THE MICHAELS THE PUBLIC THEATER 2019
I STARTED COLLABORATING WITH RICHARD NELSON IN 2016 WITH THE GABRIEL FAMILY PLAYS (ALSO AT THE PUBLIC THEATER), FOLLOWED BY UNCLE VANYA IN 2018. ALL OF MY WORK WITH RICHARD HAS INCLUDED THE DESIGN OF THE AUDIENCE AS A FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENT OF THE SET DESIGN, AND THE MICHAELS IS AN INTERESTING CULMINATION OF OUR CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF A SUBTLE BUT DEEPLY STUDIED DESIGN OF FOCUSED HUMAN ENERGY. I’VE INCLUDED THE GROUND PLAN OF THE SEATING ARRANGEMENT BELOW AS IT IS AS MUCH A PART OF THE SET DESIGN AS THE FURNITURE AND OBJECTS, CREATING A “ROOM” OF INTIMATE HUMAN ENERGY THAT, IN RICHARDS WORDS, AIMS TO BE TRUTHFUL RATHER THAN NATURALISTIC - FOCUSED, LIKE HIS WRITING AND DIRECTION, ON EVOKING A SENSE OF VERISIMILITUDE. THE PHOTOS BELOW DON’T INCLUDE THE AUDIENCE AND ARE THEREFORE MISSING A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF THE DESIGN, BUT RULES ARE RULES…
THE MICHAELS THE PUBLIC THEATER | Richard Nelson (writer & director); Jason Ardizzone-West (set design); Susan Hilferty & Mark Koss (costume design); Jennifer Tipton (lighting designer); Scott Lehrer (sound designer); Charlotte Bydwell, Haviland Morris, Maryann Plunkett, Matilda Sakamoto, Jay O. Sanders, Brenda Wehle, Rita Wolf (actors); Dan Wagoner (original choreography); Theresa Flanagan (production stage manager); Jeff Harris (production management); Claire Kavanah (props master).
PRESS
THE NEW YORKER REVIEW
”Nelson builds characters who are rich in spirit and soul and sets them in motion like tops. Toward and away from one another they spin, in the nerve center of the kitchen, as Kate shuffles back and forth to the oven, making a quiche. (The pitch-perfect scenic design, with its familiar old stove and wooden table, is by Jason Ardizzone-West.) As the title tells us, conversation - distinct from its showier, stiffer cousin, dialogue - is the medium of exchange…”
-The New Yorker 2019 (Alexandra Schwartz)
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THE NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW
”…This latest addition shares with its predecessors an emphasis on the preparation of food, in what appears to be a fully functional kitchen. And like other Rhinebeck plays, this one begins with the cast members bringing order to Jason Ardizzone-West’s set (lighted by the brilliant Jennifer Tipton). They arrange chairs and tables, unfold rugs, distribute the dishes and foodstuffs required to prepare and serve a meal. Nelson is once again asking us to draw the parallel between what goes into setting up a play and the daily business of setting up a life…”
-The New York Times 2019 (Ben Brantley) - CRITICS PICK
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