A Raisin on the small screen
Cast members from A Raisin in the Sun, which garnered a 2004 Tony-nomination for Best Revival of a Play, will restage the production, this time as a made-for-television movie to air on ABC sometime in 2007.
The industry trade paper Variety reports that Sean "Diddy" Combs, Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald and Sanaa Lathan — who all starred in the Broadway revival — will head the cast of the TV version, which will begin filming this December in Toronto.
Diddy is the Executive Producer of this newest adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry’s ground-breaking play. Kenny Leon will again direct as he did for the Broadway revival at the Royale Theatre. The 2004 production was nominated for four Tony Awards. Co-stars Rashad and McDonald were the only winners.
Combs made his Broadway debut in Raisin but not without considerable controversy. Established Black stage performers were initially up in arms over his casting, and some reviewers were lukewarm to his performance. The fact that every star in the show was nominated for a Tony that year except Diddy, seemed to suggest that the theater community did not view him as one of their own.
Nevertheless, Combs told Variety, in reference to this tv presentation, "There are so many things the younger generation can get out of this. It's an American story of overcoming obstacles that still rings true. It's important for people of color, especially younger ones, to see this."
A Raisin in the Sun premiered in 1959. It was the first Broadway play written by, directed by and starring African-Americans. Lloyd Richards directed. In the cast were Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil as the mother, Diana Sands, Ruby Dee, Louis Gossett, Ivan Dixon, Glynn Turman, John Fielder, Lonne Elder III, Ed Hall and Douglas Turner. It ran 530 performances. A 1961 film version followed, as did a later 1991 TV movie. It was also the basis for the musical, Raisin.