After a hiatus of six years, Richard Nelson’s Apple family has returned. We last saw them on Zoom with three plays in 2020 during the COVID pandemic and Nelson had stated there would be no more Apple plays. Fortunately, he has written an update to take us into the Trump era. The new work We’ll See takes place on Nov. 3, 2026 and the four Apple siblings and the girlfriend of the only brother have gathered together in the tiny upstate New York village of Rhinebeck to share political observations, catch up on family news and offer a snapshot of our divided country. Like Nelson’s previous plays in this cycle of works which followed the Apples, the Gabriels and the Michaels through upheavals both personal and societal, the evening features little in the way of plot or conflict, is full of small, piercing moments and endeavors to show how large events effect everyday lives with quiet insight, compassion, and telling details. It’s like a visit with old friends and an unsparing survey of our fractured union.
Jay O. Sanders, Sally Murphy,
Laila Robbins and Maryann Plunkett in
We'll See.
Credit: Joan Marcus
Nelson began this cycle of plays known as the Rhinebeck Panorama in 2010 (all presented at the Public Theater except for the Zoom plays). Most of the same actors have returned, delivering the same understated, yet deeply subtextual performances, staged by Nelson with quiet reserve. The five characters are nervously eating a meal on the night of the midterms. They have vowed not to check their phones for election results or to mention the name of a certain occupant of the White House who they regard as the source of their country’s perhaps irreversible downward slide. “So much seems so inhuman these days,” they complain.
Though Trump’s name is never specifically uttered, his perverse influence on the national psyche hovers over the conversations like a dark cloud. Barbara (Maryann Plunkett, superb at conveying repressed rage and frustration) relates the fear of ICE experienced by her ESL students at the classes she voluntarily teaches. She is also bitter over her forced retirement as a public school teacher for an incident with a student fueled by polarizing political rancor. Jane (vibrant Sally Murphy) discusses her difficult decision not to vote since she sees such public participation as futile, as well as her strained relationship with her boyfriend and his adult daughter (they all are living together in a cramped Brooklyn apartment). Marian (slyly subtle Laila Robbins), also a teacher, has had to sell her home and move in with Barbara since she could not afford property taxes.
Brother Richard (Jay O. Sanders, reliably limning the battle to avoid bias) struggles with retirement from his government lawyer position and finding his way in a confusing new world, haunted by his ex-colleague, disgraced former NY governor Andrew Cuomo. His partner Yvonne (empathic Yvonne Woods) is an actress venturing back into the theater after recovering from cancer. She tells the family of the healing power of theater, allowing Nelson to comment on the importance of the arts. 
Sally Murphy and
Maryann Plunkett in
We'll See.
Credit: Joan Marcus
To avoid wallowing in their misery over the country’s moral decline, Jane encourages the family to share at least one positive story. This is how the evening passes as the Apples do their best to comfort each other. The brilliantly subdued cast expresses the anxieties of our age as well as the push and pull of decades-long relationships between teasing and loving siblings. Like all of the other Rhinebeck plays, there are no fireworks, but plenty of illumination of our nation’s emotional and psychological status.
Ms. Blakk for President at the Vineyard Theater also examines the impact of the political process on individuals. But the protagonist of this totally different work attempts to play a larger part on the national stage. It’s splashy and over-the-top while We’ll See is quite and contemplative. Based on actual events, the play focuses on Terence Alan Smith, an African-American activist who ran for Mayor of Chicago and later US President in the drag persona of Joan Jett Blakk. Launched initially as a joke to draw attention to the plight of the LGBT community at the height of the AIDS crisis, Joan’s campaign gained momentum and publicity, climaxing in a floor appearance at the 1992 Democratic National Convention during Bill Clinton’s nomination acceptance speech.
Playwrights Tarell Alvin McCraney (Oscar winner for Moonlight) and Tina Landau who also directs with flair have crafted the story into a combination nightclub act and documentary. (David Zinn designed the flashy set and Ari Fulton created the spectacular costumes.) The audience is seated at cabaret tables and various drag performers strut their stuff before the show. Video monitors ring the playing space displaying news clips of the upheavals of the 80s and 90s. Music director Steven Cuevas leads the four-piece band with style and Darrell Grand Moultrie provides snappy choreography. McCraney and Landau combine raucous racy humor with a devastating depiction of the plague that ravaged the gay community in a fascinating portrayal of the struggle for acceptance and a celebration of the fabulous.
Ato Blankson-Wood in
Ms. Blakk for President.
Credit: Carol Rosegg
The title role is played with zing, passion and pizzazz by Ato Blankson-Wood (replacing Wayne Brady who left the show due to health issues.) He intensely charts Terrence’s journey from drag performer to political firebrand, creating a fierce and magnetic identity for Joan while keeping the vulnerable Terrence just below the surface. (Kudos to Ashley Wise’s hair and wig design.) Gideon Glick is equally blazing as Mark, his campaign manager and Nic Ashe, Kelvin Moon Loh, Adina Verson, and Sawyer Smith shine in multiple roles. Smith is particularly scrumptious as David Bowie and Marilyn Monroe. Fun, bubbly and serious all at once, Ms. Blakk is a winner.
We’ll See: Nov. 3—29. Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St., NYC. Running time: one hour and 50 mins. with no intermission.
Ms. Blakk for President: Nov. 9–29. Vineyard Theater, 108 E. 15th St., NYC. Running time: 100 minutes with no intermission. vineyardtheater.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment