Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Tony Kushner’s revised A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY, if still imperfect, radiates urgency

• By drediman
• December 13, 2019
• No Comments

Michael Urie and Nikki M. James in the Public Theater’s production of “A Bright Room Called Day” by Tony Kushner. Photo by Joan Marcus.

I recently had the opportunity to catch up with the Public Theater’s Off-Broadway revival of Tony Kushner’s 1985 A Bright Room Called Day, a work that’s notable for being the revered Pulitzer Prize winning playwright’s first play. Set in Berlin, the play tells the story of a band of friends during the passage of time between the height of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazism.

In addition to being Mr. Kushner’s initial foray into playwriting, the work is also notoriously known for being problematic. So why revive the play, then? Well, given our current political climate, it’s unfortunately more relevant than ever (many of its themes and ideas would find more compelling life in later plays, particularly the playwright’s epic two-part masterpiece Angels in America). It also gives Mr. Kushner a chance to revisit the work and implement much-needed revisions – of which there are many – particularly as it relates to the role of the play’s two interlopers, a 1980s political activist and the playwright himself (the latter is a new addition). Admittedly, the play remains imperfect and overlong, despite Mr. Kushner’s attempt at drawing a clearer connection to our current predicament. Nevertheless, there’s something potently instructive about witnessing the dire consequences of stasis and indecision. There’s no question that A Bright Room Called Day is urgent political theater.

Although it’s hard to mask the awkwardly episodic nature of the play, the production has nonetheless been directed with panache by the Public Theater’s artistic director Oskar Eustis, who has indulged the play with a richly atmospheric expressionistic look (the scenic design is by David Rockwell) and a deluxe cast. Indeed, it’s fabulous to see the warmly inviting Nikki M. James in a leading role in a straight play, and she doesn’t disappoint, giving an honest performance that’s ultimately heartbreaking. Also in the cast – and all quite good – are New York theater stalwarts Michael Urie, Linda Emond, Michael Esper, and last but not least, the great elder statesmen Jonathan Hadary and Estelle Parsons.

RECOMMENDED

A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY
Off-Broadway, Play
The Public Theater
2 hours, 50 minutes (with one intermission)
Through December 22