Oscar Isaac (Scenes from a Marriage, Hamlet, Star Wars) and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Dead for a Dollar, Othello) star in Lorraine Hansberry’s (A Raisin in the Sun) sweeping drama of identity, idealism, and love. With direction by Anne Kauffman, BAM's production marks the first major New York revival since the original Broadway run.
Hansberry invites us into Greenwich Village in the 60s, crafting a razor-sharp portrait of a diverse group of friends whose progressive dreams can’t quite match reality. At the center are Sidney and Iris Brustein, fighting to see if their marriage—with all its crackling wit, passion, and petty cruelty—can survive Sidney’s ideals. As if reaching across the decades, Hansberry’s incisive final work offers shockingly contemporary provocations.
Discover this “astonishing force” (The Chicago Tribune) from one of America’s greatest playwrights when it finally returns to New York.
“Mavis, the world is about to crack right down the middle. We’ve gotta change—or fall in the crack,” Sidney says to his judgmental sister-in-law. But how would running a non-political arty newspaper do to substantially counter any of that? And why does Sid talk about politics way more than art—given that he initially professes to embrace the latter and shun the former, and then spend hours lecturing people about politics and social change. Perhaps the play is a satire about white liberal intent and confusion, as embodied by Sidney and the other characters on stage. Whatever, time has outpaced it, and so just like Sidney, Iris, and the others, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window sadly ends up feeling stuck.
The beauty of Hansberry’s play almost makes up for Anne Kauffman’s production, which feels too unsure of itself to linger or make demands. Both Brosnahan and Isaac emit one-note performances that start high and strong but gradually deflate. Isaac, who is onstage almost the whole show, is at times charming and at times funny, but does not differentiate his performance enough through the first two acts. It is only in the third act’s devastation that Isaac finds something worth holding onto.
Digital Rush
Price: $35
Where: TheSignonBroadway.com
When: Beginning April 28th, tickets will be available for each day’s performance.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Subject to availability.
General Rush
Price: $47
Where: James Earl Jones box office
When: Tickets are available day-of when the box office opens.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Determined at the discretion of the box office. Subject to daily availability.
Digital Lottery:
Price: $35
Where: TheSignonBroadway.com
When: Beginning April 28th, tickets will be available for each day’s performance.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Subject to availability.
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