A Bright Room Called Day
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''A Bright Room Called Day'' is a play by American playwright
Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Lauded for his work on stage he's most known for his seminal work ''Angels in America'' which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award. At the turn ...
, author of ''
Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award f ...
''.


Synopsis

The play is set in Germany in 1932 and 1933, and concerns a group of friends caught up in the events of the fall of the
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is ...
and the rise to power of
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
and the
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...
. The plot is centered on a woman named Agnes Eggling, a middle-aged actress, and all of the action takes place in her apartment. The action is occasionally interrupted by scenes featuring Zillah, a young woman in the 1980s living in Long Island who believes that
Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
is becoming too much like Hitler. In the version performed by the
New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions ar ...
, Zillah has moved to
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
. Zillah has fled to Germany out of frustration and anger at the growing power of the Republican Party in America during the 1980s. The play was based on Bertolt Brecht's 1938 work '' The Private Life of the Master Race''.


2018 version

Kushner revised the script in 2018 to include a new character, Xillah, who only interacts with Zillah. As explained by the character in the 2019 Public Theater production, ''A Bright Room Called Day'' was a play he wrote 34 years ago that never worked until
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
was elected and suddenly everyone wanted to produce it, so he decided to give it an update. Xillah serves as Kushner's own commentary on his play, occasionally cutting into the proceedings to comment on issues with the play and getting into arguments with his "failed theatrical device" Zillah on the content of the play. Throughout the play, the two characters frequently discuss Kushner's prior comparison of Hitler to Ronald Reagan with present-day Hitler comparisons to Donald Trump. Zillah spends much of the play asking Xillah to write a new ending where she can interact with Agnes instead of having her just write hate mail to Ronald Reagan, while Xillah insists it is naïve to think one can speak to the dead. The result has been characterized by Kushner and Oskar Eustis (who directed the original Eureka production and the Public Theater revival) as turning the play from a critique of the American right to a discussion on the role of art as social or political action.


Production history

''A Bright Room Called Day'' was first presented in a workshop production by Heat & Light Co., Inc., at Theatre 22 in New York City in April 1985,
directed Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
by Kushner himself. The play premiered at the Eureka Theatre in
San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
in October 1987, directed by
Oskar Eustis Oskar Eustis (born July 31, 1958) has been the Artistic Director at the Public Theater in New York City since 2005. He has worked as a director, dramaturg, and artistic director for theaters around the United States.Joseph Papp Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...
by the
New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions ar ...
, where it was directed by
Michael Greif Michael Greif (born ca. 1959 in Brooklyn, New YorkWelsh, Anne Marie, "New York and family call Michael Greif home", ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'', October 10, 1999, p.E-1) is an American stage director. He has won three Obie Awards and received ...
. The segments of the play set in the 1930s remained substantially the same throughout the various productions, but Zillah's interruptions changed drastically from version to version. Her scenes were the primary point of contention for critics of the show, some of whom took offense at her comparisons of Ronald Reagan to Adolf Hitler. In 2009, ''A Bright Room Called Day'' was translated into French by Hillary Keegin and Pauline Le Diset. It was presented by I Girasoli at the Théatre de la Boutonnière, Paris, France in January 2010 under the title ''Bright Room''. In July to August 2014, the play got its first London revival at the Southwark Playhouse, directed by Sebastian Harcombe. In February 2018 a revised version of the play, titled "A Bright Room Called Day (Revisited)", was performed at the
University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...
School of Dramatic Arts. The revised version included the addition of the character Xillah, who also interrupts the play and comments on the modern parallels of the play in contrast to the parallels made to 1985. The production was directed by
David Warshofsky David Warshofsky (born David A. Warner; February 23, 1961) is an American film, television and stage actor. Life and career Warshofsky was born David A. WarnerAccording to the State of California. ''California Birth Index, 1905-1995''. Center fo ...
. Oskar Eustis helmed a revival of the play at the Public Theater in the fall of 2019, running from October 29 to December 22 after two extensions from an original end date of December 8. The production, using the revised version of the script, featured Nikki M. James as Agnes,
Michael Urie Michael Lorenzo Urie (born August 8, 1980) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Marc St. James on the ABC dramedy television series ''Ugly Betty''. He can be heard as Bobby Kerns in ''As the Curtain Rises'', an original podca ...
as Gregor,
Linda Emond Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake ...
as Annabella,
Jonathan Hadary Jonathan Hadary (born October 11, 1948) is an American actor. Early life and education Born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, Hadary arrived at Tufts University already an accomplished actor. He was cast in many shows at ...
as Xillah, and Estelle Parsons as Die Älte, with
Michael Esper Michael James Esper (born December 1, 1975) is an American actor, best known for his stage work. Early life Esper was born in Manhattan and raised in Montclair, New Jersey. He is the son of acting teachers William and Suzanne Esper, of the W ...
as Vealtninc,
Grace Gummer Grace Jane Gummer (born May 9, 1986) is an American actress. She received a Theatre World Award for her Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of '' Arcadia''. Her television work includes recurring roles in '' The Newsroom'' and '' American Horror ...
as Paulinka, Crystal Lucas-Perry as Zillah, Nadine Malouf as Rosa Malek,
Mark Margolis Mark Margolis (; born November 26, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for playing Alberto "The Shadow" in '' Scarface'', Antonio Nappa in '' Oz'', and Hector Salamanca in ''Breaking Bad'' and '' Better Call Saul''. His performance in ''Break ...
as Gottfried Swetts, and Max Woertendyke as Emil Traum. Hayley Levitt of ''TheaterMania'' noted the revised script resembled a commentary on an old play rather than a revival of the play itself.


Critics

* "Tony Kushner's ''A Bright Room Called Day''...is unabashedly political, thought-provoking, a little scary, and frequently a good deal of theatrical fun. ...''Bright Room'' is...an examination of Nazi Germany in an attempt to shed insight on our own time. It's brash, audacious, and, depending on your politics, anything from infuriatingly naive to intoxicatingly visionary. In its 1932-33 span, it tells of a group of Berlin artists and friends, with varying degrees of communist leanings, and of the changes in their lives as democracy falls and Adolph Hitler takes over." Sid Smith, ''Chicago Tribune'' * "It's fun to see a show this engaged. This passionate and ready to talk. Wild, uneven, pugnacious, ragged, committed, smart, dumb, satirical, and utterly serious. Always dramatically and intellectually forceful. And most important, always passionately committed. More than a diatribe against Reagan or a falling-into-the-Nazi-abyss history play, ''A Bright Room Called Day'' is an assertion of the need for commitment." Anthony Adler, ''The Reader''


References


External links


Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival

French adaptation
Broadway Play Publishing Inc: licensor of stage production rights in U S & Canada {{DEFAULTSORT:Bright Room Called Day, A 1985 plays Plays by Tony Kushner Plays set in Germany