Diddy Does Broadway

P. Diddy: Better than Cats!

That depends on who you listen to. The hip-hop mogul and wannabe thespian otherwise known as Sean Combs brought down a stacked house in his Broadway debut Monday night in A Raisin in the Sun and impressed some theater critics. But his effort to channel Sidney Poitier in the revival of Lorraine Hansberry's opus didn't wow everybody.

The audience, including fans, friends and celebrity pals like Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, Russell Simmons, Beyoncé Knowles and Brooke Shields, gave his Diddyness a two-curtain standing ovation for his performance as Walter Lee Younger, the protagonist made famous by Poitier in the 1959 play and 1961 film.

"I was pleased with the play and Sean's performance," veteran actor Ossie Davis, himself no stranger to the part of Younger, told the New York Daily News. "I know how difficult the role is and for him starting his career with it is bravery--and he did well."

Combs, 33, had little previous acting experience. Not counting his music-video posturing and MTV hijinks on Making the Band, Combs has had just one major role, 2002's Monster's Ball, and only began taking acting lessons a few years ago. He spent 12 to 14 hours a day over the past several weeks rehearsing for Raisin.

Returning onstage after the curtain fell, the Bad Boy boss unfurled a T-shirt bearing the image of playwright Hansberry and proudly shot a fist into the air.

For some critics, Diddy did good, standing out amid an ensemble that included such stage vets as Tony winner Audra McDonald, Phylicia Rashad (who has frequently worked the boards since the demise of The Cosby Show) and Sanaa Lathan.

"As Younger, who makes his living as a chauffeur and dreams of being wealthy, Sean Combs exudes breezy charm," says the Daily News' Howard Kissel, adding that Combs "showed plenty of stage presence.
According to Newsday's Linda Winer, "Combs is better than OK. He has presence playing someone besides his own formidable self. He projects."
"Combs is no Denzel Washington, but he can act," says Wendell Brock in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
And Clive Barnes of the New York Post writes that Combs was, "believe it or not--pretty damned good."

But for many critics, the Puffster didn't have the emotional heft to pull off the part, especially in comparison to Poitier.

"Though the production features sterling work from Ms. McDonald and Ms. Rashad...it lacks the fully developed central performance from Mr. Combs that would hold the show together," the New York Times' Ben Brantley opines, calling the revival a "lopsided and ultimately dreary affair."
But, Brantley adds, "Mr. Combs is not the wholesale embarrassment that connoisseurs of schadenfreude were hoping for. The Donald Trump-like confidence that has made him the success he is keeping him from dissolving into a spotlighted puddle. But he comes across as smaller than you might expect, as Madonna did when she made her Broadway debut in Speed the Plow." (There's one for the posters.)
"To his credit, Combs approaches his assignment in A Raisin in the Sun with an evident desire to do the role justice," writes Peter Marks of the Washington Post. "Combs is a magnet, yes, but it's not a magnetism of the soul that he projects on the Broadway stage. He can't seem to get past the external requirements of the portrayal. When he drops to the floor in a heap, sobbing at the realization that he's lost the family's entire savings...it's about as persuasive as a Teamster dancing Swan Lake."
Writes Variety's Charles Isherwood: "[Combs] is simply not up to the role's considerable demands...[His] conservative performance may limit damage to the star's reputation--it is by no means an embarrassment, and certainly his many fans aren't likely to be disappointed--but it fails to do full justice to Hansberry's play."
And USA Today's Elysa Gardner says Combs rates a solid C. "Projecting is not the same thing as acting, and the finely textured work of Combs' accomplished costars makes his own lack of experience and depth all too apparent."

Not that it matters that much to producers.

While Puffy might not be in the running for a Tony, having a rap superstar in the Playbill (he's credited as Sean Combs) has helped the show net more than $2.2 million in advanced ticket sales. Raisin is also appealing to Diddy's hip-hop fan base, a group that generally eschews Broadway.

While last week's previews played to only 75 percent capacity, on its opening night, Raisin proved to be a winner, grossing a solid $133,000 at the box office. Producers expect that figure will probably double on account of Combs' drawing power.

A Raisin in the Sun's limited-engagement run is slated to end July 11.