Clybourne Park

    Bruce Norris owes a great debt of gratitude to Lorraine Hansbury. His Pulitzer Prize (and now Tony award winning) play, Clybourne Park is written in response to Ms. Hansburys American classic A Raisin in the Sun. For those who are unfamiliar with the source material, A Raisin in the Sun  dramatizes the plight of the Youngers, a black family in a Chicago suburb fighting for a better life. Part of this better life means moving into a white neighborhood. In Bruce Norris's play, Clybourne Park we are shown this house, and the other side of the fight.

    The play is described by producers as such: Clybourne Park explodes in two outrageous acts set 50 years apart. Act One takes place in 1959, as nervous community leaders anxiously try to stop the sale of a home to a black family. Act Two is set in the same house in the present day, as the now predominantly African-American neighborhood battles to hold its ground in the face of gentrification.

    This is the basic premise of the play, but I assure you it's themes and meaning are truly deeper than that. Norris is making us laugh and gasp, but he's also slapping us in the face and punching us in the gut. This is truly a piece that ignites discussion as well as makes you think about your own view points.

     Pam MacKinnons direction is slick and precise. There is nary a moment of dead space in the fast paced comedic drama. Daniel Ostling has created a two for one set design. The first act is a comfortable upper middle class 50's household, while the second act is a modern day fixer upper. With her costume design Ilona Somogyi has perfectly evoked both the personalities of each character, their social status and standing, and the time period that they represent. Allen Lee Hughes lighting is functional, and at the end of the second act, somewhat magical.

    The company of actors assembled on the stage is truly wonderful. Each actor is pulling double duty as they portray completely different characters in each act. Clybourne Park has recently won the Tony Award for best play. While it wasn't my first (or second) choice to win this distinguished award, I can certainly see it's merits, and say that it is not undeserving of such praise.

   Clybourne Park is now playing at The Walter Kerr Theater on Broadway through September 2. It is frequently on the board at TKTS and also offers student tickets (2 per valid ID) when the box office opens. If you enjoy a good dramatic comedy this is the play for you.