What Happened?: The Michaels Abroad
Closed 1h 50m
What Happened?: The Michaels Abroad
87

What Happened?: The Michaels Abroad NYC Reviews and Tickets

87%
(27 Ratings)
Positive
93%
Mixed
7%
Negative
0%
Members say
Great acting, Absorbing, Intelligent, Great writing, Relevant

Richard Nelson spearheads this new play following a family in 2021 who has lost their matriarch.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (27)

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74 Reviews | 8 Followers
100
Great acting, Exquisite, Enchanting, Delightful, Absorbing

See it if This is the finest acting you will see on any stage.. ever. Masters of their craft at work. The play is hauntingly real.

Don't see it if You need a lot of action.

292 Reviews | 68 Followers
100
Must see, Ambitious, Great acting, Exquisite, Absorbing

See it if Richard Nelson's epic Rhinebeck play cycle is a must see. A master class in being by Maryann Plunkett. I will miss this series. Go see it.

Don't see it if you want to miss out on a masterpiece or plays about a slice of life in America as a family prepares for dinner bores you. It's amazing! Go!

536 Reviews | 279 Followers
97
Riveting, Intelligent, Great acting, Exquisite, Absorbing

See it if you appreciate fine ensemble acting. As always, Maryann Plunkett and Jay O. Sanders are at the top of their game. Exquisite staging.

Don't see it if you need to have a strong plot.

99 Reviews | 44 Followers
96
Resonant, Profound, Moving, Comforting

See it if you too feel like attending one of Richard Nelson's family plays is like visiting home.

Don't see it if you're experiencing Covid symptoms. Read more

184 Reviews | 30 Followers
95
Masterful, Exquisite, Absorbing, Great acting, Relevant

See it if you love great theater. I love Richard Nelson's work and this is one of his best. Timely, moving. Sanders and Plunkett are luminous.

Don't see it if you need lots of action. Nelson's works develop slowly but powerfully. This work is an ideal way back to live theater at its finest.

WH
448 Reviews | 88 Followers
92
Great writing, Great acting, Enchanting, Delightful, Absorbing

See it if Love these Rhinebeck families and naturalistic theatre.

Don't see it if Need more than language and relationships.

296 Reviews | 92 Followers
92
Intelligent, Great staging, Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you want theater that feels real, timely, and powerful. Like sitting in a room with people talking about things that matter to you.

Don't see it if you want spectacle or flash. This is warm, human, & naturalistic. Like previous MICHAELS, this show incorporates modern dance pieces.

546 Reviews | 64 Followers
91
Masterful, Profound, Great writing, Great staging, Great acting

See it if excellent acting/writing to recap the past 18 months. if one went on the journey with this "family" it's a great conclusion. heartwarming

Don't see it if need a play with action. this is a lot of talk - like all of his recent plays. may not be for everyone.

Critic Reviews (10)

The New York Times
September 9th, 2021

"If “What Happened?: The Michaels Abroad,"...did nothing more than offer us another chance to see Maryann Plunkett do nothing, it would have been enough. She remains the same wonder as ever."
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Time Out New York
September 9th, 2021

"The latest and ostensibly final installment of the cycle is called What Happened?, a question I find myself asking after every Rhinebeck installment. The answer in this case, as always, is: not much."
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The Washington Post
September 9th, 2021

"In this beautiful capstone work, though, the sense is not so much a resolution as a dissolving; the characters of “What Happened?” have become unmoored, as if the isolation of the pandemic has caused some permanent psychic dislocation."
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AM New York
September 13th, 2021

"Regardless of whether one enjoys Nelson’s extremely naturalistic, conversational to the point of being plotless style, one has to admire the scope and essence of the project, especially in how it manages to be both big and small in scope at once and tread into national affairs while remaining focused in on a single family unit."
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New York Stage Review
September 9th, 2021

"The author has developed an impressive stock company of actors over his panorama. As with the other installments in the series, What Happened...exemplifies what it is we seek from live theater."
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New York Stage Review
September 9th, 2021

"There is an underappreciated courage in Nelson’s attention to the very real problems of people whose privilege has been emphasized more and more in recent years. What Happened? shines a fierce light on COVID’s devastating impact not just on artists, but on the vast majority of individuals who, whatever their backgrounds, were not thriving to begin with."
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New York Stage Review
September 9th, 2021

"There is an underappreciated courage in Nelson’s attention to the very real problems of people whose privilege has been emphasized more and more in recent years."
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TheaterScene.net
September 15th, 2021

"Of course, it goes without saying that the acting is of a high quality as the actors have lived with these characters a long time, six of them having played their roles in the previous Michael play. Unfortunately, they cannot give the play greater depth than the author has written into it or overcome the artificially rarified atmosphere."
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