The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) announces the first major New York revival of Lorraine Hanberry’s The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, directed by Obie Award winner Anne Kauffman at the BAM Harvey Theater beginning February 4 and opening February 23, 2023.
Oscar Isaac (Moon Night, Scenes from a Marriage) and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Dead for a Dollar) star in Hansberry’s sweeping drama of identity, idealism, and love.
The A Raisin in the Sun playwright invites us into Greenwich Village in the 60s, crafting a razor-sharp portrait of a diverse group of friends whose loudly proclaimed progressive dreams can’t quite match up with reality. At the center are Sidney and Iris Brustein, fighting to see if their marriage—with all its crackling wit, passion, and petty cruelty—will be the final sacrifice to Sidney’s ideals. Discover the “astonishing force” (The Chicago Tribune) of this stunning drama from one of America’s greatest playwrights when it finally returns to New York.
Following Hansberry’s meteoric debut with A Raisin in the Sun (1959), The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window debuted on Broadway in 1964 just before Ms. Hanberry’s death at the age of 34. Since then, her play has never been produced on a major New York stage. Director Anne Kauffman presented an acclaimed revival in Chicago’s Goodman Theatre in 2016.
“During the five years I spent working to produce the first Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun (in 2004), I fell in love with The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window” said David Binder, BAM Artistic Director, “I shared this passion for Lorraine’s play with Anne and the two of us spent many, many years working together to mount the show in New York. It’s an honor to present Lorraine’s beautiful, and rarely seen, play, finally, at BAM.”
"I'm thrilled that BAM will present this overshadowed work from one of America's greatest playwrights," said BAM President, Gina Duncan. "Hansberry died far too young but left us with a cherished few incredible works that are just as relevant now as they were when they were first written."
“We are in dire need of Hansberry’s voice…we know so little of her and define her by one play: A Raisin in the Sun. Without a doubt Raisin is a masterpiece, but Hansberry’s evolution and contribution to this country's culture, history and political motion stretches way beyond that astonishing accomplishment. Her work as an artist and activist is varied and deep,” said Anne Kauffman, Director. “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, written four years after A Raisin in the Sun, embraces human complexity and frailty while aggressively shaking us free of our delusions, yet very few people know of it. Now they’ll know.”
The creative team and full company will be announced soon. Tickets for The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window go on sale Oct 11 (for BAM members/patrons) and Oct 21 (for the general public). To purchase tickets visit BAM.org or call BAM Ticket Services 718.636.4100. In conjunction with the presentation of Hansberry’s play, BAM will create in-person and online experiences that showcase her legacy as an artist. This will include talks, an exhibit in the Harvey Theater lobby overseen by BAM’s archivist Sharon Lehner, and online educational tools