Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Richard Nelson’s THE MICHAELS quietly stuns, continuing the excellence established by his previous “family” plays

• By drediman
• October 28, 2019
• No Comments

Rita Wolf, Maryann Plunkett, Jay O. Sanders, and Haviland Morris in Richard Nelson’s “The Michaels” at the Public Theater. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Yesterday, the latest of Richard Nelson’s intimate family portraits opened Off-Broadway at the Public Theater. Having quietly stunned audiences over the last decade with his stealthy “state of the nation plays” via the Apple and Gabriel families, Mr. Nelson now introduces us to a new bunch, The Michaels. Mr. Nelson’s play, also set in Rhinebeck, New York, centers on the Rose, an accomplished choreographer (of the Twyla Tharp mold) who has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. As her health speedily deteriorates, family and friends gather to help with the process, reminisce about the past, and plan for the future.

Like the other “family” plays, the show takes place over the course of two hours – more or less in real time – during which audience members become candid witnesses to the family’s daily activities, joys, and struggles. If The Michaels is less overtly anchored by current politics than the other plays, that’s because it’s more concerned about art, specifically dance, and its ability to heal (or even just soothe) during troubled times. As with the playwright’s 2013 Balanchine/Stravinsky play Nikolai and the Others, Mr. Nelson displays a convincing understanding of dance and the politics within that world. And in Rose Michael, Mr. Nelson has created a rarity among his creations to date – an uncompromising, complicated, often times difficult character.

Mr. Nelson also directs the piece in-the-round with grace and simplicity of life as lived (as always). His cast features some of the usual suspects – particularly Jay O. Sanders and Maryann Plunkett, both as fine as ever, as Rose’s ex-husband and current lover – as well as a number of welcome new faces. As Rose, Brenda Wehle is superb, giving us a gritty performance that’s astoundingly real. The superb ensemble is rounded out by Haviland Morris and Rita Wolf as original members of Rose’s dance company, as well as Charlotte Bydwell and Matilda Sakamoto as the choreographer’s daughter and niece, respectively (both are also dancers).

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

THE MICHAELS
Off-Broadway, Play
The Public Theater
2 hours (without an intermission)
Through November 24