The Public Theater celebrated the opening of its revival of Tony Kushner's A Bright Room Called Day November 18, ahead of a November 25 official press opening. Directed by Artistic Director Oskar Eustis, this new version of Pulitzer Prize winner Kushner's first play—originally about the possibility of the Reagan counter-revolution giving rise to American fascism—shines a light on the vulnerability of American democracy today.
A Bright Room Called Day features a cast made up of Tony winner Nikki M. James (Twelfth Night) as Agnes Eggling, Michael Esper (The Glass Menagerie in the West End) as Vealtninc Hus, Grace Gummer (Mr. Robot) as Paulinka Erdnuss, Crystal Lucas-Perry (Ain't No Mo') as Zillah, Nadine Malouf (queens) as Rosa Malek, Mark Margolis (Breaking Bad) as Gottfried Swetts, Michael Urie (Torch Song) as Gregor Bazwald, Max Woertendyke (Illyria) as Emil Traum, Linda Emond as Annabella Gotchling, Jonathan Hadary as Xillah, and Oscar winner Estelle Parsons as Die Älte.
Performances began October 29 and are scheduled through December 15.
Flip through photos from the opening below:
In A Bright Room Called Day, Agnes, an actor in Weimar Germany, and her cadre of passionate, progressive friends, are torn between protest, escape, and survival as the world they knew crumbles around them. Her story is interrupted by an American woman enraged by the cruelty of the Reagan administration, and a new character, grappling with the anxiety, distraction, hope, and hopelessness of an artist facing the once unthinkable rise of authoritarianism in modern America.
The Public Theater production features scenic design by David Rockwell, co-costume design by Susan Hilferty and Sarita Fellows, lighting design by John Torres, sound design by Bray Poor, projection design by Lucy Mackinnon, and hair, wig, and makeup design by Tom Watson.
