Informed theatergoers probably know A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 Broadway debut at age 29. She was the first Black woman to have a show produced there there. Lesser known is her second show, produced five years later: The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window. Suffering from cancer before and during the run of that production, she passed away just as the show closed on Broadway. Had she lived longer, it seems likely that her dense, complex script would have been streamlined and focused more fully. It’s been only rarely produced since then. Cincinnati community theater Mariemont Players has it onstage through July 27, staged by director David Derringer.
I previewed Derringer’s production in the July 9, 2025, edition of CityBeat; here’s a link. Additionally, my review has been posted on the Talkin’ Broadway website.
If you go to see it at Mariemont Players’ Walton Creek Theater, be prepared to see some fine acting, but know in advance that it’s a nearly three-hour production. Hansberry’s script covers numerous contentious issues from the 1960s, some of which are still around 60 years later. It’s thought provoking, to be sure, but there’s a lot to take in. The show is characterized as a dramatic comedy, but I’d say there’s a lot more drama than comedy. Still it’s a rare opportunity to see a script by a playwright whose career was definitely cut short. She had so much potential — it was a shame to lose her at such a young age, so early in her career.
A logistical note: The theater’s Walton Creek road entrance from Route 50 to the building is currently closed due to roadwork. Access is still available from the north via Muchmore Road — but it’s definitely a detour. Go to MPI’s website for more specific directions.