A Raisin in the Sun - 4617 - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News

First plays are often written as if the author never expected to write another one and so, had to say everything in one manifesto-swollen lungful. In 1958, Lorraine Hansberry didn't foresee that her flagship play would be one of only three she would complete before dying at 34, but its predictable inclusiveness lends itself to a multiplicity of interpretations—scholarly analysis typically focuses on its family dynamics, inviting comparisons with O'Neill and Miller, while directors tend to emphasize the plight of the lone husband struggling to define his manhood in a household of women, though recent productions lean toward showcasing the clan matriarch's serene endurance. Whatever the choice, even virtuoso actors risk miring down in Hansberry's operatic, often-redundant oratory.

You can't say the same thing twice in a play, however. Oh, the words may be identical, but with each repetition, the underlying message changes. Director Ron OJ Parson knows this, and also knows that a script on the page can encompass an abundance of themes, but a script on the stage must be selective in its allocation of performance time. The dramatic spine for this Timeline Theatre production lies in the contrast between the old and new faces of racial progress, the former represented by the elderly Lena Younger (who, after hearing that a white man has come calling, asks, "Did he threaten us?"), and her 20-year-old daughter Beneatha, an ardent Afrocentric feminist who aspires to be a doctor, her lofty goals attracting the admiration of a likewise independent-minded Nigerian suitor.

This doesn't mean that the other characters are pushed into the background, dutifully reciting dialogue based more in attitude than text. Parson's cast, down to the most peripheral talking-head cameo, has examined in microscopic detail the subtext of their every utterance, rendering it as fresh and startling as if conceived in the instant before its vocalization (with none of the visual underlining frequently employed in modern productions of period plays). Brian Sidney Bembridge's meticulously-researched scenic design also extends the perimeter of Timeline's snug auditorium beyond the entrances to effectively remedy the physical action becoming immobilized by its realistic environment.

This year has seen a number of classroom classics re-imagined to breath new life and significance into familiar 20th-century masterworks. You may have seen Hansberry's groundbreaking crossover hit before—indeed, it's rare not to have—but this is the one you will remember.

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985