Review
by William Crum
Three people from Wyandotte County appeared in the play, “A Raisin in the Sun,” from Feb. 14 to 29 at the KC Melting Pot Theatre at the Just Off Broadway Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri.
Robert E. Coppage III played Joseph Asagai. He is a 2010 graduate of Sumner Academy in Kansas City, Kansas. Coppage also has been in such plays as “We Shall Not Be Moved” at the Coterie Theater.
When asked when he started acting, Coppage said, “I started acting when I was 5 years old. Acting is my true love.”
When you watch Coppage perform, it will startle you. He can take a role and that person magically comes to life right before your eyes. He is a shining star. If you ever see a play he is in, by all means, go to it.
Lynn King, who played Lena Younger (Mama), is a native of Kansas City, Kansas, with over 30 years of acting experience. She has appeared in several national commercials plus she has directed over 30 productions. King is another shining star of Wyandotte County.
When asked how she liked her role, King said, “I loved it.” Like Coppage, she has a magical way of portraying her role.
One person who was unable to be contacted was Jerron O’Neal, who played Walter Lee Younger. He like, King and Coppage, is from Wyandotte County. O’Neal is a retired firefighter from the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department, and has appeared in various theater projects throughout the Greater Kansas City area. Like King and Coppage, he has that special way of acting.
Harvey Williams, executive director of The Melting Pot Theatre, said the actors that come out of Wyandotte County are amazing.
“Saturday night is our last night and I might add the play, ‘The Raisin in the Sun,’ had sellout crowds in every performance, making ‘The Raisin in the Sun’ the best play we offered the public,” he said.
He congratulated the cast and crew on one of the best plays he had seen in a long time.