• A Raisin in the Sun is a 1959 American play written by Lorraine Hansberry. The story involves the Youngers—an African-American family headed by Walter Lee, his wife Ruth and his mother Lena. They buy a house using Lena's late husband's insurance. The house, however, is in a racist, all-Caucasian neighborhood. A Raisin in the Sun has had three separate runs on Broadway. The first began in 1959, the second in 1973 and the third in 2004.

• Fast Facts

  1. Writer: Lorraine Hansberry
  2. Setting: Chicago
  3. Premiere date: March 11, 1959
  4. Adaptations: 1961 Film, 1989 Made-for-TV Film, 2008 Made-for-TV Film
  5. New York Drama Critics' Circle Best Play of 1959 The New York Drama Critics Circle: Past Awards
  6. First Broadway play written by an African-American womanThe LA Times: A Raisin in the Sun(February 25, 2008)
  7. Title taken from the Langston Hughes poem, HarlemThe LA Times: A Raisin in the Sun(February 25, 2008)

• Characters

  • Walter Lee Younger - Father
  • Ruth Younger - Walter's wife
  • Beneatha Younger - Walter's sister
  • Lena Younger - Walter's mother
  • Travis Younger - Walter and Ruth's son
  • Joseph Asagi - Younger family friend
  • Karl Linder - Younger family neighbor

• Tony Awards

  The 2004 production of A Raisin in the Sun received four Tony Awards nominations in 2004, winning two of them.Official Site: Congratulations to our 2004 Tony Award Winners! Phylicia Rashad won for Best Actress in a Play, while both Sanaa Lathan and Audra McDonald were nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Play; Audra McDonald won the award. The other nomination was for Best Revival of a Play.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Lorraine Hansberry | A Raisin in the Sun | A Raisin in the Sun ABC | Langston Hughes | A Dream Deferred | Sidney Poitier | Louis Gossett, Jr. | The Harlem Renaissance | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | Danny Glover | Sean Combs | Olive Kitteridge

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