This past Wednesday night marked a miracle: Liesl Tommy finally opened a Huntington show on schedule. Liesl’s previous two Huntington Openings were canceled –from a huge snowstorm January 5, 2011 (Ruined) and because of the Back Bay Blackout in March 13-14, 2012 (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom). But the third time is a charm, and A Raisin In The Sun went off without a hitch!
To be fair, rehearsals for this production were delayed by a half-day due to the Blizzard of 2013 (an actor got stuck across the country), and then last Friday’s snowstorm arrived on the run’s first preview. It’s been a nerve-wracking month to say the least, but we made it through, and if the reviews pouring in are any indication, Liesl has done some tremendous work on this production.
Which of course is no surprise to us. We love Liesl and her work, which is why we keep having her back in spite of the bad luck that seems to follow her to Boston.
Celebrating with Liesl tonight: the cast, Huntington staff, Trustees, and Overseers, Jon Abbott (WGBH), Karen Holmes Ward (WCVB), Rep. Gloria Fox, Attorney Wendell Taylor (Huntington Overseer), and Cambridge resident and Director of the Lorraine Hansberry Trust Joi Gresham. Gresham was Hansberry’s widower’s step-daughter, grew up in the playwright’s house after her death, and was greatly influenced by her work. Here's a picture of Liesl and Joi before the show on Wednesday night:
A Raisin In The Sun (which, incidentally, celebrated the 54th anniversary of its Broadway debut on Monday) runs through Sunday, April 7 at the Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre. The Boston Globe calls it, "A shattering production [that] reminds us how fully and richly Raisin continues to reverberate....All the passion Hansberry poured into her play comes surging through in the performances by Tommy's ensemble." Tickets are still on sale, but they're going fast, so don't miss out!
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