History Theatre / ARaisinInTheSun

* TheGhost: Willy Harris. He's briefly seen in the film and TV versions.

* TheGhost: Willie Harris. He's briefly seen in the film and TV versions.

* WhamLine: "Mama... [[spoiler:I never... went to the bank at all...]]" (Related to the below)

Notable for being the first play by a black woman to be shown on Broadway as well as the first play with a black director. Despite Hansberry's worries, the play was a huge success, and would have probably been Hansberry's big break had she not [[{{AuthorExistenceFailure}} died a few years afterwards.]] It has been adapted into a 1961 theatrical film (starring most of the original Broadway cast, including Creator/SidneyPoitier and Ruby Dee, made-for-TV productions in 1989 and 2008), and the 1971 {{musical}} ''Raisin''.

Notable for being the first play by a black woman to be shown on Broadway as well as the first play with a black director. Despite Hansberry's worries, the play was a huge success, and would have probably been Hansberry's big break had she not [[{{AuthorExistenceFailure}} died a few years afterwards.]] It has been adapted into a 1961 theatrical film (starring most of the original Broadway cast, including Creator/SidneyPoitier and Ruby Dee), made-for-TV productions in 1989 and 2008), and the 1971 {{musical}} ''Raisin''.

Notable for being the first play by a black woman to be shown on Broadway as well as the first play with a black director. Despite Hansberry's worries, the play was a huge success, and would have probably been Hansberry's big break had she not [[{{AuthorExistenceFailure}} died a few years afterwards.]] Has been adapted into a 1961 theatrical film (starring most of the original Broadway cast, including Creator/SidneyPoitier and Ruby Dee), made-for-TV productions in 1989 and 2008), and the 1971 {{musical}} ''Raisin''.

Notable for being the first play by a black woman to be shown on Broadway as well as the first play with a black director. Despite Hansberry's worries, the play was a huge success, and would have probably been Hansberry's big break had she not [[{{AuthorExistenceFailure}} died a few years afterwards.]] Has been adapted into three movies (a 1961 theatrical film and made-for-TV productions in 1989 and 2008) and the 1971 {{musical}} ''Raisin''.

Notable for being the first play by a black woman to be shown on Broadway as well as the first play with a black director. Despite Hansberry's worries, the play was a huge success, and would have probably been Hansberry's big break had she not [[{{AuthorExistenceFailure}} died a few years afterwards.]] Has been adapted into three movies (two made-for-TV and one theatrical) and a musical.

* LiteraryAllusionTitle: The title comes from Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem," also known as "A Dream Deferred."

-->--'''Langston Hughes''', ''Harlem'' aka ''A Dream Deferred''

Or does it ''explode''?

Or does it '''explode'''?
--> -''Harlem'' aka ''A Dream Deferred'', Langston Hughes

* TheGhost: Willie Harris

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* DespairSpeech: [[spoiler: Walter's 'Takers and Tooken' speech when he decides to cave to the racism of Clybourne Park in exchange for money, in which he condemns the rest of the family for worrying about 'right and wrong' when ultimately it comes down to how much you can 'take'.]]

->What happens to a dream deferred?

->Does it dry up
->like [[{{TitleDrop}} a raisin in the sun]]?
->Or fester like a sore--
->And then run?
->Does it stink like rotten meat?
->Or crust and sugar over--
->like a syrupy sweet?

->Maybe it just sags
->like a heavy load.

->Or does it '''explode'''?

* EarlyBirdCameo: Anyone who saw this play at the Apollo Theater in the early 80's might have seen a 12-year-old TupacShakur playing Travis.

* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler: More like, What the FUCK, Walter? Yes, give every penny of the insurance check--including your sister's tuition which wasn't yours to gamble with--to some dude you barely know, who you DO know is not above a little crime. Yes, that will go perfectly]].
** Mama counts as this and a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter, for giving Walter Beneatha's tuition money and the leftover insurance. She could have put away Beneatha's portion first, or even given it to Ruth, who was actually proven to be trustworthy.
*** Lena's problem was that she put too much trust in her son because of her love for him.

* AffectionateParody: ''Clybourne Park'', a PerspectiveFlip and a sort-of DistantFinale. And it's a [[TheMusical musical.]]

* GenderBlenderName: Beneatha's nickname is Bennie.

* WellDoneSonGuy: Lena is a "Well Done, Daughter" Girl to Beneatha. She's also a "Well Done, Son" Girl to Walter, though it's not quite as severe.

** Mama kind of counts too, for giving Walter Beneatha's tuition money, instead of to Beneatha herself.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: [[spoiler:Played straight with Ruth, who gets a down payment on an abortion when she finds out she's pregnant, but she ends up keeping the baby when the family gets a bigger house]]. Averted with the recent TVMovie, which removes this subplot entirely, due to... [[ValuesDissonance well, you know.]]

''A Raisin in the Sun'' is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry in the 1950s. It details the life and times of the Younger family, a poor black family living in a small apartment in Chicago. Due to the passing of the elder Mr. Younger, the family is now in the position of receiving a large welfare check. Each of the adult members of the family has an idea as to what he or she would like to do with this money, and over the next few weeks, it's shown how each character's hopes and dreams affect the other family members.