Monday, February 25, 2008

Must See TV: "A Raisin in the Sun"


Photo Courtesy of ABC

By now you all probably know that tonight is a must-see TV night because ABC is airing, "A Raisin in the Sun," this evening at 8:00 p.m EST.

Written by the prolific Lorraine Hansberry, "A Raisin in the Sun," was the first play written by an African-American woman to be produced on Broadway. It tells the story of a family living and struggling on Chicago 's South Side in the 1950s. A fiercely moving portrait of people whose hopes and dreams are constantly deferred.

I actually saw the play with the same cast back in 2004 when it was on Broadway. I remember being absolutely blown away by the entire cast's powerful performance, but especially by the surprising acting skills of Mr. Sean "Diddy" Combs. He is the true definition of an entertainer -- successful music producer, TV producer, rapper and now actor. Not to mention his clothing empire, Sean is definitely a mogul in every sense of the word. His talents are endless.

Be sure to watch him take on the small screen alongside Sanaa Lathan, Phylicia Rashad and Tony-award-winning actress Audra McDonald in this timeless and compelling story about family.

16 comments:

mp1 said...

I'm definitely watching it. It's nice to see that other bloggers are also bigging this up. I've been waiting for this for a month now. It's definitely going on the DVR

Be Just said...

I really want to see what Diddy brings to the acting table. He was talking pretty big, so he'd better come with it!

Don said...

Count me in.

Its funny, but I knew exactly what your post today would be about before I clicked on your blog.

I know your style. lol.

Brown Girl Gumbo said...

@don -- You're funny!! I actually posted my interview with the celebrity hairstylist first, but I HAD to post something about "Raisin..." LOL!!

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to see it. We know that
Phylicia Rashad will give a great performance.

Anonymous said...

I saw the play and it was cool.I might check out the show

Emma Petersen said...

Sean Combs did a decent job. He'll never be Mr. Poitier.
Now Miss Rashad on the other hand. I love her and loved watching her in this. She's beyond amazing. And Audra. Not only does she have an amazing voice she's a talented actress as well. The whole cast was amazing and did Miss Hansberry proud.

Brown Girl Gumbo said...

I agree...the TV adaptation was impressive. Phylicia Rashad was outstanding!! Hopefully she'll get an Emmy for her performance.

K-Bear said...

BGG, I was annoyed this morning when I heard so many people on the radio dissing Mr. Combs. He's no Sidney but he certainly held his own. Truth be told, I think Sidney kinda over did it back then! So, now, I said it. Anyway, I loved the show and thought the casting was perfect right down to the little boy. I must say, true to the original version, I hated the scene with the African guy. It didn't fit then and it doesn't fit now. Ms. Latham was excellent as always and so was Ms. Rashad. It was just all around good tv! I was proud of it!

Be Just said...

Alright, let's get it going! Hi Brown Girl, this is Brown Boy and I have some suggestions for Sean Combs....STOP ACTING! He brought absolutely nothing to the table! If he were acting in a comedy sitcom, he'd be alright. But a serious drama! Come on! Did you see Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald! WOW, acting at it's best! Maybe I'm overly critical, but you can't have great actors with amateurs. It doesn't work! Their performances alone were enough to carry the show. I did enjoy it. This is just another case where people who have money, can do whatever they want.
Sorry K-bear :(

Anonymous said...

I watched it and it actuallly was a great movie. I really loved Phylicia Rashad she is such a great actress to me she is outstanding in everything she does. Diddy on the other hand is a different story. Some parts of his role was ok but most of it I thought was terrible it was like he was trying too hard.

K-Bear said...

Be just, don't apologize. You're entitled to your opinion even though it's wrong! :-) I truly belive that most of us watched P-Diddy with Sydney in mind. That's not fair to him. Plus we just know that P-Diddy is P-Diddy. He may not win an award but he held his own. Okay, so I have a serious crush on him and that might sway my opinion but so what! :-) ahhaha

aishaadair said...

I have to say that I was rooting for Diddy, but he is not an actor. I will give him credit for trying, but he was out of his league. I don't think his look fit the period and he wasn't willing to come out of himself. The rest of the cast was brilliant and I think that made him stick out even more. I knew Phylicia Rashad could act, but I was blown away by her performance!!! Overall it was a good TV movie.

Anonymous said...

I watched some of "Raisin in the Sun" last night. I think that P.Diddy was trying his best but I still don't see an actor. Phylicia Rashad was great (I kept comparing her work as a mom in this movie compared to her work as Claire Huxtable,I miss Claire Huxtable LOL)Sanaa Lathan and Audra McDonald did great jobs as well. It

Karen said...

I watched it last night and it was excellent! Some of the scenes had me teary-eyed.

I was surprised by Combs' performance, he did a really good job. Phylicia Rashad completely embodied the role and the woman who played the wife thoroughly impressed me. And Lathan was on point as usual.

12kyle said...

I like the vibe of this blog. This is my 1st time visiting...

Phylicia Rashad was excellent (as usual). I'll be the 1st to admit that I'm not feeling Puffy the actor. At any moment, I feel like he's gonna break out into some silly dance or something. LOL

Sanaa Lathan
Sanaa Lathan
Sanaa Lathan
The woman who I'd leave my wife for...