A Raisin in the Sun (Thirtieth Anniversary Edition) - Softcover

Hansberry, Lorraine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0573614636 ISBN 13: 9780573614637

Publisher: Samuel French, Inc., 1988

Synopsis

Drama / 7m, 3f, 1 boy / Int. This groundbreaking play starred Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeill, Ruby Dee and Diana Sands in the Broadway production which opened in 1959. Set on Chicago's South Side, the plot revolves around the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, his sister Beneatha, his son Travis and matriarch Lena, called Mama. When her deceased husband's insurance money comes through, Mama dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans, however: buying a liquor store and being his own man. Beneatha dreams of medical school. The tensions and prejudice they face form this seminal American drama. Sacrifice, trust and love among the Younger family and their heroic struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration. This Thirtieth Anniversary edition was revised by the late author's husband and executor, Robert Nemiroff in 1989. Winner of the NY Drama Critic's Award as Best Play of the Year "Pivotal play in the history of the American Black theatre." - Newsweek "A milestone in the American Theatre." - Ebony

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

This new recording of Lorraine Hansberry's classic play chronicles a working-class African American family struggling to maintain dignity in a harsh world. With her late husband's insurance money finally in hand, Mama Lena dreams of moving to a better home. However, her children have other plans: Walter Lee wants to buy a liquor store, and Beneatha wants to go to medical school. What happens when family dreams drastically diverge? A Raisin in the Sun is a seminal American drama and a heroic testament to hope.

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring:

Judyann Elder as Lena Younger

James Gleason as Karl Lindner

Noah Gray-Cabey as Travis Younger

Corey Hawkins as Walter Lee Younger

Deidrie Henry as Ruth Younger

Terrell Tilford as George Murchison

Rutina Wesley as Beneatha Younger

Mirron E. Willis as Joseph Asagai/Bobo

Directed by Lou Bellamy. Recorded before a live audience at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles.

From the Back Cover:

“A beautiful, lovable play. It is affectionately human, funny and touching. . . . A work of theatrical magic in which the usual barrier between audience and stage disappears.”
John Chapman, New York News

“An honest, intelligible, and moving experience.”
Walter Kerr, New York Herald Tribune

“Miss Hansberry has etched her characters with understanding, and told her story with dramatic impact. She has a keen sense of humor, an ear for accurate speech and compassion for people.”
Robert Coleman, New York Mirror

“A Raisin in the Sun has vigor as well as veracity.”
Brooks Atkinson, New York Times

“It is honest drama, catching up real people. . . . It will make you proud of human beings.”
Frank Aston, New York World-Telegram & Sun

“A wonderfully emotional evening.”
John McClain, New York Journal American

About this edition

• Publisher: Samuel French, Inc.
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0573614636
• ISBN 13: 9780573614637
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 162