The Apple Family Plays – Location, Tickets, Reviews
The Apple Family Plays are a series of four plays by Tony Award winner Richard Nelson. The plays focus on the Apples, a fictional, liberal family in Rhinebeck, New York.
Each play is set on a significant date* and is a conversation amongst the family members that touches on the personal and political issues of the day in the Apple family, now four middle-aged siblings.
* That Hopey Changey Thing – November 2, 2010, Mid-term election night 2010
Sweet and Sad – September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of 9/11
Sorry – November 6, 2012 , Election night 2012
Regular Singing – November 22, 2013, the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
The Public Theater is re-staging the first three plays, which each premiered on the date the play is set. The fourth and final play (Regular Singing) will have its world premiere on November 22, 2013, also the day on which the play is set.
The critical acclaim for Nelson’s series has grown with each new play and they have a strong following among types we’d describe as fans of MSNBC. If you enjoy political dialogue with a progressive bent but not blindly ideological alongside genuine, interpersonal stories of kids, aging relatives, marital and professional woes, and family sorrow and joy, then these plays are not to be missed.
LOCATION
The Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
New York City
[google-map-v3 width=”250″ height=”250″ zoom=”13″ maptype=”roadmap” mapalign=”left” directionhint=”false” language=”default” poweredby=”false” maptypecontrol=”true” pancontrol=”true” zoomcontrol=”true” scalecontrol=”true” streetviewcontrol=”true” scrollwheelcontrol=”false” draggable=”true” tiltfourtyfive=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” addmarkerlist=”425 Lafayette Street, New York City{}1-default.png” bubbleautopan=”true” showbike=”false” showtraffic=”false” showpanoramio=”false”]
RUNNING TIME
Approximately 2 hours, no intermission
TICKETS
That Hopey Changey Thing
Regular Price: $41.50
Member Price: $25
Click to purchase tickets from The Public Theater
Sweet and Sad
Regular Price: $41.50
Member Price: $25
Click to purchase tickets from The Public Theater
Sorry
Regular Price: $41.50
Member Price: $25
Click to purchase tickets from The Public Theater
Regular Singing
Regular Price: $21.50
Member Price: $15
Click to purchase tickets from The Public Theater
REVIEWS
That Hopey Changey Thing
Backstage
Richard Nelson, obviously disturbed by the sorry state of governance in our country, has lobbed a grenade called “That Hopey Changey Thing” onto the Anspacher stage at the Public Theater.
New York Post
Politics minus passion
New York Times
The Family That Votes Together …
TheaterMania
Richard Nelson’s appealing new drama about a family gathering on Election Night 2010 benefits from a superb cast.
Village Voice
That Hopey Changey Thing Takes Aim at the Liberal Intelligentsia
Sweet and Sad
Backstage
Richard Nelson’s Apple family returns in a more reflective, less combative mood in “Sweet and Sad,” a rumination on the state of the American union seasoned with equal parts of the titular flavors.
New York Post
They’re turning trouble into a kin-do situation
New York Times
For Family, 9/11 Is Uninvited Guest
TheaterMania
Richard Nelson’s new play is a cogent look at the nation’s shared experience of life after 9/11.
Village Voice
Sweet and Sad Takes 9/11 to Brunch; Richard Nelson’s Apple family chews over America
Sorry
Backstage
The Apple Clan Returns in Richard Nelson’s Wry ‘Sorry’
New York Post
No apology necessary
New York Times
When Uncles (Ben, Sam) Need Help; ‘Sorry,’ by Richard Nelson, at the Public Theater
TheaterMania
Maryann Plunkett leads a top-notch ensemble in third play of Richard Nelson’s “Apple Family” series.
Village Voice
Sorry Has Nothing to Be Sorry For; The Public mounts Richard Nelson’s moving new play
Regular Singing
Official opening date November 22, 2013
CAST & CREW
(partial list)
Written and Directed by Richard Nelson
Featuring Jon DeVries, Stephen Kunken, Sally Murphy, Maryann Plunkett, Laila Robins, Jay O. Sanders