The sign in Sidney Brusteins window- Broadway — Page 6

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?

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:

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.

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

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.

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