The Curtain Rises for Denzel Washington as A Raisin in the Sun Begins Performances on Broadway

One of the biggest shows of the season is set to start previews March 8. Two-time Oscar and Tony winner Denzel Washington begins performances in the Broadway revival of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. Directed by Kenny Leon, the show will play a limited engagement through June 15, with opening night set for April 3.

Joining Washington in the cast are LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo, Tony winner Anika Noni Rose, Tony nominee Stephen McKinley Henderson, David Cromer, Jason Dirden, Sean Patrick Thomas and Bryce Clyde Jenkins.

Lorraine Hansberry’s classic American drama takes place in the late ‘50s in a south side Chicago apartment, chronicling the lives of the members of an African-American family. Matriarch Lena (Jackson) plans to buy a home in an all-white neighborhood when she receives a hefty insurance check. Her son Walter (Washington) dreams of buying a liquor store and being his own man, and her daughter Beneatha (Rose) dreams of attending medical school. The tensions and prejudice they face create the drama in this beloved play.

The play premiered on Broadway on March 11, 1959, and earned four Tony Award nominations including Best Play as well as acting nods for stars Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil. A 2004 revival, also directed by Leon, won Tonys for Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald.