Southfield High’s stage was recently transformed into a 1950s south Chicago apartment for the emotion-packed performances of the famous play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry.
The Nov. 4 show about a financially struggling African American family and their dreams of improving their lives was a powerful performance directed by Brenda Perryman and co-produced by Sandra Shackelford. The student assistant directors were Sosina Kassa and Angelique Teasley.
The 11-member cast included familiar stage faces such as senior Audrey Cotton as Ruth, junior Keenon Strong as Travis, sophomore David Shepherd as George and senior Austin Cybulski as Karl. All have appeared in previous productions at Southfield High.
Newcomers to the stage were seniors Lawrence Jenkins as Walter Lee, Jessica Weatherspoon as Lena Younger, Michael Womack as Bobo, and freshman Sydney Lee as Beneatha.
The cast members conveyed their characters extremely well, though at times some of their lines were difficult to hear.
The apartment of the Younger family was perhaps the world’s ugliest set. The set included a gold wall leading to Ruth and Walter’s room, a sea green wall leading to the hallway, a sky blue wall leading to Mama and Beneatha’s room, an ugly cream couch and a dying plant setting on a small window, holding Mama’s many dreams for her family.
Crowd-pleasing actor Jenkins delivered a commanding performance for his theatrical debut. Because he is a senior, it could also be his final performance at Southfield High. He and Lee had a chemistry together that provided a believable rivalry between the staged siblings.
Cotton was such a natural on stage it was as if the stage were her actual home. Cotton gave the crowd a good laugh when she instructed her husband to “Take a cab!” after he attempted to show off for his son by giving the boy money that the father needed to get to work. A sheepish Jenkins then had to come back and ask his wife for money.
Weather-spoon’s Mama character was the rock that keeps her dysfunctional family together during the whole play. The crowd members jump in their seats when stern Mama gives Beneatha a sharp slap for not believing in God. When the family finds out about Ruth’s unplanned pregnancy, Mama is right there, comforting Ruth and knocking some sense into her son to help keep his relationship with his pregnant wife going.
The play was poignantly dedicated to the late Phillip Vails, a 2005 Southfield High graduate who died unexpectedly of a heart condition a year after graduation.
Vails had starred in several Southfield High stage productions where he was a student at the school.
Spotted in the audience were his guardians, Paul and Linda Cooper, who took in Vails during his high school years.
Their presence in the audience added even more emotion to an already emotion-filled performance on stage.
The Cast
Lawrence Jenkins
as Walter Lee Younger
Audrey Cotton
as Ruth Younger
Keenon Strong
as Travis Younger
Sydney Lee
as Beneatha Younger
Jessica Weatherspoon
as Lena Younger
Joe’l Williams
as Joseph Asagai
David Shepherd
as George Murchison
Austin Cybulski
as Karl Lindner
Michael Womack
as Bobo
Kevin Abbott
and Kristian Bryant
as the moving men