Theater News

Richard Nelson's Apple Family Plays to Tour With Members of Original Public Theater Cast

Maryann Plunkett and Jay O. Sanders are among the stars who will bring Nelson’s cycle of dramas to Europe.

Stephen Kunken, Maryann Plunkett, Jon DeVries, Jay O. Sanders, Laila Robins, and Sally Murphy in the Public Theater's production of Richard Nelson's Regular Singing.
Stephen Kunken, Maryann Plunkett, Jon DeVries, Jay O. Sanders, Laila Robins, and Sally Murphy in the Public Theater's production of Richard Nelson's Regular Singing.
(© Joan Marcus)

Richard Nelson's acclaimed Apple Family Plays will embark on a European tour this spring, nearly two years after the plays concluded their repertory runs at New York's Public Theater. Nelson directs the productions, which begin performances April 23 at the Find Festival in Berlin. Subsequent stops include the May International Festival in Weisbaden, Germany, the Brighton Festival in the United Kingdom, and the Vienna Festival in Austria where the tour will conclude on May 23. The tour is being produced by David Eden, executive producer for David Eden Productions, and coproduced and general-managed by Tim Smith for Pemberley Productions.

The European tour will feature original company members Maryann Plunkett (Barbara), Jay O. Sanders (Richard), Jon DeVries (Benjamin), and Sally Murphy (Jane), along with new cast members Mariann Mayberry (Marian) and Jesse Pennington (Tim).

The Apple Family Plays include That Hopey Changey Thing, set on the night of the 2010 mid-term election; Sweet and Sad, set on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2011; Sorry, set on Election Day 2012; and Regular Singing, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination in 2013.

The plays premiered as part of the Public’s Pub Lab series and was the 2012 recipient of the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance and the 2012 Obie Award for Performance for Sweet and Sad. The plays were filmed by PBS and aired nationally beginning in October 2014.

The Apple Family Plays feature scenic and costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Jennifer Tipton, and sound design by Scott Lehrer and Will Pickens.