{"value"=>"<p>The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window was Hansberry's second produced play. In this drama, originally titled The Sign in Jenny Reed's Window, Hansberry changed the perspective from black to white characters; set in New York's Greenwich Village, where she and Nemiroff initially made their home. Hansberry wrote the play beginning in 1960, with revisions continuing until July 1964. It was produced by Burt D'Lugoff, Robert Nemiroff, and J. I. Jahre. Brustein opened at Broadway's Longacre Theatre on October 15, 1964 to mixed reviews, closing on January 12, 1965. The play starred Gabriel Dell, Rita Moreno and Alice Ghostley, and was directed by Peter Kass.</p> <p>When the play opened in October 1964, Hansberry was already battling cancer, and although she had re-written certain segments of the play, there was no time prior to opening night to incorporate the changes. The play was scheduled to close soon after opening because the producers could not meet the costs to remain open. Each week that the play was due to close, however, celebrities contributed money and encouraged many others to do so, including members of the audience. Among the celebrities who contributed were Sidney Kingsley, James Baldwin, Shelley Winters and Viveca Lindfors. While Hansberry's health and doctors' predictions concerning the state of her health changed, so too did the life of Brustein on Broadway. After moving from the Longacre Theatre in December because another play was scheduled to open there, Brustein opened at the Henry Miller Theatre. Finally, on January 12, 1965, after 101 performances, Lorraine Hansberry passed away, and Brustein, at last, closed on Broadway. Included in the collection are two of the original drafts — the first and third as typed and revised by Hansberry. (There is a note from Nemiroff in the file stating that he did not know the whereabouts of the second draft). Notes written by Nemiroff on the first page of each version and on the file folders explain the chronology of the various drafts and whether the edits were written by Hansberry or himself. Versions prepared after Hansberry's death include two made-for-road productions; one is the stage manager's script.</p> <p>The first draft is dated 1960, with revisions continuing until July 1964, the last version in this collection is dated ca. 1981-1985. Included is a script for the musical version in which Nemiroff planned to incorporate song lyrics by Ray Errol Fox and music by Gary William Friedman. Correspondence with Brustein's first director, Harold Prince, pertains to casting, and the many mailings sent to investors discuss various problems as they unfolded in 1963. Of particular interest are lists of investors with amounts provided prior to the actual performance when financial considerations threatened the play's opening. The play's files also include contracts for the cast members, and documents regarding a legal dispute between Mort Sahl, originally cast as the leading male actor, and Nemiroff and Burt D'Lugoff, the producers. Files include hearing proceedings, summons and complaints, a temporary restraining order, and correspondence.</p> <p>Other material pertaining to Brustein encompasses promotional information, opening night telegrams, programs, reviews and literary criticism. Files relating to the play's financial difficulties and efforts to keep it running on Broadway include correspondence and articles. Additional production material includes files about the road company, Nemiroff's requests to repertory companies nationwide to produce Brustein, and reviews, programs and correspondence pertaining to the production at Washington, D. C.'s Arena Stage. The play's brief return to Broadway as a musical in 1972 is documented by a program, reviews, publicity, and a contact sheet.</p> <p>There is also correspondence with actors and others regarding Nemiroff's planned, but never realized, Off-Broadway revival of Brustein for the 1983-1984 season. Programs, reviews, correspondence, and an annotated Samuel French edition of the play represent various amateur and stock productions, 1965-1989. Nemiroff's correspondence with notables such as Alex Haley, Lillian Hellman, Arthur Miller, and Stokely Carmichael asking them to read copies of Brustein which he sent them shortly after Hansberry's death are included, 1965-1966. Additional correspondence with many European companies requesting permission to produce the play and related matters, demonstrate Hansberry's popularity overseas, 1963-1974. Literary criticism further attests to the play's lasting appeal, 1965-1988.</p> <p>Nemiroff's correspondence with Simone Signoret refers to her completing a French translation of the play, 1965-1966.</p> <p>Several editions of The Sign in Brustein's Window were published. Found here is Nemiroff's essay entitled \"The 101 'Final' Performances\" published in the 1988 New American Library (NAL) edition, which also featured A Raisin in the Sun. Files for the production of the aforementioned book contains Nemiroff's cover letters to numerous reviewers, replies from some of them and their published reviews. A copy of Amiri Baraka's re-evaluation of A Raisin in the Sun and accompanying correspondence also form part of the NAL edition files. Material for the 1965 Random House edition of Brustein includes novelist John Braine's draft for the foreword to this edition and letters to Nemiroff concerning his experience writing the essay. There are also numerous galleys with Nemiroff's corrections. This section concludes with several other published editions of Brustein.</p>"}