Raisin in the Sun/Clybourne Park, reviewed by Kara L'Heureux

You Can’t Live in a Principle 
by Kara L'Heureux

Where A Raisin in the Sun leaves off Clyborne Park picks up. The two plays connect but Clyborne Park takes it further showing how these problems occur over time and still are around today.

2012 Tony winner for best play, Clyborne Park takes place in the same house in two different times. One house is owned by a small white family in 1959 and the other, from the second act, in 2009 the same house in a now in a prominently black neighborhood. Though time has changed many things about the house and people who live near and in the house, those same problems and issues still occur.  The play centers on race and the change in race and race treatment over time. In this small house the audience can see from the story that time can change so many things but some things still stay the same.

In act one the house the owners are Bev and Russ, two middle class white citizens who are about to move to a new house. The unique circumstances of this story show the other side’s point of view of the family who lived in the house the Youngers from A Raisin in the Sun were moving to. Russ and Bev’s normal lives are confronted with a problem from the neighborhood committee when they learn a colored family wants to move into this white neighborhood. As if they need more trouble stopping them from moving to a new house to leave behind the memory of their soldier son who killed himself. We soon find out things in this neighborhood are not a nice as would have seemed with many people wanting the colored family not to move in and willing to pay them not to come.

The characters in this first story are split into several different groups, racists, non-racists, blacks, whites, activists and bystanders. Some of the characters care more about race then others, Bev and Russ don’t, and they simply just want to move. With butting heads and tensions high about who can tell who what to do chaos breaks out over the only thing Bev and Russ care about, their son and how no one cared for him. Between the normal banter and up to the climax of disagreement and the fight the actors in these shows play their character naturally. It is easy to see each character has their own goal and opinion and these strong minded characters butt heads easily. Also each actor gave their part clear defining traits which made the characters interesting. Each character was interesting and funny in their arguments which made the play enjoyable.

The second act may have a different plot line but problems are still the same and it still centers on moving and the same Clyborne Park neighborhood. Lindsey and Steve are a lovely white family expecting a child who want to rip down the old house and re build a newer one. And what starts our as petition to stop from ripping down the historical house turns into an argument about race when Kevin and Kathy let them know that this is a black neighborhood that is upset that they are changing the house show they are unwelcoming.

This act has many comedic touches as tensions grow over race. Threw crude race jokes the two family’s try to show they are not racist and don’t get offended by jokes like those. But it is obvious that something is unsettling. Thought the topics of the jokes are serious the comedic jokes make the argument seem less intense.

Both acts are connected through little genius clues like the second act characters family trees, who the story takes place at the same time of day, and how The Raisin in the Sun story’s characters are part of this play too . This play shows how discomfort with race still occurs even in the present day. This story also holds many elements that make the plot so rich like comedy, drama, a bit of mystery and an uneasy ending that leaves readers a bit haunted and unsure of what comes next.

Director M.Bevin O’Gara adds beautiful subtle touches to the play that make the differences of the show. The choice in using the same set but just destroying it for the second act ages the house and really shows time. Also the way he leaves the end of the second act is chilling and sticks in your mind.

This entire play never gives an answer to what comes next. Each story ends without revealing how moving works out for the characters but that is not as important as the bigger goal. This show shows that no matter what time period it is no matter where race will always be the thing that ties people together and defines people and in many cases will keep people separate. We can see that problems with race still survive through time and will never go away. These storys don’t answer the question if race problems will end but instead say that change will always occur and over time things will evolve. We can only infer what the story tells us our self.

Raisin in the Sun and Clybourne Park by Erin Gifford

Raisin and Clybourne by Erin Gifford

Dim lights went out as the Huntington Theater readied its audience for a performance. Loud saxophones blare accompanied by blinding stage lights as the play Raisin in the Sun hurls itself into existence. The rotating set spins a full 360 degrees a few times, accompanied by jazzy music, in order to allow the audience see all the rooms. The play begins on a comical note, the African-American family bickering playfully. Then, arguments begin to arise. The audience feels the tense atmosphere this house has, and realizes the stressful financial and emotional situation of the family. Throughout the play, the tension builds as we watch all of the characters individual struggles. Lots of misfortunes occur, but by the end of the play, the family winds up finding a better place to live and they try to better their lives together. Playwright Lorraine Hansberry uses an interesting comical approach to a serious situation, effective use of lighting that draws you right into the emotional situation, and uses the stage to his advantage, having the actors step off the rotating platform and onto the actual stage. Raisin in the Sun is a very emotional and involving journey for any audience.

The play’s sequel, (of sorts) Clybourne Park, in act 1, shows the house the family from Raisin in the Sun is moving into. Speakeasy Stage eases you into the white family’s life, starting out with a comical, simple, small talk occurring between the owner of the house and his minister neighbor. You sense a tension, but you’re not exactly sure where it’s coming from. Over the course of a few more characters coming in the unmoving set, tension and hostilities grow towards the topic of black people moving into their neighborhood. The audience learns that the white family’s son had committed suicide after he returned from Korea 2 years prior. Act 2 takes place 50 years later in the same house, as prospective buyers argue amongst each other about racial issues. This act ends with a yard-worker finding the son’s suicide note.

The effective use of lighting is prevalent in both plays, as well as the topics of race, financial situations, and death. Humor to lighten a situation, and the “snap”, meaning the happy scene is twisted into an argument. Very similar to each other, and interesting storylines, these two plays are a must for anyone interested in matters of race.

Get to the Point! by Rakel Abellan

Get to the Point! by Rakel Abellan

Isn’t the entire point of “Raisin in the sun” a black family buying a house in a white neighborhood? The intermission is an hour and a half in and somehow they haven’t even bought the house yet. This play by Lorraine Hansberry and directed by Liesl Tommy is an awfully long production with not much story into it.

 The story can be summarized shortly – The grandmother of a poor black family gets the insurance money from the death of her husband and the family fusses about what it should be spent on. The grandmother decides to buy a new house in a white neighborhood but they try to bribe them with money to not move in. Finally, the family rejects the offer and moves to their new house.

This production leaves the audience wondering what happened next to all the characters. Its like they are telling you different separate individual stories from all of them and all the sudden it all ends when they move out. It feels as if this was only the first part of a play, but on the other hand three hours seem too much for such a simple plot. Anyone could have missed an hour of this play and gotten back in track easily since nothing ever really happened.

On the other hand, “Clybourne Park” a play by Bruce Norris directed by M.Bevin O’Gara is the complete opposite. This production had way more story to it and it took an appropriate amount of time. Furthermore, the director made very good choices with the good use of humor and tension when it was needed, careful to not mix them together.

The only thing these two plays have in common is that “Clybourne Park” appears to be the same story but in the perspective of the white people selling the house and what happens after they sell it to a black family. In other words, we could say that it is the second part of “Raisin in the sun.” Overall, I believe whoever has the chance should go see “Clybourne Park” rather than “Raisin in the sun” unless they want to know both sides of the story, that in my opinion aren’t needed.