Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"..."Sorry," the more wrenching of these two plays, deals explicitly with the difficulty of deciding whether to put a beloved-but-now-struggling relative with dementia into a care home. In service of that vexing problem, "Sorry" has Nussbaum, playing an older actor, losing it. That is, of course, a million miles from Nussbaum, who in some ways seems only to be gaining more of it with time - if "it" means artistic profundity."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"..."Hopey Changey," filled with perhaps too much "inside" New York politics and bickering, is really the setup for "Sorry." But it is well worth seeing both plays if only to observe the way Nussbaum captures the devastating changes in Ben that occur over a two-year period. Nussbaum (91 in real life, though that number is meaningless in his case) remains at the very peak of his powers and gives a performance, remarkable on a mind-blogging number of levels, that generates both tears and laughter, and is a model of bravura timing. Ben seems to have been something of a surrogate father to the Apples (the real one departed early on in their lives), or perhaps something more."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The current-affairs conversations in the scripts-mild disagreements over Andrew Cuomo or Kirsten Gillibrand, discussions of ongoing political fights over Obamacare or campaign finance reform-naturally have a different effect now than when they were actually current; it can start to feel like listening to old NPR broadcasts. But it's the Apple family that drives these works, and in embodying and humanizing them, TimeLine's productions couldn't be juicier."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"...It is the central place of Uncle Benjamin that raises the other play, aptly titled "Sorry," to a higher plane. On the eve of mid-term elections, two years later, Benjamin's dementia has worsened to the point where Richard and his sisters have decided reluctantly to place him in a home for specialized care. Very reluctantly in the case of Barbara, with whom he lives."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...There's more at stake in the hopes and changes that fuel the regrets in Sorry. Rich with what Nelson calls "human talk," this seminal morning seems less an arbitrary, feature-length You Tube video than its interesting predecessor. As always, director Louis Contey makes it an action painting circa 2012. You could do worse than, as TimeLine's artistic accuracy suggests, accidentally overhearing the Apples at work and play."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...As he does in all the Apple plays, Nelson weaves political thought into family exchanges with playful and smart references to the power and usefulness of live theatre to comment and enrich our lives. Mike Nussbaum is terrific as the lost elder caught up in his forgetfulness. He leads a stellar cast through the Apple family adventures. We hear our own voices as Nelson empowers his people to voice out thoughts, concerns, and opinions. In all the Apple plays, Nelson give a wide spectrum of ideas a voice. At 1 hour and 40 minutes, our seat at the Apple family's table is cherished. All that food got me hungry."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Richard Nelson’s two election year installments of his “Apple Family Plays” are both incredible, with “Sorry” emerging a step ahead as a warm, wonderful, realistic view of middle class America. Seeing these two plays will inspire audiences to want to experience the others in this quartet. Because of Louis Contey’s carefully guided direction, audiences will witness a family (representing a nation) in transition, exemplifying how far we’ve evolved since 2010. The production is both enlightening and entertaining, from its suggestive dining room setting, beautifully designed by Brian Sidney Bembridge, to its realistic dialogue, delivered with complete believability by an accomplished cast. Richard Nelson holds a mirror up to America, allowing us to see who we are while understanding just how far we’ve come."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...What I love about Nelson's writing is the layered and authentic storytelling. Nothing is simple and it's all connected in intricate entanglements. First, there is an overarching political theme connected to a moment in USA history. Next, there is the family's loving concern for a man who was both a respected celebrity and patriarch. And within that family story is each individual's tales of careers, kids, and romances. Everybody has stuff going on. Everyone is flawed. This IS lives in progress. And it's the honesty of the messiness of life and relationships that made me love these Apples. And after experiencing HOPEY and SORRY, I was ready for more Apples!"
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...I would watch this splendid TimeLine Theatre cast play the 1950s TV show “Leave It to Beaver.” Their memory, their intensity, their virtuosity, their knack for making characters memorable, their faultless ensemble—all this is done in a careless, casual, familial way that takes endless hours to perfect, and is a joy to watch. Despite its faults, “Sorry” is crammed with ideas, upsetting ideas, unconventional ideas, fresh ideas."
