Denzel Washington Broadway-bound for A Raisin in the Sun
CBC News | Posted: July 31, 2013 7:19 PM | Last Updated: July 31, 2013
Tony-winning actor to reteam with director of Fences for revival
Though best known for his Hollywood projects, Denzel Washington is heading back to the Broadway stage, the actor has revealed.
Speaking at the New York premiere of his latest action drama 2 Guns, the popular actor confirmed that he will appear as Walter Younger in a 2014 revival of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, with previews to begin in March and an opening night in early April.
"I'm trying to keep up with my wife. My wife has been doing a lot more theatre than me," Washington said on the red carpet, as his wife Pauletta Pearson-Washington stood alongside him.
Pearson, an actress and classically trained pianist, is starring in the drama Power Play at North Carolina's National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem.
"I'm looking forward to one day singing," Washington quipped, which drew an amused look from his wife.
"See, I just wanted to get something out of her. She knows I can't sing. But she can sing." As they walked away, the actor continued: "I can sing. I can sing ... in the shower."
Washington has appeared on Broadway in 1988's Checkmates, in a hit 2005 revival of Julius Caesar and in 2010's revival of Fences, for which he won a best-actor Tony Award. His off-Broadway credits include The Tragedy of Richard III, A Soldier's Play and Coriolanus.
"I love theatre the most. I like acting on stage more than film because there is an energy you get from it," Oscar-winner Washington said in an interview on Charlie Rose in 2012.
Hansberry's post-Second World War classic A Raisin in the Sun debuted in 1959, with Sidney Poitier portraying the ambitious, flawed, fiery character Walter Younger. Poitier reprised the role for a 1961 film version.
A 2004 Broadway revival saw hip hop mogul Sean Combs make his Broadway debut in the play opposite Tony-winning performances by Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald. The trio also starred in a 2008 TV adaptation.
Kenny Leon, who directed the 2004 stage and 2008 TV versions of A Raisin in the Sun as well as Washington in August Wilson's Fences, is slated to direct next year's revival.