Sean "P. Diddy" Combs will make his
Broadway stage debut tonight (March 29) to the public, as "Raisin in the
Sun" kicks off at the Royale Theatre in New York.
Combs and cast did their first official run through
of the entire play last night. The previews, which start tonight, are open to
the public. The play officially opens on April 26.
Combs stars as Walter Lee, who seeks a business
deal using his late father’s insurance money, in hopes of escaping poverty.
Tension arises when his mother, wants to use the money to move the family out
of the city.
Walter Lee was originally played by Sidney Poiter
in the original version of "Raisin," which premiered on Broadway in
1959.
Sanaa Lathan, Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald,
David Aaron Baker, Teagle F. Bougere, Alexander Mitchell, Frank Harts and Bill
Nunn round out the cast of the play.
Combs has appeared in the films "Made,"
"Monster’s Ball" and "Death of a Dynasty."
"Raisin in the Sun" was the first Broadway
play written, directed and starting African-Americans. It’s original cast included
Sidney Poiter, Ruby Dee, Louis Gossett, Claudia McNeil and others.
The play also became a hit film in 1961.
