Tonight (February 25th) marks the premiere of a new small screen adaption of Lorraine Hansberry’s play ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ which stars hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The drama is set in 1950s Chicago and focuses on the story of the Younger family and their struggle deciding how best to spend a $10,000 insurance check.
Combs stars as Walter Lee Younger, Walter has big dreams of starting a business with the money, however he encounters conflict with his mother, Lena, sister Beneatha and his wife Ruth.
“A Raisin In The Sun” also stars Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald and Sanaa Lathan. All four of the actors were part of the critically-acclaimed 2004 Broadway revival, which marked Combs’ theatrical debut and also won Rashad and McDonald a Tony award.
Mixed reviews were given to Combs for his Broadway performance in the 2004 adaption however Combs and his co-stars say the TV version will show his growth as an actor.
“It was more about experience and an understanding of how to completely engulf yourself and become a character and really give yourself up to the role,” Combs said to the Associated Press. “It was almost like what was going on in the house, that struggle to be heard. I wanted to make sure my character was heard.”
“What I saw was a natural progression that comes with the doing of it, with the working of it,” Phylicia Rashad who plays Walter Lees’ widowed mother said. “He is a very disciplined professional.”
The 1959 play “A Raisin In The Sun” is recognised for being the first play by an African-American female to be produced on Broadway. It starred Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands and Louis Gossett, Jr. They reunited in 1961 to produce the film version.
The drama was also adapted in 1989 for telefilm and starred Danny Glover and Ester Rolle as Walter Lee and Lena.
In order to keep a connection to the original play Combs says he invited Sidney Poitier, who played the original Walter Lee, to lunch in order to “get his permission.”
“It’s like if somebody came and did Scarface. They should at least put in a courtesy call [to Al Pacino],” said Combs. “So I called him up and he was honored and he told me to do it my way.”
A Raisin in the Sun airs tonight (February 25th) at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
