P Diddy to make Broadway debut

Rap mogul Sean Combs, better known as P Diddy, is to make his stage acting debut in a revival of A Raisin in the Sun, a drama about a black family moving into an all-white Chicago neighbourhood.

The play will open on Broadway in April

Producer David Binder said he contacted Combs last September hearing he “was interested in doing serious, challenging work in the theatre.”

The play “is an American classic alongside Streetcar, Death of a Salesman and The Crucible,” said Binder.

Combs has no stage experience but has appeared in the films Made and Monster’s Ball.

The rapper auditioned several times for the role. “We were all incredibly impressed – he’s focused on the work,” said Binder.

The original New York stage production starred Sidney Poitier.