After death of star, an energetic ‘Raisin’ harvest

“Raisin” lives. International City Theatre’s revival of the seldom-seen musical adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” was thrown into turmoil when its star, Nell Carter, died two weeks before the opening.

The relatively unknown Carol Dennis took over Carter’s role as Lena, the matriarch of a poor Southside Chicago family in the ‘50s. By Saturday, Dennis inhabited the role so fully that it seemed as if she had been playing it for a lifetime -- adding a gray hair here, a wrinkle there, yet another daily sigh over her wayward children.

Years of struggle have taken their toll on Lena’s joints as well as her spirits, yet the challenge of mastering this role in two weeks must have required the energy of a teenager. That energy is most visible in song. Dennis delivers every syllable of her two solos, including the finale, with force and passion.

In the musical, as well as the play, the recently widowed Lena plans to use $10,000 in insurance money to buy a house (in a white neighborhood) and send her daughter to medical school. But her son, Walter, wants to invest the money in a liquor store, so he can quit his job as a chauffeur and become his own boss.

As Walter, Michael A. Shepperd -- an Ovation Award winner last year for “Steel” -- is a formidable adversary for Dennis’ Lena. He uses his towering size and powerful but nuanced voice to add authority to Walter’s dubious proposal for the insurance windfall. Walter’s confrontations with his mother sting, as do his arguments with his wife, Ruth, whose own opinion is closer to her mother-in-law’s than to her husband’s.

Kecia Lewis’ Ruth looks as if she is en route to becoming a woman very similar to her mother-in-law in another 20 years. Yet Lewis is also able to suggest that Ruth and Walter retain at least a shred of sexual longing for each other.

As Walter’s sister, Beneatha, a college student who is intellectually disdainful of the rest of the family, Anne Thomas has a fresh, springy presence that lightens the play’s corners even as Beneatha presages political movements that would fully bloom 10 years later. Micah Williams is adorable as Lena’s grandson, although his solo could be better articulated.

The script of the 1973 musical, by Robert Nemiroff and Charlotte Zaltzberg, keeps the plot and many of the words of Hansberry’s 1959 play but trims details such as references to Ruth’s pregnancy and her consideration of abortion.

Judd Woldin’s score isn’t particularly ambitious or showy, but it uses jazz, gospel and blues idioms fluently to keep the show on track. Robert Brittan’s lyrics help intensify the narrative (“You Done Right,” the bitter first act finale). And in “Not Anymore,” the family mocks the era’s covert racism; such lyrics as “We are so polite / We don’t ride at night” sound freshly topical in the wake of the recent Trent Lott debacle.

The only ungainly part of the narrative is the role of Beneatha’s Nigerian suitor, somewhat scaled back from the original play. Although he adds dimension to the first act, his role in the second is more of a distraction than an enhancement. The actor, Terron Brooks, pushes a little too hard but without enough of an accent.

The staging by Shashin Desai and Caryn Desai reaches most of its goals admirably -- and almost miraculously, given the tragedy of Carter’s death Jan. 23 at age 54 (a page in the program dedicates the production to the actress).

Don Llewellyn’s set suggests the Chicago skyline in the background and provides enough space in front for Brian Paul Mendoza’s choreography to evoke the bustle of city streets.

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‘Raisin’

Where: Center Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays

Ends: March 9

Price: $32-$40

Contact: (562) 436-4610

Running Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes

Carol Dennis...Lena Younger, Mama

Michael A. Shepperd...Walter Lee Younger

Kecia Lewis...Ruth Younger

Anne Thomas...Beneatha Younger

Micah Williams...Travis Younger

Terron Brooks...Joseph Asagai

Matt Rochester...Mrs. Johnson

Curtis C....Bobo Jones

Hurshel Williams...Willie Harris

Alisa Prince...Althea

Reggie Burrell...Pastor

Don DeForest Paul...Karl Lindner

DeJon Mayes...Various roles

Based on a play by Lorraine Hansberry. Book by Robert Nemiroff and Charlotte Zaltzberg. Music by Judd Woldin. Lyrics by Robert Brittan. Directed by Shashin Desai and Caryn Desai. Musical director Darryl Archibald. Choreographer Brian Paul Mendoza. Set by Don Llewellyn. Lighting by Liz Stillwell. Costumes by Diana Eden. Sound by Paul Fabre. Stage manager Michael Laun.