BROADWAY SNAP-SHOT
by Russell Bouthiller

Dateline: June 5, 2004

Sean Combs, a. k. a. P. Diddy and Puff Daddy--rap, movie, publishing, restaurant and fashion mogul extraordinaire--tackles yet another medium. Now, he's striding the boards of the Royale Theatre as Walter Lee Younger, the role Sidney Poitier originated in Lorraine Hansberry's A RAISIN IN THE SUN, the classic kitchen-sink drama of a Black family living on Chicago's South Side in the late 1950s.

The title of Hansberry's play--taken from a Langston Hughes poem--is a poignant metaphor for Walter Lee, a man whose life is in peril of withering away. Living in his mother's home with his wife, Ruth (Audra McDonald), his son, Travis (Alexander Mitchell), and his sister Beneatha (Sanaa Lathan), Walter has been a hard-working husband with little to show for it.

Walter's mother, Lena (Phylicia Rashad), has come into $10,000 by way of her deceased husband's life insurance policy. Walter wants to invest a portion of her treasure in a liquor store partnership. Ruth and Lena want to give up their cramped apartment and buy a home of their own. And, Beneatha, needs money to attend medical school.

While Combs may have knocked out the competition in other venues, on stage he comes off as a featherweight. Combs' limitations moves the focus of the story away from its central player and turns it on more fully realized characters, particularly those portrayed by Rashad and McDonald, (both of whom recently earned Tony Awards for their dynamic performances).

There is a telling moment in the final act when Walter Lee realizes with great pain that he has lost much of the money to his shady partners. At first, Combs' handling of this powerful scene seems forgivably adequate, but when Rashad hits the stage you know you are witnessing a true professional. Her brilliance only amplifies the leading man's lack of leadership.

Just as Phylicia Rashad's Lena is the backbone of the Younger family, Audra McDonald's beleaguered Ruth is its heart. Toiling away at the ironing board or tidying up at the table, McDonald imbues Ruth with the urgency of a woman who hasn't got the time to worry. And, considering she's dealing with an unwanted pregnancy, there's plenty to fret over.

Flitting around in her Nigerian costume, Sanaa Lathan simmers with the spirit of a new generation claiming their rightful position in a changing America. Frank Harts does a fine job as the over-assimilated George Murchison. And, David Aaron Baker slithers smoothly as the racist community rep, Karl Linder.

Director Kenny Leon works wonders with his mixed blessings. Hansberry's historic play is as rich today as it was resonant forty-five years ago. Rashad, McDonald, and the fine supporting cast bring Broadway pedigree to the production while Combs' proves boffo at the box office. Still, this long-anticipated Broadway debut lacks gravitas. For the real deal, check out Poitier in the 1961 film version.