A Bright Room Called Day

Many plays have focused on groups of people fighting their many losing battles. In Tony Kushner's first well-known work, these people are the Communist Party in 1930's Germany; knowing full well that they live in turbulent times, they are fighting to stay standing. Agnes Eggling, unsure of even the philosophy to which she has ascribed, clings to her apartment. She pays her rent, and in return, she has this small "bright room called day," where she is temporarily safe. "A Bright Room Called Day" displays all the characteristics of the more well-known "Angels in America." There is a great deal of political discussion, but also the painful and individual conflicts between characters. Lines are laced with wry irony, and characters often speak in poetic, beautiful language. I have not yet found another playwright whose characters are both so verbose and so real. Neither is today's world left out; scenes from Germany are peppered with refreshing but unsettling monologues from a modern woman. She is very angry and a little lost - just as caught up in the tides of her times as the other characters are in theirs. Although, in the original version of the play, she ranted against Ronald Reagan, this copy contains a revised set of monologues prepared for an early 1990's performance. Three different decades in one play; that's a broad scope, and it makes a brilliant read. My one regret is that I have never seen "A Bright Room Called Day" performed.

Tony Kushner, once again, has written an awesome book. This story of friends who live in Germany during the war is incredibly realistic and draws you in on the first page with it's realistic details and comic relief. A wonderful book I am more than willing to recomend.