Photo by Ross Zentner
Skylight Music Theatre "A Raisin in the Sun"
Melanie Loren and J. Daughtry in Skylight Music Theatre’s production of A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 drama A Raisin in the Sun is filtered through the lens of the American musical in the Skylight’s production of Raisin. The 1970s musical is given vivid life courtesy of director/choreographer Kenneth L. Roberson. The musical glosses over Hansberry’s delicately rendered treatment of the intricate socio-economic complexities of African American life in Chicago in the mid-20th century. The visual reality of the production follows the emotional center of the musical. Steve Tonar’s lighting design gracefully glides around a stylishly minimalist set by scenic designer Christopher Rhoton.
What Raisin lacks in detail it more than makes up for in passion, motion and emotion. Two and a half hours flit by quickly as so many dreams that crash against each other on the south side of Chicago. J. Daughtry summons an energetically frazzled energy as Walter Lee Younger, a man looking to find himself and his own business. Camara Stampley is gracefully passionate as his younger sister Beneatha, who is studying to become a doctor. The overwhelmingly warm and assertive matriarchal presence of Wydetta Carter anchors the ensemble in the role of Lena Younger. True to the drama on which it is based, the musical features a large ensemble the stretches the narrative out in a number of different directions. Roberson maintains a deeply reflective intellectual energy throughout the production with the aid of music director Christie Chiles Twillie. The ending might feel a bit more upbeat and optimistic than the original story might have suggested. Twillie and Roberson have, however, found a sophisticated heart for the show that remains true to the struggle at the center of the story.
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Skylight Music Theatre’s production of Raisin runs through April 24 at the Broadway Theatre Center’s Cabot Theatre, 158 N. Broadway. For more information, visit skylightmusictheatre.org or call the box office at (414) 291-7800.
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Photo by Ross Zentner
Skylight Music Theatre "A Raisin in the Sun"
Denzel Taylor, Ella Lakey, Camara Stampley and Shawn Holmes in Skylight Music Theatre’s A Raisin in the Sun
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Photo by Ross Zentner
Skylight Music Theatre "A Raisin in the Sun"
Raven Dockery (Mrs. Johnson/Althea) with cast of Skylight Music Theatre’s A Raisin in the Sun
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Photo by Ross Zentner
Skylight Music Theatre "A Raisin in the Sun"
J. Daughtry , Camara Stampley, Melanie Loren and Wydetta Carter in Skylight Music Theatre’s A Raisin in the Sun
