A Raisin in the Sun at KC Melting Pot Theatre

A Raisin in the Sun is, according to The New York Times, the play that changed American theater forever. First produced in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun asks what happens to people whose dreams are constantly deferred. The Youngers are an African-American family living in a tiny apartment on Chicagos south side. Mourning the loss of their patriarch, Big Walter, the family awaits the arrival of an insurance check from his life insurance policy for $10,000 that will be the seed money to start a new life for them all. As every family member dreams of what to do with the money, Lena Young, family matriarch, decides to use a portion to buy a home in the all-white Clybourne Park. The Youngers must decide who they are as their move to a better life is threatened by racial intolerance. This production, directed by Nicole Hodges Persley, celebrates the 60th anniversary of Hansberrys ground-breaking play that still resonates today.