Criticism > Contemporary Literary Criticism > Wasserstein, Wendy (Vol. 183) - Wendy Wasserstein and Esther Cohen (interview date August 1987)


Wasserstein, Wendy (Vol. 183) - Wendy Wasserstein and Esther Cohen (interview date August 1987)

Wendy Wasserstein and Esther Cohen (interview date August 1987)

SOURCE: Wasserstein, Wendy, and Esther Cohen. “Uncommon Woman: An Interview with Wendy Wasserstein.” Women's Studies 15, nos. 1-3 (1988): 257-70.

[In the following interview, originally conducted in August 1987, Wasserstein discusses the impetus behind her career, the inspirations for her comedy, the importance of humor in her dramas, and the gendered differences of her critical reception and popular appeal.]

Challenged by my esteemed editor to write a printable article on women writers and humor in theatre (try to imagine a scene from The Front Page, only in an Indian restaurant—“Esther, get me that article, and pass the poori!”), I decided that I had nothing to say that one such writer couldn't say for herself. Thus, with the lure of a bottle of Diet Coke and the promise of being quoted in an academic journal, Wendy Wasserstein agreed to be interviewed for...

[The entire page is 6404 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the: