Obamas attend ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ starring Denzel Washington

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama took time Friday to attend the Broadway revival of “A Raisin in the Sun,” starring Denzel Washington.

Tickets to the play at New York’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre have been selling out since the production began its run last month. The Obamas were in attendance at Friday evening’s performance and were seated in the orchestra section.

The president was in New York to attend the annual conference of the National Action Network, the civil-rights group founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton. The president and the first lady returned to Washington on Saturday.

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This marks the first time the couple has attended a Broadway production together since 2009, when they went to August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.” Michelle Obama has attended shows with her daughters; productions have included “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” and the recent revival of “The Trip to Bountiful.”

“A Raisin in the Sun,” by Lorraine Hansberry, officially opened April 3 and has received mostly positive reviews. The revival is directed by Kenny Leon and stars Washington in the role of Walter Lee Younger, the head of a poor Chicago family looking for a way to strike it rich.

The cast also includes Sophie Okonedo as his wife, Ruth; LaTanya Richardson Jackson as his mother; and Anika Noni Rose as his sister, Beneatha.

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