a raisin in the sun

Through June 15 - A Raisin in the Sun at California Shakespeare Theater.  I confess that I have lived in the Bay Area for almost 17 years and yet this was only my first visit to Cal Shakes.  It was such an idyllic experience that I know I'll be back soon, at the very least to see A Midsummer Night's Dream complete with movement by Erika Chong Shuch (swoon) at the end of their season.  As for Raisin, there are many reasons the play is such a classic of American theater, and this stellar ensemble cast really does it justice.  On its surface the plot is a simple domestic drama where the tragedy is brought on by poor choices in the name of big dreams, but I was struck anew at how the issues Lorraine Hansberry integrated into her work in the late '50s are still way too relevant today, including up-to-the-second topics like feminism and race relations.  The only white character in the play is a fellow sent by his neighborhood association to keep the African American family from moving onto his Chicago street, and this Oaklander got a shiver down her spine.  I also love how the trio of strong female characters really rule the script, even if they do still find themselves subject to a man's decisions.  And the actors were so good that there were moments I really felt like I was on South Side of Chicago, not wrapped up in a blanket in the gorgeous hills of Orinda.