Performances began October 29 at The Public Theater for the Off-Broadway revival of A Bright Room Called Day by Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner. Helmed by Artistic Director Oskar Eustis, this new version of 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 Last Ship) 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.
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.
Flip through photos from the production below:
The Public Theater revival 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.
