Groundbreaking American play comes to Royal Exchange in Manchester

Jan 14 2010 Flintshire Chronicle

MANCHESTER’S Royal Exchange Theatre brings its autumn-winter season to a close with a major revival of iconic American drama A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry from January 27 to February 20.

The first play written by a black woman to be produced on Broadway – and winner of the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award in 1959 – A Raisin in the Sun is set in 1950s Chicago during the early years of the American Civil Rights Movement.

The play follows the Younger family as they struggle to find a better and more comfortable lifestyle. It records their frustrations as they try to rise above their lower-class roots and to find success in a predominantly white America, despite the racial and social prejudice that continues to weigh them down.

An impressive cast includes American actress Starletta DuPois, making her UK stage debut as matriarch, Lena Younger in this production.

Having already played the same role in an Emmy award-winning TV movie version of the play alongside Danny Glover, her extensive credits include Waiting To Exhale (with Angela Bassett and Whitney Houston) and Wolf (with Michelle Pfeiffer and Jack Nicholson).

For booking information, ring the box office on 0161 833 9833 or visit www.royalexchange.co.uk.