A Raisin in the Sun has been one of my favorite plays for a very long time, and not only did I teach it to young actors while on staff at SIU, but also the pre-Broadway production with Sidney Poitier was the scene of my in-laws’ first date in Philadelphia, Jan. 31, 1959. Discussion with students always brought up the American love/hate relationship with immigrants, and how, in different decades, the family could be black, Irish, Jewish, Catholic, Mexican or Asian and someone would be saying, “Not in my neighborhood.”
I was eager to see the Black Rep’s production of Lorraine Hansberry’s play, still newsworthy, still poignant, and still so sadly germane, especially in light of the current tensions in Ferguson. While other cultures melt into the American sauce, A Raisin in the Sun points to inequalities still extant after 56 years of civil rights evolution. Hansberry’s somewhat biographical play chronicles the struggles of one family, the Youngers, from slaves to sharecroppers to house cleaners and chauffeurs. It zeroes in on Walter Lee Younger’s simmering desire to leap, rather than advance in infinitesimal steps, up the ladder of American success.
Ronald L. Conner, indispensable at The Black Rep the last few years, plays Walter Lee with quiet control over a seething passion. Sharisa Whatley, as his sister Beneatha ‘Bennie’ Younger, also has some fine scenes. The play is at its best when the two share the stage, although the scene in which they celebrate their African culture never peaks in the hysteria required for the entrance of Bennie’s ‘assimilated’ boyfriend. Unfortunately, director Ed Smith gives each scene equal bravitas, which makes the play overall feel flat. In addition, line struggles from lead actors playing Ruth and Lena Younger made the first two scenes especially plodding on opening night. Hopefully this will improve with the run as A Raisin in the Sun continues until Dec. 21 and is an American classic that everyone should see.
At The New Jewish Theatre, legends abound as veteran actor Susie Wall takes on the role of Dr. Ruth Westheimer in Becoming Dr. Ruth. Wall gives her Dr. Ruth a lovely countenance to match her charming demeanor. The oversized New York apartment, designed by the talented Christie Johnston, helps to emphasize her tiny stature. The play, by Mark St. Germain, is heavy with dates, facts and Westheimer’s struggles; I wish it spent a bit less time with the tragedies and more with the successes that Westheimer cleaved from them. The play was at its best when Wall was allowed to ‘be’ Dr. Ruth, answering questions on her late-night radio show, Sexually Speaking, or on the phone offering free penis advice to her mover, rather than being the storyteller of her life. Wall is an excellent storyteller, but at times the play comes off a bit like someone reading a biography aloud. Becoming Dr. Ruth continues at the JCC theater through Dec. 21.
Pictured: Susie Wall as Dr. Ruth Westheimer
Photo: John Lamb
