? Sigh. I get that this cast (and to be honest, this play) WILL draw an audience, but when there are countless OTHER Black playwrights works to explore and stories to be told, I grow weary. When there are Black playwrights like Dominique Morisseau (‘Detroit ‘67’), Tarell Alvin McCraney (‘Choir Boy’), Harrison David Rivers (‘Look Upon Our Lowliness’), and Kwame Kwei-Armah (‘Elmina’s Kitchen’), whose work deserves a stab at the Great White Way (and not to mention the countless other emerging young, or not so young, Black playwrights I didn’t mention), I can’t really bring myself to get too excited about another run of an often-done “Black classic.” Regardless of how good the play is.

Question: When was the last time a NEW work by a Black playwright about Black people, that WASN’T a musical, was on Broadway?
Answer: Over the last ten years only ten shows (non-musicals), written by and about Black people, appeared on Broadway.
“The Mountaintop,” by Katori Hall. (2011)
“Stick Fly,” by Lydia Diamond. (2011)
“Fences,” by August Wilson. (2010)
“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” by August Wilson. (2009)
“Radio Golf,” by August Wilson. (2007)
“A Raisin In The Sun,” by Lorraine Hansberry. (2004)
“Drowning Crow,” by Regina Taylor. (2004)
“Gem Of The Ocean,” by August Wilson. (2004)
“Whoopi,” by Whoopi Goldberg. (2004)
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” by August Wilson. (2003)

Out of those ten only four WEREN’T written by either August Wilson or Lorraine Hansberry.

So what is it? Is “the Broadway community” afraid to take chances on NEW Black playwrights? Is the underlying theme here that we Blacks are only really welcome on Broadway if we are singin’ & dancin’ (read: schuckin’ & jivin’), or appearing in Black classic plays? I’m really curious.

At any rate, another revival of ‘A Raisin In The Sun’ may be descending upon the “Great White Way” (Ha! That joke wrote itself years ago…), and I’m conflicted. Though I don’t really want to see another incarnation of this show on Broadway so soon, I love seeing US at work. So…fee-fi-fo-fum! Maybe Broadway ain’t as “progressive” as folks have claimed it to be. Maybe Broadway really is just like it’s little sister, Hollywood.

This is a conversation I think we definitely need to be having, I just don’t know where to start. Do we keep encouraging Black playwrights to continue writing about the Black experience? Do we focus our attentions on getting plays written by Black playwrights about the Black experience produced? Or do we just remain thankful for the little we get, and keep on keeping on?

What do YOU think? Share your thoughts with me. As an artist interested in telling his own stories about the Black experience, I’m really looking to hear what my fellow artists have to say!

Let the dialogue begin…hopefully!

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Andrew Shade
Andrew Shade
Drew Shade is a visionary creative force at the intersection of Black theatre, media, and culture. As the Founder and Creative Director of Broadway Black, Off-Book: The Podcast, and The Antonyo Awards, he champions artistic excellence and amplifies the voices of Black theatre artists with intention, heart, and unapologetic pride. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Playbill, Deadline, The Observer, and Apple TV’s Dear…, and he's collaborated with brands and institutions such as NBC, BET, Audible, Universal Pictures, SheaMoisture, The Public Theater, Signature Theatre, National Black Theatre, and more. He has also served as a cultural consultant and curator for countless Broadway productions for over a decade — establishing himself as a trusted voice and tastemaker in theatre and media. In addition to his work behind the scenes, Shade is a performer and creative artist in his own right, with credits including Classical Theatre of Harlem’s The First Noel at The Apollo, The Preacher’s Wife musical at The Alliance Theatre, and a Sondheim tribute concert at Carnegie Hall led by Tituss Burgess. He’s also lent his voice to campaigns for Google and continues to explore visual storytelling through photography — from red carpets to press coverage. Rooted in joy, justice, and the belief that Black theatre is both legacy and revolution, Shade continues to build platforms and shine light where it’s long been overdue — so Black artists are seen, heard, and celebrated on their own terms. “Have a belief in yourself that is bigger than anyone’s disbelief.” – August Wilson

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  4. There is such a thing as overdone. Sometimes the better way to do honor to a great work is to allow the original to remain just that, original. I agree that there are undoubtedly countless great new stories to be told. Why not give a turn to something refreshingly current, modern, and relevent to appeal to young and not so young theatre patrons. What have we done and where have we been since the struggle of the characters in this play? While Raisin in the Sun certainly has earned it’s place in the sun, I fear that it is perilously close to shriveling up in the hearts and minds of this generation.

  5. That’s suggesting Sidney Poitier wasn’t “the true Walter Lee Young” who “rose from the pages.” This isn’t about comparing Denzel to Sean. OBVIOUSLY where acting is concerned, Sean will always come up short next to Denzel. That’s not the point. The point is, ‘A Raisin In The Sun’ is overdone, and was JUST on Broadway, directed by the SAME director, not even 10 years ago. Why revisit now? Why rehash it when there are other Black playwrights to explore? Why keep rehashing the same ol’ shows to feed to the masses, when there are new stories to be told? When there are new voices to be given a chance?

    That is the point of this article. That is my point.

  6. Look, everybody knows that P. Diddy did not do a Raisin in the Sun justice. In fact, in my opinion, his acting was an embarrassment to the legacy of Lorraine Hansberry. P. Diddy is about making money. Actors like Denzel and Cecily Tyson love the ART, the money is only a by-product of their talent. We will support Denzel 100% because we’re ready for the true Walter Lee Younger to rise from the pages.

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