Sat, Nov 21, 2009
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Name:
blaquebaby
Comment: I must say I really enjoyed the movie. I mean Diddy did a great job, but how could he go wrong with three powerful African American women on screen with him!!!! Maybe ABC will show more African American movies after the rating they got! Kudos to all the cast members. I love Rashad and Lathan, BUT McDonald really stoled the show. I mean producers really should be trying to grab her and put her in some films because she was AWESOME!
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Name:
SewRite
Comment: I was hoping this would make the headlines on Eurweb, and it has. Because I don't care for remakes of this play, I had decided not to watch it. However, curiosity as to whether this cast could bring something as compelling to the table as the original, changed my mind. Admittedly, Diddy and Rashad, especially, have awesome "drawing power". As far as promotion they make a dynamic duo. As Claire Huxtable she was one of TV's favorite moms and he is one of the household name hip-hop moguls. No doubt, there were viewers who tuned in to see his performance that were not familiar with Lorraine Hansberry's work, and now they've been exposed. As far as my summary of this version, let me just say this. To me, there will never be an ensemble cast like the original. I'm not knocking Diddy for stretching his wings, and Rashad and the others are fine actors. It's amazing how you can memorize a favorite play, movie, etc., line for line. This really hits home when certain lines, and even little things are OMITTED. You suddenly realize how certain lines and even words can make for a more powerful, compelling drama!!! I'll cite 3 examples of this. When Ruby Dee finds out they are moving she goes into HIGH PRAISE. She takes us to church. To her, it's not JUST ABOUT MOVING!! She reminds us of the true joy of leaving misery behind. With Audra, I did not get that. When Sidney breaks the glass in his hand upon hearing that his mother has purchased a house, we see how deep into the abyss of money worship, Walter Lee has gone. And finally, there will never be another Claudia McNeil!!! When she gets upset after the check has arrived, and goes into a moaning, old negro spiritual, she mourns her late husband ALL OVER AGAIN. And finally, when she stands over Walter Lee and COMPLETELY breaks down because he has broken her heart, you EXPECT to hear thunder because her performance is so magnificent. Rashad, on the other hand, though obviously hurt, just plunks down on a chair. All of these things were omitted/changed in this version. In my opinion, their attempts to make this version different, made this wonderful play less moving and compelling.
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Name:
Gurlfrand
Comment: >Sew - I love that scene too when Claudia McNeil breaks down when she finds out the money is gone - she was awesome in the original, may she rest in peace - when I see the original, I realize that's what real acting is all about.
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Name:
TGen
Comment: A lot of people told me to tune in. I turned to it, but only for a sec. I can't really explain why I wasn't interested, I just wasn't, lol. Maybe it's because I already know the story or maybe it's because I was prejudiced against Puffy, not believing he could be a serious actor even b4 giving him a chance. Who knows? *Shrug* But I'm glad I was in the minority. This is good news! I'm thinking knowing Puffy's nose for success, he's going to seize this opportunity to expand in this arena.
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Name:
SewRite
Comment: TGen>You know, it's more than a notion to be a good actor. And everyone just does not have that gift. Dramas, especially, usually call for an actor to display a wide range of emotions, which Diddy couldn't seem to do, to me.
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Name:
B00TANEB00TUS
Comment: Yo...I can't fault Diddly for his business acumen...but c'mon..he sucked in that role...I think a lotta folks tuned in to see him suck...Nobody who ever saw the original is gonna forget the job they did...However Rashad put it down...She played the he11 outta that role...Her tony was well deserved...Sanaa is just so dayum sexy..Ok, ok, I partially watched to see that azz...I still would have liked to see Don Cheadle play Walter...Does anybody remember seeing Danny Clover play Walter...I saw it on PBS some years ago...Yo, when he lost that money...He was crying and sh1t...and real slob was was comming out his mouth...He was slobbering...I mean real slob...I forget the other actresses names but they were slipping and sliding on that slob....Portier twitched and you felt the knot in his stomach...Danny slobbed and you wanted to give him a tissue...Diddly...I didn't feel it...I just felt that he would say fuccit and pull out another 7 grand....Sam Jackson...Yo, Sam would been fucc that!!!...Imma kill that muthafuccer!!!!...Where is my fuccing money!!!!...
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Name:
HarrisThomas
Comment: as ususal, BOOT, you are truly a hoot and a holla while your commentary is on the target . . . I will buy available DVDs of all versions
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: SEWRIGHT/GURLFRND>That is exactly how i feel about it. ain't nothing like the orginal. and yes the orginal cast was powerful and moving. an unforgettable performance. i'm sorry, i didn't see the remake. to be honest, i didn't want to.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: SEWRITE>i could kiss you for making that actor statement. that is so true. some actors just really can't act. to be a real actor, you have to pull out the emotion from within. the raw pain, joy, agony, frustration and don't hold back. if you want your audience to feel it you got to feel it first and don't pretend. it's like standing there necked in front of a group of people and not be ashamed to say, "this is me! accept me who i am, or don't!" it's that real.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: BOOT>i truly agree with you. Don Cheedle should have play the part of Walter Lee.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: BOOT>DAYYUMITT!! YOU GOT ME HOLLERING WITH LAUGHTER AGAIN!! I LOVE YOU MAN!! YOU ON POINT!!!LOL!
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Name:
FiveMore
Comment: Gosh, That is the same exact thing that I said Wednesday night!Don Cheadle would have been a fabulous Walter Lee!**
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Name:
khufu
Comment: Not because it was good but because Black folks are starving for images of themselves on tv
I couldnt watch..it was painful....Diddy was terrible!
It was totally miscast and the directing was bad--too many close up shots and not enough wide shots. The director has no tv or film expereince.
His style clearly was overly influenced by music video style directing.
AUdre Mc Donald was good but needed a strong person to play with and against.
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Name:
Grace12_34
Comment: Did Phylicia and Sanaa have to gain weight for their roles?? Both of them looked heavier than usual to me. NOBODY was born an actor. Even the greatest actors of our lifetime took acting lessons. I have complete faith that Puffy WILL evolve. I mentioned here a couple of days ago that Puffy lacked the EMOTION, etc., in his face. While he may not have that, he DOES have the love of acting, something absolutely necessary to succeed in the profession. We need to have more movies like this on television. The book was REQUIRED reading for me when I was in middle school, but so was Native Son for that matter. My daughter has seen neither book in school. She thought this was the first presentation of "A Raisin in the Sun." I'm ordering the original from Netflix for her.
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Name:
FiveMore
Comment: My daughter had to read the play last month in her English class.I did not read the play until I was 18 years of age, but I saw the original movie numerous of times in my youth.Since I love literature, I have several copies of the play on hand for personal reference. Khufu, Yes, we want to see us on the tube, our children need to see positive images on the small screen as well as the big screen.Do you know Barack Obama's run for the presidency gives black children pride and self esteem?I want to see people that look like me on t.v.,too( and not on BET,either)
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Name:
bundie
Comment: SewRite, I agree completely. I'm happy that Phylicia won the Tony, but Claudia McNeil SHOULD have won the Tony (she was nominated, but someone else went home with the statue). The original was rewritten somewhat for film, including scenes that made it appear less stage-y, (i.e., Sidney Poitier's anguished and haunting cry, "Willy! Willy! That money is made from my father's flesh!")
I agree with whomever said that Don Cheadle would have made a superb Walter Lee.
I think Phylicia Rashad has been putting on weight for the last couple of years, but in a photo of her that ran last week for the upcoming Broadway production of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, she appears to have slimmed down considerably. Big Mama will not be looking matronly!
Did anyone else notice that the actor who played George Murchison looked like a little boy in his father's suit? At 36, Sanaa Lathan is a little long in the tooth to play a college student, but she pretty much pulled it off except in her scenes with him, where she looked her age, because he looks so young (not knocking his performance, which was fine).
I hope they film CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF with James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, Terrence Howard and Anika Noni Rose for those of us who are too far from New York to see it on the stage.
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Name:
OSUN
Comment: I think Diddy did a good job. You really can't expect him to deliver the type of performances Poitier and Glover are able to deliver. I appreciate his attempt and the fact that due to HIS drawing power only we were able to see a black drama take up three hours of network television. Of course Don Cheadle would have killed that role, but I bet you alot of younger people decided to tune in. Maybe this will spark the younger generation to take an interest in this type of great work.
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Name:
dport
Comment: Grace12_34, I'm sure they gained weight to appear to ook like women of that era. Frumpy and heavier due to bad eating habits and not working out.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: KHUFU>yeah, i agree. i heard that Kenny Leon directed this.
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Name:
Angel
Comment: Grace - I agree with you about Puffy. When I was in the kitchen where I could not see the screen, Puffy sounded great-the emotion was there in his voice. When I went back and sat in front of the tv, it was like someone had botoxed his entire face--no emotion. His eyes seemed somewhere else or just dead. It was pretty strange...
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: GRACE>yeah, she would love the orginal.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: FIVEMORE>I did this play back when i was in high school and i played Mama Younger. i will never forget that scene when she slaps Benetha for sassing about there is no God. Why did my school mate that played her had to be very light-skinned? because when i slapped her (and i didn't want to slap her hard but my drama teacher told me i had to which to this day i still didn't feel right about it cause there is a way to slap in a scene without doing too much harm to the face)i left a big handprint on her face. i hated that part. but it was a good scene i must say! lol!
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Name:
khufu
Comment: Point is, if it was about the artisitic and creative integrity of the piece, someone else should have been cast
but we know Diddt was cast for marketing purposes
Name: OSUN
Comment: I think Diddy did a good job. You really can't expect him to deliver the type of performances Poitier and Glover are able to deliver
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: BUNDIE>i know that's right. they got to film CAT. i would love to see it on Televison. and when they do i hope Terrence Howard will play the part of Brigg.
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Name:
FiveMore
Comment: BigChassie, Did your schoolmates enjoy the play? Was she prepared for the painful slap,Big Chassie?**holding cheek in pain**
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Name:
oshun
Comment: i agree w/whoever said don cheadle shoulda played walter, but i wonder if he'd do t.v....
i actually missed the movie mon night. i'll have to catch a repeat now. question: did it take place in the original time period or modern day?
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Name:
FiveMore
Comment: Forgot to say that my daughter is in a class with mostly white students.She said that the kids were bored of the original movie, and did not pay attention to the original. Didn't Pufdiddy make white shoes popular in the Winter months?lol
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Name:
FiveMore
Comment: oshun, Original time period.
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Name:
amethyst
Comment: I started not to watch because I know the story and have seen the play a few times. I'm glad I tuned in. It was an excellent presentation. My attention was captured for the entire 3 hours, I didn't realize that much time had passed when the movie ended. I'm not a professional actor, producer or writer, so my expectations were probably lower than some of yours. Grace, that's great that you are showing the original to your daughter.
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Name:
Southernbelle
Comment: My expectations of Diddy's performance was not high from the onset and he met my expectations quite well. I am sick the producers casting folks on name as oppose to accomplishments. "A Raisin in the Sun" is one of the few literary works we can say is historic. Of all the great black authors we've had and will have very few will stand the test of time as Lorraine Hansberry's work. I admire Diddy's ambition but that role should have gone to a more seasonal actor. Puffy can count on one hand his acting roles. I would have preferred a nobody who could bring the passion and feelings to the part as it was originally written. Him following in the steps of Poiter and Glover is, IMO, like Pee Wee Herman playing in the re-make of To Kill a Mockingbird staring as Atticus Finch. Once again, I don't fault Diddy. He did the best he could and he was blinded by his ambition to excel in the role. We must demand that the industry respect our works just like they respect their own.
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Name:
6footah
Comment: Sew, as much as I feel your comment, you can't ask an actor to copy the same thing another actor did and expect the same outcome. I have a feeling you would've seen such manufactured perfomances had it played out that way, and I would bet my house that moments you spoke on were completely au naturel, and done on the spot. If the director would've done a re-take, Poiter, Dee and McDaniel may not have done the same thing anyway.
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Name:
khufu
Comment: SOuthern..yes, brilliant.
You set the foundation for the discussion about CLASSICAL THEATRE.
as opposed to Chitlin Circuit theatre and Popular Theatre....
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: FIVEMORE>Yeah, they did enjoy it. in fact we also did excerpts from it in some of the speech contests we entered. it was fun.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: FIVEMORE>and yeah, she was prepared for it. she was a good actress. what a trooper!
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Name:
B00TANEB00TUS
Comment: Yeah, my kid had to read the book for English lit...We watched the original and I think she got it...Her thing was why would Walter just give the money away to cats named Willie and Bo-Bo?...to her that sounded like that found wallet with the money con that was going down in Grand Central a few years ago...She along with others her age watched the Diddly one and came away with "He acts better in Making the band"...What was funny about the original was that she knew right away that the lil White dude from the citizen committee was the voice of piglet from Winnie the pooh...LMBAO!!!!!
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: SOUTHERNBELLE>Oooh you hit it right on the head about producers getting these folk with names instead of acting ability. that is why some of these "Bus and Truck" shows suck! they get these people with "names" and they are not real actors. CASE IN POINT-SHELLY GARRETT. i auditoned for one of his plays, "The Laundromat" and got the part and they gave me the script to study. we were supposed to go into production that fall. so i studied all that summer. (they had a big auditon and got all new actors for this) how about they changed their mind and used the same folks in their previous show. the play sucked and it flopped.
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Name:
wwhitfie
Comment: Overall, the play was good. Phylicia and Audra, were great. Esp. Audra's ugly cry when she was considering aborting her child, GREAT! Sanaa embodied her character, dancing all willy-nilly in the African garb, priceless. And, then there was Diddy. He was okay, def. a weak link, and I would give him inexperience if he wasn't already on the stage play. This is the deal with him...do Chicagoans REALLY sound like they're from Harlem, the Bronx, or Brooklyn or any of the burros in NYC? As a native of Chicago, IL...I was hoping, as I do with J-Lo and her sorry acting, that he would atleast attempt to kick his accent being that the play is set in Chicago.
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Name:
Gurlfrand
Comment: >oshun - Sanaa did t.v. and she's known for only feature films - I applaud Diddy for doing his best in the role of Walter, but, that lead male role requires some strength and passion, and, I saw no passion in Diddy for this particular role - Diddy is not an actor, this is not his calling - he's probably good as a producer and director - he did his best, and that's all he can do.
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Name:
gingerg
Comment: I enjoyed the show and I'm glad that it was a ratings success.
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Name:
PTown
Comment: I LOVE AUDRA MCDONALD. She is a beautiful woman and singer.
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Name:
Southernbelle
Comment: Overall I enjoyed the movie. Phylicia, Sanaa and Audra did a pretty good job in their roles. Poor Diddy. He was just outacted (Is this a word?) by the ladies (this is a first for him). Diddy could have pulled off a smaller role like Willie's character. I'm sure he could have acted the hell out of that part
;-).
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Name:
Gurlfrand
Comment: ditto, southernbelle - Willie or BoBo, one of those characters.....Audra was really good.
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Name:
SewRite
Comment: Southernbelle>I like that word-outacted. Can I borrow that? I agree that Diddy should have opted for a lesser role. Personally, if I was an inexperienced actor, I would want to gain some real "acting chops" before taking on the "meaty" roles. Professional productions of this play, especially the LEAD roles, are best suited to seasoned actors, to me.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: SEWRITE>yes, true.
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Name:
SewRite
Comment: Boot>I saw that version, too. It starred Danny Glover and the late Ester Rolle. It was available on VHS but I believe it's now out-of-print. Yes, Danny made a great Walter Lee. He brought a fresh touch to the character. My favorite part of his rendition is when he mocks George Murchinson by telling him "I see you college boys all the time with your books tucked under your arm going to your cla%*$ess!! Glover does this funny walk while he is saying this. It's so funny. I taped it and would run the tape back, over and over, just to see him do that walk!!!
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Name:
beegirl
Comment: Angel, I felt the same way! You could hear the emotion in Diddy's voice, but you couldn't see it in his face. That killed it for me. Diddy should have played BoBo or someone smaller. I know they wanted a big name to draw viewers, but it was ill-advised to give him the lead role. But, to tell the truth, I was so happy to see beautiful Black people presenting a Black classic on a major network during prime time that I feel awful about complaining!
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Name:
Train
Comment: A positive that I can say about Puff is that he helped bring a timeless piece of art to a younger audience that might not have otherwise seen it. The younger generation got a chance to see the works of Ms. Hansberry who left us far too soon.
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Name:
musbdherbs
Comment: SOme of ya'll sound like other noted black figures who view the time as not being right for Obama. Diddy did a reasonably good job in this role. If he is as pazzionate as he claims, he will only get better cuz that's what works. Some people are born w/certain abilities..others have to work on it. Diddy will be just that. I (like many others) never saw the orginal. So this ensemble was good to me. Not surprisingly, the person ya'll thought she would be better suited as a Diddy replacement is one of the SAME names that continue to come up when discussing actors..it's always the same. "Why didn't they get Angela, Denzel, Halle, Don etc?" They are not the only actors. I'm sure it depends on how well the person is liked which would explain the accolades J Hudson received for her mediocre performance in Dreamgirls.
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Name:
SewRite
Comment: Grace12_34>But people ARE BORN with gifts. Gifts are God-given. God gave everybody something but what he gives to each person is different. Yes, learning the art of acting is essential. But, it's still so much MORE than that. It's the ability to become a character, plus charisma and personality, etc. There have been many actors who took acting lessons, pursued their craft, and their careers went nowhere. There are people who can take voice lessons for the rest of their life and they STILL won't have a voice like Whitney Houston. God gave Whitney that voice!! 6footah>I feel your comments as well and what you say is true. I'm not against actors making changes as long as they are effective. I'm just saying that the TV Version didn't move me like the original. And the awesome thing about Poitier, Dee, and McNeil(not McDaniel) is that HOWEVER they decide to do it they know how to really make it work!!!
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Name:
SewRite
Comment: musbdherbs>Re:They are not the only actors. So true. However, a lot of the posters, myself included, feel that the actors you named are the BETTER actors for a serious drama like A Raisin in the Sun.
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Name:
Southernbelle
Comment: The difference between Obama and Diddy is Obama earned his position. IMO, Diddy was a dis-service to himself by being a actor and executive producer, which I think he did a good job at. I think his role as exec. producer left the Directors hands tied. He/she would have probably worked the shyt out of Diddy and drew every bit of passion out of him had they not had him standing over them.
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Name:
musbdherbs
Comment: Sewrite...there will usually always be somebody better to play a role. There could have been a better; Deena/Effie, actor in another actress in Monster's Ball, actor in Inside Man, and lawd knows actress in "Queen." But they all did a reasonably convincing job in their performances. The role of Walter IMO is not that complex a role that it could only be played by certain people. Forest in Last King, Denzel in Malcolm, Don in Rwanda, Jamie in Ray, Angela in What's Love, Chris in Friday are some of those...
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Name:
SewRite
Comment: musbdherbs>Re:The role of Walter is not that complex. You're entitled to your opinion and I respect that. But I disagree. The character of Walter calls for a well of emotions and Sidney took it all the way, whereas, Diddy didn't because he didn't know how!!
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Name:
musbdherbs
Comment: Sew..my point was that it was a role which could be played by any reasonably good actor. That's why I used Forest, Don et. al as examples of roles which could not be filled by most reasonably good actors. Denzel couldn't pull off The last king nor could Don do Ray.
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Name:
BigBlackRod
Comment: The chief emotion of Walter Lee Younger was ambition, and y'all KNOW Puff can show that! That said, Cheadle probably woulda been a better choice, but, if Sean Combs don't attach himself to this production it shows on PBS at ten o'clock at night...PEACE.
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Name:
SewRite
Comment: musbdherbs>I understand your point. A good or even a mediocre actor could play the part. I just feel that a Professional production of this dynamic play deserves a cast equally as dynamic. This is why this version did not move me like the original. But this is my opinion. I hope that you can respect this even if you see it differently.
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Name:
SewRite
Comment: BigBlackRod>Then why didn't he show it?!! LOL.
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