Post by outgirl on May 14, 2004 9:46:58 GMT -5
Puffy for President?
By Jabari Asim
www.washingtonpost.com/wp...4May3.html
I admit to being overly sensitive about such things, but for a while last week it seemed as if every newspaper photo I saw was of Kobe Bryant, Jayson Williams or Michael Jackson. As I often do, I found myself longing to hear about a famous black man who is not being arrested, indicted or on trial.
Soon my wish was fulfilled by an unlikely source: Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. Newspapers and Web sites were soon buzzing with his April 26 debut in a Broadway production of "A Raisin in the Sun." The revival of Lorraine Hansberry's classic play features Combs as Walter Lee Younger, head of a struggling but ambitious Chicago family in the 1950s.
"Broadway star" is the latest persona that Combs has taken on, but I suspect it's far from the last. He's already a rapper, music mogul and clothing king, although it's possible to be familiar with him without knowing all that. You may recognize him because he's photographed so often, usually in beautiful places and in the company of beautiful women. Daniel Boorstin, the former Librarian of Congress who died in February, once defined a celebrity as "a person who is well known for his well-knownness." That's Sean Combs to a P -- er, T.
The artist formerly known as Puff Daddy has so much star power that the producers of "Raisin" expect full houses despite tepid reviews. Producer David Binder told reporters that potential theatergoers are "really responding" to his casting of Combs. The show took in $166,000 the first night, with backers expecting it to do even better in future weeks. "This is all happening because of him," Binder said. "Sean brings them in and that crosses a lot of different lines. So many different kinds of people can connect to him."
The production tallied $2.5 million in advance ticket sales, a far cry from the original 1959 production. Philip Rose, who staged it with David Cogan, raised money for it by soliciting $10 here, $15 there, all from friends," an effort he describes in his memoir, "You Can't Do That On Broadway."
Sidney Poitier, the star of Rose's production, had already begun to make a name for himself in Hollywood. In contrast, Combs' other roles have been bit parts in a couple of movies. Some reviews have pointed to his relative newness as a detriment to his performance. USA Today's critic concluded that "the finely textured work of Combs' accomplished co-stars makes his own lack of experience and depth all too apparent."
Not that any of that matters, mind you. P. Diddy shrugs off negative feedback with all the studied nonchalance of an incumbent president with a majority in both houses. Brushes with the law? No problem. Allegations that his clothes are made in sweatshops? Forget about it. Remember when they called Ronald Reagan the Teflon president? Combs is the Teflon celebrity.
Few entertainers have proved as astute as Combs when it comes to taking note of and capitalizing on Americans' pop-culture appetites. As sharp as he is, he has no doubt noticed certain parallels between himself and various holders of public office. After he's grown bored with music producing, clothes-designing and acting, perhaps he can be lured toward another big entertainment category: politics.
With a little effort and some slick packaging, his vaunted ability to pull in "nontraditional" theatergoers could be extended to attracting nontraditional voters as well -- a possibility that should appeal to both major parties. And while he's been linked to the Democratic Party in the past, I think Combs is savvy enough to at least give the Republicans a listen.
His acting skills suggest he could go either way. Consider The New York Times' description of Combs' stage technique: "Happy or sad, drunk or sober, angry or placating, his evenly reassured words and debating team captain's gestures remain pretty much the same." Now tell me that doesn't sound like John Kerry.
The Washington Post dismissed a particularly emotional scene as "about as persuasive as a Teamster dancing `Swan Lake.'" Didn't critics say similar things after President Bush's last press conference?
Whatever party he ultimately chooses, I think he should set his sights on the House of Representatives. There he can add to the tradition of such thespians-turned-lawmakers as Ben Jones, a former Democratic representative who played Cooter on "The Dukes of Hazzard," and Republican Fred Grandy, a former representative who had been Gopher on "The Love Boat." If there has been room in Congress for a Gopher and a Cooter, why not a Puffy too?
