The first work in Nelson’s new three-play cycle has its premiere at the Public Theater.
The Public Theater celebrated the opening night of Richard Nelson's Hungry, the first of three plays in his new cycle, The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family. The work, which Nelson also directs, premiered March 4.
Each play in The Gabriels cycle will open on the day it is set and unfold in real time over a couple of hours. These three new plays will track the lives of the Gabriels throughout the coming presidential election year. Hungry places us in the Gabriels' kitchen where the family discusses their lives and disappointments, and the world at large and nearby, as they struggle against the fear of being left behind and the challenge to find resilience in the face of loss.
The complete cast includes Meg Gibson (Karin Gabriel), Lynn Hawley (Hannah Gabriel), Roberta Maxwell (Patricia Gabriel), Maryann Plunkett (Mary Gabriel), Jay O. Sanders (George Gabriel), and Amy Warren (Joyce Gabriel). The same core acting company is to be featured in all three productions.
All three plays feature scenic design by Susan Hilferty and Jason Ardizzone-West, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Jennifer Tipton, and sound design by Scott Lehrer and Will Pickens.