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Lorraine Hansberry's play, A RAISIN IN THE SUN, has enjoyed a charmed life since hitting Broadway in 1959. The original Broadway cast took the play to the big screen in 1961, earning a Golden Globe nomination for Sidney Poitier, and now the 2004 adaptation, featuring Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, makes the same transition. The plot follows a 1950s African American family who are eagerly awaiting the arrival of a $10,000 insurance check. Walter Lee (Combs) wants to spend the money to buy a liquor store, while his mother, Lena (Phylicia Rashad), wants to purchase a house. Walter's pregnant wife, Ruth (Audra McDonald), sides with Lena, while also considering getting an abortion. Trouble strikes when Walter fritters most of the money away on his bad investment and Lena stirs up racial conflict by putting a down payment on a house in a white neighborhood. This adaptation, directed by Kenny Leon, embodies much of the controversy and fine performances that made the original production so memorable.
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