O.C. THEATER REVIEW : ‘Raisin in Sun’ Enlightens but Loses Subtle Shadings

Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” did not win the Tony Award for best play when it premiered on Broadway in 1959. It wasn’t an easy year to win a Tony. Tennessee Williams’ “Sweet Bird of Youth” couldn’t even get nominated.

Performers also had some stiff competition. Sidney Poitier, who had returned from Hollywood to star in Hansberry’s play, was up for best actor against Jason Robards Jr. (in Lillian Hellman’s “Toys in the Attic”) and George C. Scott (in Saul Levitt’s “The Andersonville Trial”). All three lost to Melvyn Douglas (in Gore Vidal’s “The Best Man”).

Claudia McNeil, who co-starred with Poitier, was up for best actress against Irene Worth and Maureen Stapleton (both in “Toys”) and Geraldine Page (in “Sweet Bird”). All three lost to Anne Bancroft (in William Gibson’s “The Miracle Worker”).

And what won for best play? Gibson’s famous tear-jerker about Helen Keller, of course, over the Hansberry, Hellman and Vidal plays and Paddy Chayefksy’s “The Tenth Man.” Now, more than three decades later, ask yourself: When’s the last time you saw a revival of “The Best Man” or “The Tenth Man” or “Toys in the Attic”? Probably never.

Even “A Raisin in the Sun,” which has become the stuff of both social history and theatrical legend, isn’t revived very often. It sometimes takes a special event to stir new interest in it: a musical remake (“Raisin,” which did win the Tony in 1974), or a commemorative staging on a major anniversary of the original or a “definitive” restoration using scenes and dialogue that Hansberry dropped.

*

The stimulus for the amateur Alternative Repertory Theatre’s storefront production was twofold: nationally designated Black History Month (February) and A.R.T.’s idea at the outset of its season to offer a full schedule of work by women playwrights. So, for the sake of a worthy cause and a noble effort--and just in case you need an intimate reminder of the play--you might consider catching this production.

“Raisin” lays out the story of the Youngers, a poor black family living on Chicago’s South Side in a ghetto “rat trap,” as matriarch Lena describes it.

Everyone in the family has a dream. Lena wants to move out and buy a home in a decent neighborhood. Son Walter Lee, who works as a white man’s chauffeur, wants to be his own boss and get rich by investing in a liquor store. Daughter Beneatha, a college student, wants to go to medical school. Daughter-in-law Ruth (Walter’s wife) just wants to keep her marriage together.

All their hopes are hinged to the imminent arrival of a $10,000 check for Lena, the payout of her recently deceased husband’s life insurance policy. But when the money comes, the dreams are not so easily realized. Conflicts arise, largely between Walter and Lena but also among the others.

Lena abhors the notion of Walter opening a liquor store, hardly the sort of business investment that matches her Christian values. She also hates Walter’s grandiose belief in money itself. “Once upon a time freedom used to be life--now it’s money,” she says in rebuke.

But their conflict goes beyond money. Walter feels trapped psychologically. He lashes out at the matriarchy of wife, mother and sister, as though it is the root cause of disenfranchised black manhood. “We are a group of men tied to a race of women with small minds,” he says with vicious contempt.

What raises Hansberry’s play above ordinary kitchen-sink drama is its unusual evocation of the American dream. All the social forces of the ‘50s--and even some of the nascent ones of the ‘60s and ‘70s--seem to converge on this one family.

In the play’s climax, moreover, Hansberry addresses the overriding issue of racism, which has become more pressing than ever. She shows the transformation of Walter’s self-hatred into dignity and racial pride. And though the play has flaws as art (chiefly cliches and minor stock characters), it remains a triumphant example of the theater’s power to educate.

*

The A.R.T. production begins with great promise. But apart from Robyn Hastings, whose portrayal of Ruth always has a persuasive texture, the cast tends to give increasingly monochromatic performances as the play unwinds.

A. Lee Wilson Jr. shows flashes of skill in an energetic depiction of Walter. But Jacquelyn Levy plays Lena in a phlegmatic style that seems no more than serviceable, and Stefanie Williamson gives Beneatha a childish whine that grates.

Happily, Barbara Covington’s direction keeps things moving at a reasonable clip; even with two intermissions, the production does not seem overlong. Technically, the show also works well. Setting, costumes and sound design all have the proper touches.

* “A Raisin in the Sun,” Alternative Repertory Theatre, 1636 S. Grand Ave., Santa Ana. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Mar. 5. $13.50-$16. (714) 836-7929. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes.

Robyn Hastings: Ruth

Reggie Sequeira: Travis

A. Lee Wilson Jr:. Walter Lee

Stefanie Williamson: Beneatha

Jacquelyn Levy: Lena

KennyLee: Joseph Asagai

MG Wideman: George Murchison

Dick Harris: Karl Lindner

Ray Jones: Boboq

An Alternative Repertory Theatre production of a play by Lorraine Hansberry, directed by Barbara Covington. Producer: Kathleen A. Bryson. Scenic design: Kristen Clark. Costume and makeup design: Abel Zeballos. Lighting design: David C. Palmer. Sound design: John R. Fisher. Stage Manager: E.J. Gage.