A Raisin In The Sun Reviews
Los Angeles Times- Somewhat Recommended
"...Despite those shortcomings, the performers are gripping, particularly Nagle as a self-made man whose own past regrets mire him in inaction. There are no demons here, nor saints, just the walking wounded grappling with that age-old question: How does the bright promise of youth so often tarnish into tragedy? For Graf's sad survivors, there are no easy answers."
Broadway World- Highly Recommended
"...What makes the current production at the Ruskin Group Theatre in Santa Monica so special is its Tony Award winning director Lita Gaithers Owens cast Tony Award nominee Starletta DuPois as Lena "Mama" Younger. DuPois has a long history with A RAISIN IN THE SUN having first been cast as Beneatha, then became known for her role as Ruth in the acclaimed American Playhouse film version, and now Mama. "A true gift at this point in my career is having experienced the life of this play through three extraordinary women characters that the playwright created," DuPois shared. In fact, her emotional and physical understanding of the role so central to the play was thrilling to experience as her entire physical presence totally embodied Mama right down to every moment of her joys, heartbreak, anger, and love for her children, as if DuPois was channeling Mama from her very soul."
Stage Scene LA- Highly Recommended
"...Star turns you'd expect to see at the Pasadena Playhouse or the Geffen distinguish Ruskin Group Theatre's 57th-anniversary revival of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award-winning A Raisin In The Sun, Lorraine Hansberry's piercing look at racial discrimination, gender roles, family values, and burgeoning African-American identity-a modern American classic that remains as relevant today as it was in the pre-Civil Rights Era 1950s."
ArtsInLA- Highly Recommended
"...The technical theater elements are extraordinary. Ryan Wilson and Eric Barron's set design is not only spectacularly sturdy for a 99-seat show but also suits the theater's two-sided configuration (though audience members at far house right can't see into the alcove that serves as Ruth and Walter's bedroom)."
Santa Monica Daily Press- Highly Recommended
"...This production does her proud. Direction by Tony Award nominee Lita Gaithers Owens is impeccable. Walter Lee played by Redaric Williams, Beneatha by Charlotte Williams, Ruth by Angelle Brooks, Travis by Jaden Martin and the supporting cast all do a terrific job on this classic play in this tiny space that makes a cramped home feel even more realistic."
Stage Raw- Recommended
"...Lorraine Hansberry is securely enshrined as an important black playwright, but what few people remember nowadays is that she was also a lovely young woman, with gamin charm and an impish sense of humor. I had the privilege of knowing her briefly when I stage managed the first workshop production of her play Les Blancs, at the Actors Studio in New York. (It was a particularly memorable time as it was the week that JFK was assassinated, and during a break in the Sunday dress rehearsal, one of the actors went for coffee and came back to tell us, "Somebody just shot Oswald!") Hansberry was never again to achieve the success of Raisin in the Sun before her shockingly early death in 1965, at the age of 34."
Theatre Notes- Highly Recommended
"...This ensemble company is superb with excellent performers across the board. Under the sure-handed direction of Lita Gaithers Owens, the cast delivers an exquisitely nuanced performance that is absorbing and powerfully affecting. A traditional three-act play, this production is performed with one intermission a little more than half way through. It comes in at a little less than three riveting hours."
Peoples World- Highly Recommended
"...Director Lita Gaithers Owens, a Tony Award-nominated playwright and co-author of the Broadway musical It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, is convinced, rightly, that A Raisin in the Sun "continues to speak to the racial issues that are facing our country today. The American Dream, for some in this nation, comes after enormous perseverance and tenacity. But for many, it simply doesn't come at all. So, what can be discovered by taking a look from the view of those who get weary while waiting on the manifestation of their dream?" Owens has used Hansberry's text to bring to life the different shapes of African American dreams, some of which have been realized since the playwright's day, at least in part, others sadly still deferred."