Lorraine Hansberry's second Broadway play is the probing, hilarious and provocative story of Sidney, a disenchanted Greenwich Village intellectual, his wife Iris, an aspiring actress, and their colorful circle of friends and relations.
Set against the turmoil of a stormy 1964 political campaign, the play follows its characters in their unorthodox quests for meaningful lives in an age of corruption, alienation and cynicism. With compassion, humor and poignancy, the author examines questions of morality, ethics, interracial relationships, drugs, rebellion, conformity, global responsibility and the fragility of love.
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window premiered on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on October 15, 1964. Directed by Peter Kass, the production starred Gabriel Dell and Rita Moreno. Alice Ghostley, who played Mavis, won the 1965 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. In January 1972, the play returned to Broadway starring Hal Linden, Zohra Lampert and Frances Sternhagen. In February 2023, the Brooklyn Academy of Music produced a revival of the play, directed by Anne Kauffman and starring Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan. The production transferred to Broadway on April 27, 2023, earning a Tony nomination for Best Revival of a Play. Once again, the actress playing Mavis won a Tony: Miriam Silverman won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play.