The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window
About the Play
1964
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window was first presented by Burt C. D'Lugoff, Robert Nemiroff and J. I. Jahre at the Longacre Theatre, New York City, NY, on October 15, 1964 directed by Peter Kass.
3W, 5M
Comedy, Drama,
Greenwich Village, 1964: a potent time and place for ideals and activism of every kind. At its center is Sidney Brustein’s apartment, the gathering place for an eclectic group of bohemians during a time of rapid change. As Sidney gets increasingly swept up in the radical issues of the day, however, he ignores the equally dangerous tension mounting between himself and his wife Iris, the one person he holds most dear.
Scenes from the Play
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, Act 1, Scene 1
(1W, 1M) The love, fun, and friction between Sidney and Iris is intense, as their mutual failures are aired – her acting and his night spot. View Scene
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, Act 1, Scene 2
(1W, 1M) Iris shares her insecurities about being an actress with Sidney. View Scene
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, Act 2, Scene 1
(1W, 1M) Sidney and Iris share the fantasy of living off the grid. View Scene
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, Act 2, Scene 2
(1W, 1M) In a show of independence, Iris goes to a party alone – letting Sidney know all is not well between them. View Scene
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, Act 2, Scene 2a
(2M) Now that upstairs neighbor, David, has become a successful playwright, Sidney asks him to write a part for Iris, to help save his marriage. Desperate,… View Scene
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, Act 2, Scene 3
(2M) Alton, African American, confronts Sidney about his sister-in-law Gloria, whom he has proposed to, being a prostitute. View Scene
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, Act 2, Scene 3a
(1W, 1M) Mavis, Iris’s older sister, shares some of her secrets with Sidney - impressed by his success with his newspaper, and wanting to soften their… View Scene
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, Act 2, Scene 3b
(1W, 1M) The “new” independent Iris, confronts Sidney about his false victory. View Scene
About the Playwright
Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago’s Southside on May 19, 1930 to Nannie and Carl Hansberry. Her father, who worked in real estate and banking, was at the forefront of the fight for civil rights in the city of Chicago and rebelled against the “restrictive covenants” that prevented African Americans from living in certain all-white neighborhoods of the city. His fight led to his family taking a house in one of these neighborhoods and facing extreme violence in response. Later, he and the N…
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