Dream deferred, Hope remains (Redline Performing Arts)
- stagedoorlouisville
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
A Raisin In The Sun
By Loraine Hansberry
Directed by Brandi Lashay
Review by Kate Barry
Entire contents are copyright © 2026 Kate Barry. All rights reserved.
The Youngers are “plain working people” who live in the South side of Chicago. A matriarch shares her home with her adult daughter, son and his wife and child. The living arrangement is small yet dreams are big. When an insurance check arrives, dreams draw closer to reality and lives are changed. A Raisin In The Sun is a monumental American play that explores the complexities of family, racism and privilege. Redline Performing Arts current production in the newly occupied Broadway Theater is an up close, personal and heartbreaking production.
With artwork focusing on Louisville’s West End by Cassidy Mueller featured in the Broadway Theater and an intricate kitchen and living room set on the same level as the audience seating, the experience of watching this play is all consuming. Producing a play written in 1959 that freely uses slurs and dated dialogue is a risk. Yet, such a bold choice resonates in these years after the Black Lives Matters marches as federal funded housing programs are cut. The Younger family faces challenges we all have. Their hardships are real.
The core of the play relies on Ruth and Walter played by LaShondra Hood and Lance Gerard. One is a realist and one a dreamer. Hood’s Ruth carries the weight of her family from the very first scene. A mother who prioritizes others ahead of herself, Hood does well to show stillness as her family steers into chaos, keeping her composure until explosive moments of anger.
Hood’s Ruth is a grounded presence compared to Gerard’s Walter. As Ruth is rooted in her family’s life, Gerard’s Walter is embittered by circumstance. His performance of Walter is desperate to make a better life at any cost, ignoring risk for something too good to be true. Together, Hood and Gerard’s chemistry as Ruth and Walter read as a couple both tired and restless, longing to be happy again to a powerful effect.
As the Younger matriarch, Kym Vaughn’s performance of Lena is warm and optimistic as she considers options for the incoming insurance check. She shares light hearted moments with grandson Travis, a notably precocious turn by Kinglsey Hatcher. In moments shared with Gerard’s Walter, Vaughn’s Lena is compassionate yet daring as money is given and trust is tested. As the second act progresses, a palpable tension grows as Vaughn repeats Lena’s “exceptional man” speech from earlier in the play.
While Walter, Ruth and Lena seek a new life, Beneatha played by Aliyah Brutley explores love. Brutley channels independence and curiosity as she explores her appearance and identity. At first, Beneatha dates college chum George, played with the right amount of smarminess by Wayne Taylor. Soon she finds a stronger connection with Asagi, played with a striking confidence by Tobe Kelly. Challenging each other yet connecting, Brutley and Kelly’s chemistry is lovely as their relationship grows deep.
A Raisin In The Sun is a play about change. At the play’s bittersweet conclusion, the Youngers pack their belongings as they move to a new home in Clybourne Park. Dreams might be deferred but hope for a new life remains.
A Raisin In The Sun
Redline Performing Arts
April 23-27th 2026
The Broadway Theater
816 E. Broadway
Louisville, KY
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