ABC seems intent on disallowing us all to forget what happened on Broadway nearly four years ago–you know, when Diddy was cast as Walter Lee Younger in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. We understand it had to be done back then. Diddy’s top billing packed the Royale Theatre for every performance and is credited for breaking house sales records throughout the show’s run. We can’t be mad at that; Hansberry’s masterful pageant of working-class Americana really needs to be seen by as broad an audience as possible.
So, in a way, it’s a good thing that next month, the network will debut a brand new made-for-TV film reuniting the 2004 cast, which includes Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald, Sanaa Lathan, and Bill Nunn.
We are, however, sorry to report that it doesn’t look very good. Not very good at all. And most of the sour taste in our mouths is the result of Diddy’s involvement.
Everyone knows you don’t hinge a theatre classic on the performance of an atrociously bad actor–twice. Once is forgivable. Especially when you’re cringing all the way to the bank like the Royale Theatre was. But to put Diddy on the small screen, where no immediate monetary returns stand to be gained (except, perhaps, in advertising dollars), when you’ve got a golden opportunity to place someone really worthy into the role, seems like an ill-advised move.
During the two minutes it took us to watch the trailer, we couldn’t help but begin to wonder who among today’s contemporary Black set would’ve done a better job with this role. And so, because it must be done, we’re going to name ten brothers who could’ve played Walter Lee Younger better than Diddy. No. No, we’re in the mood to one-up ourselves. We’ll name thirty. And they won’t even be A-listers or Oscar winners.
Here they are, in no particular order… Thirty Brothers Who Deserved Top Billing in A Raisin in the Sun More Than Diddy:
1. Don Cheadle.
2. Jeffrey Wright.
3. Isaiah Washington. Admit it. Even after the Scandal That Shall Not Be Named, it’s difficult to deny that this man has chops.
4. Delroy Lindo. We know. He’s a bit long in the tooth–but with him in one hand, Diddy in the other, we’re tipping Lindo just this side of too old.
5. Chiwetel Ejiofor. He’s proven he can
6. Wesley Snipes. Dust this cat off, give him some mood-stabilizing meds and enough money to get his taxes straight and pay his child support, and he’ll be as good as Shadow Henderson again. Trust.
7. Omar Epps.
8. Chi McBride. We had to go there.
9. Michael Ealy. Yeah, he’s short, light, and blue-eyed. But unlike Diddy, he’s talented.
10. Idris Elba.
11. Mario Van Peebles. Yes, even Mario can pull a decent performance out every once in a while… weigh Posse or Baadasssss! against the ten minutes Diddy spent in Monster’s Ball. The defense rests.
12. Terry Crews. No. It’s not a joke. Yes, he does do a better job playing a working class father with money woes in Everybody Hates Chris than Diddy does in the two-minute trailer for this ABC telepic.
13. Rockmond Dunbar.
14. Glenn Plummer.
15. Larenz Tate. You laughin’ (and we can’t say we completely blame you, because, after all, this IS the same cat who said “stolt yo’ bike” in Love Jones), but whether or not you’re a fan, few people argue about the quality of his portrayal of Frankie Lymon in Why Do Fools Fall in Love. As an audition tape for Walter Lee, run that scene where he drops Vivica’s dog.
16. Jeffrey D. Sams. He ain’t been up to much lately.
17. Carl Lumbly. See Delroy Lindo.
18. Blair Underwood.
19. Keith David.
20. Wood Harris.
21. Rocky Carroll.
22. Harry Lennix.
And for our final feat, our last seven picks will be exclusively from the worlds of hip-hop, poetry, and R&B:
23. Anthony Hamilton. No, we’ve never seen him act. But we’ve seen him. And we’ve heard his lyrics. And we know his backstory. All this qualifies him more than Diddy.
24. Tyrese Gibson.
25. Mos Def.
26. Black Thought.
27. Andre Benjamin.
28. T.I. Even though he looks more like he could be the son, Travis, than the father, Walter Lee, T.I.’s work in ATL (not to be confused with his work in ATL)–and his face’s ability to actually emote–place him higher in the running than Diddy.
29. RZA.
30. Saul Williams.
ABC’s version of A Raisin in the Sun is slated for broadcast on Monday, February 25 at 8 pm EST. Or you could rent the superior Sidney Poitier/Ruby Dee version tomorrow and not have to worry about the distraction that is Sean Combs’ pronunciation of the word “very.”