The Apple Family, last seen on The Public Theater stage in 2014, re-united once again on April 29—though not over the usual dinner table, but via a Zoom conference call. Part of Richard Nelson's long-running Rhinebeck Panorama, the new play, What Do We Need to Talk About? Conversations on Zoom, was written specifically for the platform in the weeks following the coronavirus outbreak.
What Do We Need to Talk About?, which features the original cast and characters of Nelson's Apple Family Plays, was live streamed for free via the Public Theater's YouTube. You can still view it here.
The virtual benefit performance was directed by Nelson and starred Jon DeVries, Stephen Kunken, Sally Murphy, Maryann Plunkett, Laila Robins, and Jay O. Sanders, each performing from their homes.
With live theatre halted during the pandemic, critics have begun to file reviews for alternative programming such as this. Read reviews for the online production below.
DC Theatre Scene (Jonathan Mandell)
New York Magazine / Vulture (Helen Shaw)
The New York Times (Ben Brantley)
NY Stage Review (Elysa Gardner)
