Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Richard Nelson’s WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? opens at the Public in a stealthily profound manner

• By drediman
• September 18, 2016
• No Comments

The cast of Richard Nelson’s “What Did You Expect” at the Public Theater

The second installment of Richard Nelson’s “The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family” plays – What Did You Expect? – opened this weekend in a stealthily profound manner, which is indicative of Mr. Nelson’s quietly affecting and exquisitely naturalistic Rhinebeck (where the Gabriels reside, as the Apple family did before them) cycles. Set six months after the first play of the cycle, Hungry, this second piece finds the Gabriels, like us, less than two months away from the Presidential elections. Although What Did You Expect? is one of the least overtly political plays of either this or the previous Apple Family cycles, emotions are riding high in the Gabriel clan, their nerves painfully exposed just beneath the surface. The general sentiment is that these characters, whom we spend almost two intermission-less hours eavesdropping on, feel ostracized and marginalized in their own country. However, the Gabriels stay away from openly discussing politics I suspect because there’s too much at stake, both personally and ideologically, riding on these elections. To acknowledge these deep concerns would be to undermine them. But although the family fears for the worst, but they are determined to remain hopeful.

What Did You Expect?, like Hungry before it, is once again directed with subtle precision by the playwright himself. His cast – which includes Meg Gibson, Lynn Hawley, Roberta Maxwell, Maryann Plunkett, Jay O. Sanders, and Amy Warren – remains peerless. This second installment finds these actors delving deeper into their characters, etching beautifully realized, and very real, performances. Besides The Humans on Broadway, I doubt you’ll see better ensemble acting this or many a year. Deceptively simple, richly skilled work is also being done be by the design team, which includes scenic designer Susan Hilferty and Jason Ardizzone-West, costume designer Susan Hilferty, lighting designer Jennifer Tipton, and sound designers Scott Lehrer and Will Pickens. I highly encourage you not to pass up the opportunity to spend time with this family, particularly at this juncture in our country’s history.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?
Off-Broadway, Play
The Public Theater
1 hour, 45 minutes (with one intermission)
Through October 9