Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Last November, we reported that Academy award-winning actor Denzel Washington announced that he was returning to Broadway in 2014 in a unnamed production directed by Kenny Leon and produced by Scott Rudin. While we had our suspicions about the show, there just wasn’t enough evidence upon which to base our claim.
Well now it’s is being reported by Broadway.com (yes, our suspicions were correct), that Washington will lead an all-star cast in a revival of A Raising in the Sun set for next Spring. Reportedly, he will star as Walter Lee Younger, the hero of the story in this Lorraine Hansberry classic.
Actresses Sophie Okenedo and Anika Noni Rose are also on board for the show, although it is not clear which roles they will play. I would imagine that Okenedo will star as Lee’s wife Ruth Younger and Rose will play Lee’s militant younger sister Beneatha. No word yet on who will play the matriarch of the family, Lena Younger. However, original Raisin star Ruby Dee or Cicely Tyson, whose A Trip to Bountiful is enjoying an extended run on Broadway, would be two ideal choices.
Sophie Okenedo and Anika Noni Rose
This will also be the second time Leon has directed Raisin on Broadway. If you recall, he led a 2004 revival of the play starring Phylicia Rashad, Diddy, Audra McDonald and Sanaa Lathan. The show garnered a historic win for Rashad, who became the first African American woman to win Best Lead Actress in a Play. McDonald also took home a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Play. The play was eventually turned into a made-for-television special for ABC in 2008.
Of course the most famous version of the play is the 1961 movie starring the original Broadway cast. This all-star line-up included Sidney Poiter, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands and Louis Gossett, Jr. Raisin tells the story of a family’s shared dream for a better life that was almost deferred by conflicting aspirations, betrayal and racism.
RC will keep you posted as more of this story continues to develop.
Which actress do you think should play the role of the family matriarch, Lena Younger?
Ruby Dee? Cicely Tyson? Della Reese? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section.
