Review of A Raisin in the Sun (2008) by Lee Anne W — 01 Jun 2011

Made-for-tv version of the Broadway revival of Lorraine Hansbury's play. Everyone is great except Sean Combs, who doesn't embarrass himself, but is merely good. The other actors are actually feeling their emotions, while he is just "acting" his. John Stamos is a little too hammy as the nervous, smiling racist.

A big problem for me came in the set design. The play clearly says there is only one window, above the kitchen sink, which lets in very little light (hence the scraggly plant on the windowsill). This version has two large windows in the living room, and the place is filled with light, which makes it that much less of a place they'd want to leave. It's small, but not a bad place, whereas in the play as written, it seems like a dark hole.