Sean Combs in Raisin in the Sun (broadway.com)

[catcher]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 8:04am

I know he was in Monster's Ball, but I don't remember him really doing anything. Has anyone seen him in Made? Does he act? This is not an easy role...

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 9:16am

I woke up to this on the news today. P-Diddy on broadway. God help us all.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 9:50am

You know.

I can't stand him (his public persona, anyway)....

But he MIGHT be good.

And if Audra is also cast...ooooh weeeee!!!

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 10:03am

Well, this should be interesting. He's not the greatest actor but he's very *famous* so he can pretty much pick and choose what he wants to do, which is a bit disconcerting.

[robbiej]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 10:20am

Isn't this a sign of the Apocolypse?


I know...I always chastise people to 'wait and see'. But I would have preferred that Mos Def be given the role.

[magruder]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 10:28am

Would it be sacrilege to say of the two actors in Topdog/Underdog, I preferred Mos Def to Jeffrey Wright? I would have been curious to see Mos Def take on Raisin in the Sun. There is something raw, natural and unaffected about his acting. Still...P. Diddy on Broadway is big news. That will be something to see.

[rlbgbc]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 10:31am

What's next - Li'l Kim in THE CRUCIBLE? "John Proctor, you nasty! Show me the bling bling, and you ain't gonna hang!"

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 10:32am

Madonna played Broadway, anyone can.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 10:32am

Walter Lee is not the kind of role to be making a Broadway debut in after little experience elsewhere. The role is seemingly straight forward but is complicated by many conflicting emotions and instincts.

The discipline required for 8 shows a week, six days a week for a period of months is not something that Sean Combs has shown a bent for yet.

Surprises happen.

Mos Def is good casting.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 10:54am

I will be Pollyanna (or worse) here: Think of the people who will see this play because of P, in the process discover Hansbury's work AND the theater, who might not otherwise go. Smack me, everyone--that's a patronizing middle-aged white NYC liberal POV, but I have to own it.

[robbiej]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 10:57am

But Auggie, if the play is a terrible production (and I'm NOT saying that it will be), will it necessarily lead to further appreciation of the theatre?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 11:04am

Well, he'll probably withdraw from the production before the first preview. Some sort of "previous commitments," or "artistic decision." He'll "look forward to working with the entire Raisin team at some point in the near future. This one's for Biggie. Peace."

But this makes me want to bring up a thought I had to the group. There's always been stunt casting on Broadway. But lately it's getting insane. So, isn't it time we start discussing some serious theater around here? Do we really have to discuss the minutia of this Broadway celebrity or that celebrity, this Broadway performer's vacation schedule or contract end date? Mostly they're just celebrities we create in our own little universe here, we are making cults of personality of our own, so we can't really hold it against producers for wanting to tack into OTHER (more lucrative) cults of personality to make back their investments.

Another way of putting it, civilians don't know who Sutton Foster is. Nor do they care. But a lot of people know P. Diddy.

Really, we're a Broadway version of the E! Network here.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 11:08am

Great points as usual, Namo.

[EVGIRL]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 11:10am

In P. Diddy's defense, he was quite good in Monster's Ball as Halle Berry's husband who was on death row, which was also a serious dramatic role. For some reason, rap stars like 2pac, Eminem, Ice-Cube, Ice-T, Mos Def etc. seem to better actors than pop stars like Madonna and Britney Spears. Maybe it's because in their songs they play characters and tell stories more than pop stars do.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 11:17am

Namo, you said it all.

As "E" full disclosure, I must remind older folks that Phyllis Diller was on B'way in Hello Dolly in the 60s. After she left, prior to Merman turning the show on its heels, there was serious talk of bringing in Liberace to play Dolly. Stunt casting will outlive all of us. I saw Madonna's 2 note range in the 2 note Mamet play, saw Liz and a body-miked Dick (wearing shoe lifts that made him look like a Flamenco dancer) in the anemic Private Lives, saw Raquel in Woman of the Year. Those star turns will never threaten anyone, except maybe Donna Murphy--but she's got a nagging cold, anyway, doesn't she?

Updated On: 12/17/03 at 11:17 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 11:22am

In full E! disclosure mode, I saw David Bowie in The Elephant Man. And I know lots of people who are still jealous over that. He didn't disappoint.

[robbiej]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 11:45am

Look, I'm all for artists in other media stretching in and working in the theatre.

Michelle Williams, for example. Here's a girl who was fine on a teen soap (DAWSON'S CREEK) and sublime in DICK. On the advice of the deliriously wonderful Mary Beth Piel, she decided to try theatre, starting off-Broadway. She's cutting her teeth, getting better (I saw her in Smelling a Rat and enjoyed her) with each performance. I applaud her for her willingness to stretch and for the smart way she's gone about doing it.

If P. Diddy could handle it, I'd say fine. But the role of Walter Lee, as others have said, is incredibly difficult and complex. It's like someone who's only worked out intermittently in his life attempting the Ironman. Could he cross the finish line? Maybe...but at what price?

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 11:55am

Robbie: I hear you, re both your posts. If he can't cut it, he brings no new fans, and perhaps harms Hansbury. We're all going to have a lot to debate when we see him.

Right now, more than anything: I hope Diddy got himself a flu shot.

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 11:55am

I don't like P-Diddy first of all....I think he is annoying. I quite frankly wasn't that impressed with any of his movie roles either....

As for him tackling Walter Lee....that is a really scary thought....REALLY. I just don't see why they couldn't find another well known Black actor, who has this kind of experience, rather then going the alternate route and picking some well-known celebrity who is virtually a newcomer when it comes to acting serious and dramatic roles. Or rather than finding an excellent unknown, seasoned actor? What's even scarier is that they are thinking of pairing Audra McDonald with him. They are not even in the same league!

I would rather, if P-Diddy wanted to do something on Broadway, that someone creates something for him to do, before he goes headfirst into something that he has no idea about. That way they can alter the work towards his needs and end up showcasing whatever talent he posesses rather than him coming off badly attempting to do something that he has no experience with.

I just hope this doesn't really come to fruition. I WAS excited about this revival, but now, I am not so sure....


Cheers,
The Balladeer

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 11:55am

I think WOSQ is right in that many "stars" don't realize how taxing Broadway is. Eight shows a week, with two days being dedicated to double performances is not an easy task.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 12:47pm

I just feel sorry for all the actors out there talented enough for the role, but being denied work so that a rich rap star can bring in ticket sales. Sean Combs already has a successful career. Hundreds of talented actors are being denied potential careers or even living wages as these crossovers occur. I guess producers just don't have faith in new stage actors. I wouldn't mind crossovers so much if most theatrical jobs were getting paid as much as their crossover counterparts.

Personally, I think K. Todd Freeman would be wonderful in the show.

[QueenS]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 5:27pm

Magruder, I am with you. I thought that Mos Def was much better in "Top Dog" than Jeffrey Wright. I am only sorry that I did not get to see him in "F***ing A" as well.

As for Mr. Diddy... who knows. It could open up a new audience to theatre, but will teenagers (who it would seem is a large portion of the rap devotee demographic) be able to afford Bway ticket prices?

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 3:02pm

Updated On: 7/9/04 at 03:02 PM

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 8:30pm

So Papa, are you saying that you know for a *fact* that Combs actually went through an audition process for this role? It still won't make it *right* in my eyes, but it sure would make me feel better. It would soothe me ever so slightly, to know that at least some people still *dare* to treat him as something less than a demi-God. for the record, I thought he was fine in Monster's Ball. Although, he was totally upstaged by Mos Def, as "mos" are.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 10:17pm

Updated On: 7/9/04 at 10:17 PM