Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan in THE SIGN IN SIDNEY BRUSTEIN’S WINDOW at BAM — Page 2

tonight's show cancelled.

Feb 14

It is of its time and that is not to its detriment. It is showing modern audiences the struggles of the past. This play was ahead of its time when it was produced and today I fear modern audiences won’t connect with it. That is not to say that it isn’t an important play, because it is.


It forces the audience to think about people and situations they would sooner just sweep under the rug.

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I would be shocked if David Binder isn't trying to move this to Broadway, schedules of its two stars permitting. It could make a tidy sum in 16 weeks. But it obviously needs these 2 (and the two of them together is what makes it an event)."


I tend to assume that if a high-profile production like this chooses to play the Harvey, they probably decided to skip Broadway on purpose. I always figured that’s why the recent productions of Cyrano, Medea, Long Day’s Journey, etc. didn’t go to Broadway after playing BAM.

With these 2 stars, I can’t imagine they would’ve had much trouble getting funded for Broadway right off the bat if they wanted to, and I bet the Broadway landlords would’ve given them priority over most of the plays opening this spring.

Updated On: 2/19/23 at 07:59 PM

Eh, I always go back to the Tom Hiddelston (or however you spell it) “Betrayal.” I’m not sure if it made its money back but it wasn’t a hot ticket. And I don’t think this would really ignite the box office the way y’all think it would. Sounds like the play is a drudge so word of mouth might hinder it. Just because they’re in a franchise doesn’t mean those same people want to pay $150 to see them so something outside said franchise.

They'll probably just gonna extend it like they did with Cyrano.

This is must see theater. Lorraine Hansberry turns her withering eye on the white bourgeoisie and eviscerates it. Yes it’s long and tickets are scarce and expensive but see it for your own good. Oscar Isaac may go overboard here and there. Rachel Brosnahan doesn’t really seem to be acting but seems to be playing herself (a struggling actress who has difficulty getting work). Curiously none of the actors got entrance applause. Miriam Silverman got exit applause in her last scene, as much for Hansberry’s words as her delivery of them. Gus Birney is incandescent in a small but crucial role. She’s grown a lot since she quit school to do Connected - a terrible idea unless your name is Birney. An understudy was on for David, I didn’t quite buy him as a gay man. The actor playing Alton was very good. Andy G was practically unrecognizable without his facial hair. This play looks to have had a revival in 1972 that lasted only 9 performances. That was the year Nixon was re-elected and Archie Bunker was the most popular man in America. Thank God we’ve evolved.

Anyone who knew RB's work before MAISEL will heartily disagree here. This role, like Maisel, is not her natural persona. (See: House of Cards, Othello, and her other stage work.) Yes, her character Iris has a lot of shades of Maisel (she does "the voice," even some of the costuming is similar) but it's more interesting and nuanced than what she does on Amazon.

It did strike me, though, that she's never going to be able to escape Midge Maisel. Sort of a Jason Alexander situation. and she must turn down sooo many period pieces.

jbird5 said: "This is must see theater. Lorraine Hansberry turns her withering eye on the white bourgeoisie and eviscerates it. Yes it’s long and tickets are scarce and expensive but see it for your own good. Oscar Isaac may go overboard here and there. Rachel Brosnahan doesn’t really seem to be acting but seems to be playing herself (a struggling actress who has difficulty getting work). Curiously none of the actors got entrance applause. Miriam Silverman got exit applause in her last scene, as much for Hansberry’s words as her delivery of them. Gus Birney is incandescent in a small but crucial role. She’s grown a lot since she quit school to do Connected - a terrible idea unless your name is Birney. An understudy was on for David, I didn’t quite buy him as a gay man. The actor playing Alton was very good. Andy G was practically unrecognizable without his facial hair. This play looks to have had a revival in 1972 that lasted only 9 performances. That was the year Nixon was re-elected and Archie Bunker was the most popular man in America. Thank God we’ve evolved."

The 1972 revival starring Hal Linden and Zohra Lampert was actually a revisal. It included songs that were added to comment on the action on stage sung by a "greek chorus".

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "jbird5 said: "Rachel Brosnahan doesn’t really seem to be acting but seems to be playing herself (a struggling actress who has difficulty getting work)."

Anyone who knew RB's work before MAISEL will heartily disagree here. This role, like Maisel, is not her natural persona. (See: House of Cards, Othello, and her other stage work.) Yes, her character Iris has a lot of shades of Maisel (she does "the voice," even some of the costuming is similar) but it's more interesting and nuanced than what she does on Amazon.

It did strike me, though, that she's never going to be able to escape Midge Maisel. Sort of a Jason Alexander situation. and she must turn down sooo many period pieces."

I worry the same for Jodie Comer. I'm gonna be seeing Prima Facie soon but I fear all I'm gonna see on stage is Villanelle. There are some actors who just seem to be very limited yet work exceptionally in their limitations. Not to imply Brosnahan's even on Comer's level, though.

Saw this tonight and absolutely loved it. To be fair, I’ve been a big fan of this play and was so thrilled to see it given such a major revival. While the play certainly is long, I didn’t really feel it until well into Act II.

Anne Kaufman really understands her actors and the play which makes this a pleasure to watch. Many times, I forgot this was a period piece. It’s so eerily relevant and insightful.

And then the performances are almost uniformly excellent. Rachel Brosnahan walks away with evening for me. I heard some complaints of the “Maisel Voice” which I did not feel here at all. That voice tends to be more exaggerated. This performance was so nuanced and captivating to me. Such a great character that felt lived in—great chemistry with Oscar. Special shout out to Miriam Silverman as Mavis who almost steals every scene she’s in.

This rarely revived gem in a stellar production is not to be missed.