If there is anyone who I would be tempted to switch lives with it would be American playwright Richard Nelson. This is not a recent obsession. Rick Nelson and I were classmates at Hamilton College and I have followed his career with avid interest for over forty years. We are not friends, merely passing acquaintances, but his plays have spoken to me over the years so I feel I know him well through his characters.
This feeling of kinship has been strengthened by attending performances of the Apple Family plays currently in repertory at the New York Public Theater. Each year for four years a new play in the series has premiered at the Public Theater. This year to celebrate the final play in the series, "Regular Singing", the Public Theater has revived the first three plays, "That Hopey Changy Thing", "Sweet and Sad" and "Sorry", with the same wonderful cast. These plays tell the story of a liberal family in Rhinebeck New York and are set on four specific dates, Election Day 2008, the tenth anniversary of 9/11, Election Day 2010 and the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination, November 22, 2013, which is also the day "Regular Singing" opens. Nothing much happens on stage except an extended conversation among intelligent and interesting people about public and private matters that draw upon the audiences' shared experiences both public and private. Richard Nelson's skill and ability to use words to engage the heart and mind simultaneously about serious subjects are what I envy most about his genius. Critics have praised his works and recognize Richard Nelson as a premiere American Playwright.
The Apple family plays run through December 15 and it is still possible to see all the plays in the cycle in order if you act now. It is well worth it to see them all, but each play stands on its own as well. If you go you may want to dine before or after the show at "The Library", the Public Theater's new restaurant.
