Pitt's Kuntu Repertory Theatre Continues Its Season With "Raisin," a Musical Adaptation of "A Raisin in the Sun"

PITTSBURGH-The University of Pittsburgh-based Kuntu Repertory Theatre continues its season with "Raisin," a musical based on the classic play "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry. "Raisin" runs Jan. 21 through Feb. 6 in the Seventh-floor Auditorium of Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Ave., Oakland.

Kuntu is presenting productions this season by playwrights who influenced the late Rob Penny, Kuntu's playwright-in-residence for many years and an associate professor of Africana Studies at Pitt.

Performances of "Raisin" are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Matinees are scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, and 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 4.

A fiercely moving portrait of people whose hopes and dreams are always deferred, "Raisin" focuses on five members of the Younger family who live together in a one-bedroom apartment on Chicago's South Side. As family members mature and make life decisions, they must deal with the sting of racism. "Raisin" premiered on Broadway in 1973 and ran for two years. It was adapted as a musical by Robert Nemiroff and Charlotte Zaltzberg, with music by Judd Woldin and lyrics by Robert Brittain. Kuntu's "Raisin" is directed by Ernest McCarty.

"Raisin" features a live musical trio and a number of returning Kuntu cast members as well as new student actors, both in the chorus and in speaking roles.

Admission is $20 for adults; $14 for Pitt faculty and staff; $13 for senior citizens, students, and children ages 4-18; and $5 for Pitt students with a valid ID. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount. Tickets are available at the box office of the William Pitt Union, 3959 Fifth Ave., Oakland; through ProArts at 412-394-3353 or www.proartstickets.org; or at Dorsey's Record Shop, 7614 Frankstown Ave., Homewood.

For more information, call 412-624-7298 or visit www.kuntu.org.

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