The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window review

Unlike Lorraine Hansberry’s celebrated and often produced first play, A Raisin in the Sun, this one – her second – has not been staged in a leading New York theatre for 50 years. Anne Kauffman’s revival, with stars Oscar Isaac (seen in the films Ex Machina, Star Wars and Dune) and Rachel Brosnahan (from TV’s The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and House of Cards), gives us a rare look at Hansberry’s vision of bohemian politics, people and 1960s disillusion.

It’s a fascinating if challenging work, and Kauffman doesn’t always guide the audience firmly enough through the rigorous material. But her production does conclude with an effective emotional blowout.

Sidney Brustein (Isaac) is an activist who avoids choosing sides. After a spate of embarking on money-losing ventures, he undertakes to run a small newspaper. He gets lured into a political campaign by a friend running to unseat a long-time party boss, and the campaign sign boldly goes in Sidney’s window.

Sidney’s wife Iris (Brosnahan) is exhausted from working as a waitress and struggling with her acting career. The couple’s once snappy banter has morphed into something cruel and cutting; their relationship is on the brink. Sidney’s pal Alton (Julian De Niro), a light-skinned Black man, falls for Iris’ sister, but doesn’t know she is a call girl. Sidney and their neighbour David, a gay playwright (played at the performance reviewed by understudy Gregory Connors, covering for Glenn Fitzgerald) argue frequently over ideas.

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