Clybourne Park/Raisin in the Sun, reviewed by Tommy Petroskey

From Raisin in the Sun to Clybourne Park

by Tommy Petroskey

            “Oh—So now it’s life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life—now it’s money. I guess the world really do change.” The air was filled with so much tension in the Huntington Theater on Tuesday night you could cut it with a knife.  Why?  Liesl Tommy’s dramatic production of Raisin in the Sun was fantastically realistic and entertaining for all. 

            The play started out with the daily morning routine of the Younger family in 1950’s New York.  The small apartment complex consist of Walter Lee Younger, his wife Ruth, their son Travis, his sister Beneatha, and his mother Lena.  The family is grieving from a recent tragedy of losing their father and is expecting an insurance check in the mail for $10,000.  As a large amount of money does with anyone it slowly comes between them leading to a tragic down fall of losing almost all of it.  The play portrayed a very good interpretation of the original script written by Lorraine Hornsberry in 1959 and had an inside look of what the American dream can be.  The acting in this play was excellent by almost all characters and it made fro an enjoyable experience all around.  Having said that, the quality of the play in every aspect was nowhere near Clybourne Park, a play I was fortunate to see at the Speak Easy Stage in Boston, MA.  Clybourne Park was written in two acts as an addition to Raisin in the Sun.  Bruce Norris wrote it in 2010 based on the house that the Younger family had bought, fifty years in the future.  This play significantly impressed me with the witty banter of the actors the impressive staging and character development.  Not only did it provide closure to a somewhat ambiguous ending of Raisin in the Sun but also tied in subtle details into their script to make it easily relatable. 

              Both productions were fantastically presented to the audience and different ways.  Raisin in the Sun took more of a dramatic serious approach to it, which I felt suited the playwright well. Clybourne Park took more of a comedic approach that I felt was easier for me to enjoy and stay engaged throughout the entire performance.  However I highly recommend seeing Raisin in the Sun before Clybourne Park mainly because you will enjoy every bit of Clybourne Park that much more.