The sign in Sidney Brusteins window- Broadway- Page 6

[BwayinVan]

Posted: 5/1/23 at 2:19pm

It looks like all of row O and P are partial view. From looking a picture of the set I’m guessing it’s that the fire escape that is part of the set is higher than the mezz overhang?

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 5/1/23 at 8:10pm

There is some action up top above the main stage but its minimal, I think, and the one real scene is just Isaac sitting there center stage, and I'd imagine mostly viewable. In general the pricing here is very reasonable and 90% of the show takes place dead center, up on that raised platform.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 5/1/23 at 8:34pm

Apparently, this is from P 2, which looks pretty bad for seeing the upper level, but their profile on SeatPlan says they're 6'8", so I guess that's why it looks like they were standing when they took the picture:



 

 

[Fordham2015]

Posted: 5/1/23 at 8:44pm

Reminds me of being in the rear mezz for The Thanksgiving Play and not being able to see the top of the whiteboard for Chris Sullivan's PowerPoint

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 5/1/23 at 9:00pm

void the last 4-5 rows if you want to see the upper level.  If you do, get an aisle so you can leave all the way over the armrest and look up.  Awkward.   Closer orchestra or mezzanine.

[buffalospeedway]

Posted: 5/2/23 at 12:46am

PipingHotPiccolo said: "i feel an immense pressure to appreciate this play because Lorraine Hansberry deserved a long career and national adulation, and she was robbed of both. And her sharp writing shines through here, and attention must be paid to her talent and insight.

but some writing holds up for 60 years, and some doesnt. its hard to stay rapt with attention when these characters talk in a way thats so strange to my ear, and when the leading man is such a horrible prick. the homophobia and bigotry and misogyny is examined here, yes, but its also forgiven/accepted-- a testament to 1964, yes, but hard to reconcile now. (kudos to the production and Oscar Isaac for sticking with the original script).

i'm not sure i understand what happened at the end of Act 2 between Gloria the sister and David the upstairs neighbor? but mostly, i found myself largely bored--and the audience in general seemed restless. (the orchestra was full of people excited to see Big Celebrities but with none of the attention span required for this).

Both leads were very good, but Brosnahan isn't given a ton to do, and disappears in Act 2. Isaac is great with an annoyingly talky character. As Act 1 ended, I thought of all the performances I had seen that grabbed me by the throat this year, and how nothing onstage tonight did, thinking specifically of TopdogUnderdog for some reason? 2 mins later I saw Corey Hawkins at the bar.

I thought De Niro Jr. did a fine job (have i missed the nepo baby whining about him? Still just Platt and Beanie, huh? Interesting) but the stand out was without a doubt, as others have said, Miriam Silverman. I dont know why Hansberry gave all the energy and best lines to this WASP from the Upper East Side but Silverman runs away with it and deserves the Tony nomination that I assume will be coming her way.

i dont think there are bad seats for this--we were Row H, center-left--but i noticed that AGAIN we have a stage-raised-upon-the-stage situation, ala Parade. I'd imagine front orchestra is not the best.

"

An answer to the question posed in your third paragraph:

 

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David is in the middle of hooking up with a guy in his apartment when he goes down to the Brusteins' apartment to party with Sidney and Gloria. He then asks Gloria to watch him and the guy upstairs have sex (apparently, this is something that the guy wants). Gloria agrees to the request and goes upstairs, but is suddenly turned off by what she is expected to do, which causes her to abruptly slam the door and leave the apartment.

This show offers such a rich banquet of ideas and is a fascinating portrait of Hansberry's adult life in Greenwich Village. Glad that audiences have been able to see it at 2 separate venues this season.

 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/3/23 at 7:53pm

I was at the matinee today and found the play moving, (mostly) entertaining, and surprisingly accessible through the 2023 prism. The satire of earnest yet hypocritical liberalism -- one can only imagine how this landed in LBJ's 1964 -- felt startlingly fresh and relevant. I'll resist spoiling some of the targets, but Hansberry has much to say about patriarchal duplicity, and the play's baked in misogyny is (alas) all too familiar in sociopolitical discourse today.

In many ways a traditional piece of storytelling, the stylized directorial embellishments aside (and they add, appropriately, enhanced by the structural design), albeit one with a sometimes unwieldy canvas size. Characters are introduced incrementally, and some have more ultimate payoff than others. A major plot point is tethered to one late arrival and though it's organic to the whiff of a romantic subplot's set-up, it feels like much of the incipient drama, veering toward melodrama, isn't connected to the central issues of Brustein's apolitical stand(s).  One can argue that the thematic cohesiveness is sustained: Hansberry does much with a multifaceted prostitution allegory. 

As most have reported, the two stars not only have great chemistry, they carry the nearly three hours with the charisma needed to keep us focused on the emotional stakes; both give unstintingly, and build to a coda of genuine power. Isaac has the challenge of playing a man obsessed with humanity yet crippled by simmering rage at multiple targets. His charm offensive to mitigate the put-downs feels effortless, and greatly aids Hansberry's case for a man not always deserving of our empathy. The sexism in the play, rather than feel dated (again, alas) reminds us of how a glance in the rearview mirror says much about today.  

Updated On: 5/3/23 at 07:53 PM

[BroadwayLuv2]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 3:25pm

Has anyone tried to rush this recently?  Any reports on where the seat locations are?  Thank you!

[BwayinVan]

Posted: 5/30/23 at 11:21pm

So I saw the show tonight as my first show of 7 this week on my annual trip. I went into it completely blind and overall I really enjoyed it. I thought the whole cast was very strong with the two leads doing a great job with the heavy lifting of carrying a nearly 3 hr show. I was disappointed not to see more of RB in Act 2 because I really enjoyed their chemistry but that is not a fault of the acting. I did find myself a couple times wondering where the play was going and there was a bit of a lull in Act 2 but Oscar’s acting kept me enthralled. I would recommend it for sure but maybe only to those who see a lot of theatre and appreciate talky plays that leave you thinking about the message in the words. I sat in row J seat 10 on the right and had a great view. 
 

I haven’t stage doored since before Covid but came out on the street right beside the barricades so though why not. The whole cast came out and signed and we’re very gracious. People were polite and it was a respectful vibe which was refreshing to see. 

[TapDanceGal]

Posted: 5/31/23 at 9:03am

I rushed on Saturday. Got there at 8:15am. Second person didn’t arrive until 9am. I had evening- my ticket was for 4th row center orchestra on the aisle. Matinee seats weren’t as great. 

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 6/25/23 at 10:32am

I have hardly stopped thinking about this play since I saw it two weeks ago.
Count me in the "unsung masterpiece" group.
Hansberry interrupts kindness with vitriol with shattering force.  Like no one ever has, she shows us how we hardly know the people we love. Sidney's journey from detachment to seduced reattachment to the realpolitik to demoralization is heartbreaking proof this play could have been written yesterday and still seem ahead of its time.

Either Isaac and Brosnahan's performances grew exponentially during the run or these are two of the most underrated star turns in recent Broadway history. No words can do Silverman's work justice.

Some see the messiness of this play as a dramaturgical flaw. I see one of its greatest strengths.  If Hansberry didn't stay in her "well made play" lane, if she had too much to say and too little time to do it, all the more power to The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window! The play is as messy as any great "problem play" should be.  As messy, funny and tragic as life.  

 

Updated On: 6/25/23 at 10:32 AM

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 6/25/23 at 10:56am

Saw it on Friday and also in the "masterpiece" camp. I thought it was fantastic. Rachel and Oscar were perfect together and my only complaint is that she dips for most of the second act (although I understand why from a story perspective). Miriam is EVERYTHING. 

The thing that I keep thinking about is how Lorraine was able to weave in so many social issues without it seeming tacky or heavy handed. It stands in stark contrast to something like Jagged Little Pill, which felt like it wanted to address every possible issue but refused to engage with them beyond the surface level.