'The Play's the Thing'
Nothing beats waiting for a play to begin. When you sit in the theatre, and the play is about to start, and you know you have this emerging drama that is about to unfold - what could be better? I love that moment; I love savoring that before moment.
On Sunday we went to the Brooklyn Academy of Music to see a new old play written by Lorraine Hansberry. The play was called The Sign in Sydney Brustein's Window, a very difficult title to remember. This play was hardly ever performed; it had a limited run in 1964 and then a short run in 2016 in Chicago, and now it was back for a very limited run at BAM. I taught Raisin in the Sun many times over the years, and even took an eighth-grade class to see it when it was on Broadway. I was excited to see this play I had never heard of. It also starred Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel).
The play was not without its flaws, but it was still great. The acting was extraordinary. The drama centered around people living in Greenwich Village in the 1960s who were trying to live their lives adhering to their liberal values in the face of real change in the world. It dealt with difficult issues involving anti-Semitism, civil rights, and suicide.
Lorraine Hansberry died at the age of 34, in 1965. She was a real social activist. In 2023, her work lives on.
Sad to think such a talent died so young. I agree that there is always something magical about sitting in a theater waiting for a play to begin. It's always fun to see a live performance, even if the play isn't outstanding. Crazy how things haven't changed much in so many ways such as anti-semistism and suicide since the 1960's!
ReplyDeleteThat feeling of anticipation, just before the curtain goes up or the conductor's baton drops or the pitcher starts their first windup, such a great and visceral threshold. Bravo for spotlighting this moment before the momentous!
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