Wendy Wasserstein Criticism
Wendy Wasserstein was a prominent American playwright and essayist whose works offer a nuanced exploration of women's lives. Known for her insightful and often comedic examination of postwar women, Wasserstein's plays are celebrated for witty dialogue and complex characters. Her debut play, Uncommon Women and Others, written while she was at Yale Drama School, is praised for its affectionate satire of a college reunion among Mount Holyoke graduates. This work combines wit and perceptiveness to transcend its comedic exterior, offering a compassionate portrayal of female camaraderie, as noted by Edmund Newton. Similarly, her later works such as Isn't It Romantic and The Sisters Rosensweig continue to explore themes of female independence and cultural identity.
The Heidi Chronicles, perhaps Wasserstein's most acclaimed work, won the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award. Yet, it also sparked debate over its portrayal of feminist themes. Critics like Gerald Weales critiqued its character development, while Kate Davy discussed its impact on contemporary feminist concerns. Claudia Barnett contrasts its themes with those in An American Daughter, adding to the rich critical dialogue surrounding her work.
Wasserstein's plays often reflect the tensions between feminist independence and traditional values. Her characters navigate both personal and societal conflicts in their careers and relationships, as seen in Uncommon Women and Others and the revised Isn't It Romantic, which was praised for improved character depth by critics like Walter Kerr. Her early life in New York and her education at prestigious institutions shaped her distinctive voice, blending humor with underlying sadness, as observed by Edith Oliver.
Wasserstein's exploration of Jewish identity, particularly in The Sisters Rosensweig, has been the subject of significant critical analysis. Her portrayal of mid-life challenges and Jewish identity is highlighted by critics such as Alex Raksin and Sheridan Morley. Wasserstein's contributions to Jewish-American culture are further analyzed by Stephen J. Whitfield, showcasing her impact on discussions surrounding identity in contemporary theater.
Beyond plays, Wasserstein's essays, such as those in Bachelor Girls and Shiksa Goddess: Or, How I Spent My Forties, offer commentary on the trials of single life and cultural identity. Her work extends into one-act plays like Tender Offer, where she uses simple incidents to explore complex emotional themes, as analyzed by Edith Oliver. Through her distinctive blend of humor and social commentary, Wasserstein remains a significant voice in American theater, expanding women's dramatic roles and challenging traditional comedic conventions.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Wasserstein, Wendy (Vol. 183)
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Uncommon Woman: An Interview with Wendy Wasserstein
(summary)
In the following interview, Wasserstein and Cohen explore the influences on Wasserstein's comedic writing career, highlighting her insights into the role of humor in her plays and the distinct ways in which gender affects comedic expression and reception.
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Prize Problems: Chronicles & Cocktail Hour.
(summary)
In the following review, Weales highlights the weaknesses of The Heidi Chronicles, examining the effects of its protagonist's flat characterization on the whole play.
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Review of The Heidi Chronicles
(summary)
In the following review, Davy assesses the critical and commercial success of The Heidi Chronicles within the context of contemporary feminist concerns. The Heidi Chronicles is a rare play for Broadway. Written by a woman, its central character is an unmarried professional woman. It won the Pulitzer, Tony, N.Y. Drama Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Hull-Warriner, and Susan Smith Blackburn awards. Ostensibly a triumph for women, Heidi is instead a problematic example of how the male-dominated production system of commercial theater maintains its control over women, in this case with the complicity of a woman playwright.
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Drama and the Dialogic Imagination: The Heidi Chronicles and Fefu and Her Friends
(summary)
In the following essay, Keyssar contrasts the semiotic differences between The Heidi Chronicles and Maria Irene Fornes's Fefu and Her Friends, refuting the contention by philosopher-critic Mikhail Bakhtin that all dramatic literature is “monologic” by demonstrating the confluence between Bakhtinian criticism and contemporary feminist thought.
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Wendy Wasserstein and The Playwright's Art
(summary)
In the following essay, Wendy Wasserstein reflects on her early career, the challenges and implications of her success, her writing process, and the role of women in contemporary theatre, while discussing how her comedic approach both reveals and obscures deeper themes in her works like The Heidi Chronicles.
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The Sisters Rosensweig
(summary)
In the following review, Raksin focuses on the relationship between the plot and the characterizations of the protagonists in The Sisters Rosensweig, underscoring the play's central theme.
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Gnice Gnew Tribute
(summary)
In the following review, Morley notes the realism of the characters and setting of The Sisters Rosensweig but criticizes the play's lack of dramatic action and the predictability of its conclusion.
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Past Imperfect
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Kanfer reviews a revival of Uncommon Women and Others, situating his assessment in light of Wasserstein's accomplishments since the play's original premiere.
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Opening Night
(summary)
In the following essay, Donahue details the circumstances surrounding the publication of Pamela's First Musical, summarizing the book's storyline and Wasserstein's expectations.
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Review of Pamela's First Musical
(summary)
In the following review, Cooper evaluates Pamela's First Musical, observing that children's-book publishers often sacrifice literary quality for corporate profits.
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Fiasco on the Potomac
(summary)
In the following negative review, Kanfer examines the characters and plot of An American Daughter, pronouncing the play's central conceit as “false.”
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Review of An American Daughter
(summary)
In the following review, Barnett appraises the cultural significance of An American Daughter, contrasting its feminist perspective with that of The Heidi Chronicles. Wendy Wasserstein's earlier protagonists would consider Lyssa Dent Hughes in An American Daughter 'pretty fucking amazing' and would say she 'has it all.' Compared to Heidi Holland, Janie Blumberg, and even Sara Goode, she knows what she wants. Wife, mother, and doctor, she has been nominated as Surgeon General of the United States. Confident and assured, she talks about health issues on national television. But she follows the rules she has learned from her father, a senator, not realizing that a different code applies to women—that she must play not only political candidate, but also 'American daughter,' a role in which competence must be matched by femininity. Her downfall occurs when, in an interview in act 1, she admits she never served on a jury and, more damaging, refers to her deceased mother as 'an ordinary Indiana housewife who made icebox cakes and pimento cheese canapés.' Indiana housewives picket, public opinion drops, and Lyssa is forced to withdraw her candidacy.
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Wendy Wasserstein and the Crisis of (Jewish) Identity
(summary)
In the following essay, Whitfield investigates the thematic significance of Jewish identity in Wasserstein's major plays, comparing the verisimilitude of their autobiographical dimension with the collective experience of Jewish-Americans.
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Wendy Wasserstein: A Feminist Voice from the Seventies to the Present
(summary)
In the following essay, Balakian traces the evolution of Wasserstein's feminist dramaturgy from Uncommon Women and Others through An American Daughter, highlighting the cultural confusion regarding contemporary women's roles that informs the characterizations of each play's respective protagonists.
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Review of The Festival of Regrets
(summary)
In the following review, Shengold comments on the humor of The Festival of Regrets—which was first performed as part of a production of three one-act operas titled Central Park—noting the comic effect of the interplay between the libretto and the musical score.
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Shiksa Goddess: Or, How I Spent My Forties
(summary)
In the following review, the critic praises the “pedestrian” themes of Shiksa Goddess: Or, How I Spent My Forties but finds the collection repetitive and stale except for the last two essays. Noted playwright Wasserstein offers up 35 essays, most of which have appeared over the years in such publications as the New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, Allure and the New York Times Magazine. The book falls prey, however, to the usual dangers of such collections: repetition and staleness. Here, we meet a single woman who, despite the trappings of success and fame, is dealing with pedestrian issues and anxieties. While these brief anecdotes tap familiar humor wells and sometimes wax sentimental, readers are duly rewarded by the final two longer essays: one deals with the breast cancer of Wasserstein's sister and the other with Wasserstein's pregnancy at age 48. Both pieces are moving, written with notable humor and heartbreaking poignancy.
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Female Laughter and Comic Possibilities: Uncommon Women and Others
(summary)
In the following essay, Chirico examines the traditional comic structure, characters, and spirit of Uncommon Women and Others, arguing that the formal features of comedy suit the play's feminist perspective on women's place in patriarchal society.
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Uncommon Woman: An Interview with Wendy Wasserstein
(summary)
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Wasserstein, Wendy (Vol. 90)
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Uncommon Women and Others
(summary)
In the following review, she lauds Uncommon Women and Others for its well-drawn characterizations and humor but suggests that there is an "underlying sadness" in the play as the women "try to cope with the times and with what is expected of them."
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The Group
(summary)
A distinguished American drama and film critic, Simon contends that Uncommon Women and Others is well-written and enjoyable but adds that the subject matter of the play is too familiar to be especially interesting.
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Uncommon Women and Others
(summary)
In the review below, Clurman offers a mixed assessment of Uncommon Women and Others, suggesting that the most suitable reviewer would be a young woman who went to college in the early 1970s. He finds the play sympathetically entertaining and potentially authentic, though he questions its authenticity.
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'Tis the Reason …
(summary)
Munk likens Wasserstein's revised version of Isn't It Romantic to popular television drama, suggesting that the play's characterizations are weak and its plot lacks real dramatic conflict, but adds that the acting in Isn't It Romantic is excellent.
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Wendy, the Wayward Wasserstein
(summary)
In the following article, Gold profiles Wasserstein's life and career up to the production of Isn't It Romantic.
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Are Parents Looking Better on Stage?
(summary)
In the following review, Kerr lauds the revised version of Isn't It Romantic for its improved characterizations.
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Comic Textures and Female Communities 1937 and 1977: Clare Boothe and Wendy Wasserstein
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Carlson asserts that Wasserstein's innovative treatment of female roles in Uncommon Women and Others has contributed to the advancement of dramatic comedy, not only by diffusing old prejudices against women, but also by addressing serious issues without detracting from the play's overall humor and wit.
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An interview in Interviews with Contemporary Women Playwrights
(summary)
In the following interview, Wendy Wasserstein, joined by Kathleen Betsko and Rachel Koenig, explores the comedic elements and character development in her plays "Uncommon Women and Others" and "Isn't It Romantic," while addressing broader themes of female playwrights' experiences and the evolving landscape of American theater.
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East Side Stories
(summary)
In the following unfavorable review, Carter characterizes The Heidi Chronicles as 'Off-Broadway lite' and reminiscent of television sitcoms.
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The Heidi Chronicles
(summary)
An educator, critic, and nonfiction writer, Hornby teaches and writes about drama. In the following, he offers a negative assessment of The Heidi Chronicles, describing it as a lifeless, vulgar play with aimless plots and pretentiously witless dialogue.
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Dear Heidi: An Open Letter to Dr. Holland
(summary)
Rose was the founder of the Roses International Women's Theater and Softball Syndicate. In the excerpt below, written in the form of a letter dated 1 October 1989 to the protagonist of The Heidi Chronicles, she accuses the play's eponymous heroine of complicitly participating in the oppression of women and challenges her to actively oppose the patriarchal ways of contemporary society.
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The Wendy Chronicles
(summary)
In the following review, Black offers praise for Bachelor Girls.
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The Heidi Chronicles
(summary)
In the following review, Austin discusses characterization in The Heidi Chronicles and feminist reaction to the play. She notes that although the play has been lauded by some feminists for its focus on women, others argue that the work portrays women in traditional roles and has the potential to "become part of the system that oppresses women and so highly rewards their creative expressions when they aid in its purposes."
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The Heidi Chronicles, and Other Plays
(summary)
In the following review, Luddy favorably assesses The Heidi Chronicles, and Other Plays. Wasserstein has made the cultural territory of the American experience since the 1960s her own. She is its most articulate theatrical chronicler. This collection of her recent work, Uncommon Women and Others, Isn't It Romantic, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Heidi Chronicles, traces that experience through three decades of changing styles, mores, life objectives, and intellectual challenges. She examines her characters and their times with great good humor, complexity, depth of feeling, and a firm refusal to accept trite and easy images. She writes the truth about people and their lives without blinking. She teaches us all what it was like to live through a period of great turmoil and confusion.
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The Heidi Chronicles, and Other Plays
(summary)
In the following review of The Heidi Chronicles, and Other Plays, Olson compares Wasserstein's plays to the work of Mary McCarthy and Philip Barry.
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Bachelor Girls
(summary)
In the following positive review, the critic discusses the humor and satire of the essays contained in Bachelor Girls. This collection of essays by Tony Award-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein includes enjoyable, funny reading as well as satirical social commentary that is short and gossipy enough to keep even the most skeptical reader interested.
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Winner Take All
(summary)
In the essay below, Wasserstein discusses her reaction to winning the Pulitzer Prize for The Heidi Chronicles.
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Drama and the Dialogic Imagination: 'The Heidi Chronicles' and 'Fefu and Her Friends'
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Keyssar expresses her disappointment with the tremendous success of The Heidi Chronicles. She contends that, according to Mikhail Bakhtin's definition of meaningful theater, in which drama is 'simultaneously entire unto itself and part of the whole culture,' The Heidi Chronicles is 'aggressively monologic' and 'self-contained,' thus alienating large segments of society.
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Bachelor Girls
(summary)
In the following, Solomon offers praise for Bachelor Girls, a comic collection of essays in which the author reflects on the problems of being an intelligent female and less than gorgeous in contemporary America. Wasserstein writes with unusual perception and wit, balancing humorous confessions with touching reflections, resulting in a satisfying and very funny blend of self-deprecation, pride and bemusement.
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The Best So Far
(summary)
In the following review, Simon praises The Sisters Rosensweig for its convincing characters and humorous dialogue, asserting that the work is Wasserstein's best to date.
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Chez Rosensweig
(summary)
In the following review, Oliver offers praise for The Sisters Rosensweig.
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You Gotta Have Heart
(summary)
In the following review of The Sisters Rosensweig, which premiered at New York's Lincoln Center under the direction of Daniel Sullivan, Kroll maintains that Wasserstein's female characters are poorly developed and that the play's humor, while entertaining, evades rather than confronts serious issues.
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The Editorial Plan
(summary)
A highly respected American drama critic, Brustein was formerly Wasserstein's teacher. He is noted for his controversial views regarding the theater and for his commitment to quality. In the following review, he finds Wasserstein's The Sisters Rosensweig endearing but considers the work a regression to her earlier plays.
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The Trivial, the Traumatic, the Truly Bad
(summary)
In the following excerpt, he discusses the weaknesses of The Sisters Rosensweig, noting its focus on Jewish identity and assimilation, and its allusions to Anton Chekhov's 1901 Tri sestry (Three Sisters).
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The Sisters Rosensweig
(summary)
In the following review, Raskin offers a mixed assessment of The Sisters Rosensweig.
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English Versus American Acting
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Hornby discusses characterization in The Sisters Rosensweig. Wendy Wasserstein's new play, The Sisters Rosensweig, like her earlier Heidi Chronicles, is a pseudo-feminist piece that will no doubt eventually be performed in every college theatre in the country. The three eponymous sisters at first give the impression of being independent women, but soon reveal a predilection for inadequate men, who nonetheless manage to dominate their lives.
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The Sisters Rosensweig
(summary)
In the following review, Coveney offers a mixed assessment of a London production of The Sisters Rosensweig, but praises Wasserstein for her "clever mix of emotional comedy and old-fashioned Broadway wise-cracking."
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Uncommon Women and Others
(summary)
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Wasserstein, Wendy (Vol. 32)
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Women One Can't Forget
(summary)
In the following essay, Edmund Newton contends that Wendy Wasserstein's play "Uncommon Women and Others" transcends comedic potential to offer a compassionate portrayal of characters while invoking nostalgia and affection for the intellectual camaraderie of women's college experiences.
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Dramatic Wit and Wisdom Unite in 'Uncommon Women and Others'
(summary)
In the following essay, Richard Eder argues that Wendy Wasserstein's play "Uncommon Women and Others" combines her sharp satirical skills with a developing depth of character exploration, focusing on the personal growth and struggles of women facing societal changes, thus presenting an interim yet convincing report on feminine consciousness and liberation.
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Variety
(summary)
In the following essay, Humm argues that Wendy Wasserstein's "Isn't It Romantic" skillfully explores the conflict between personal independence and romantic fulfillment through witty and perceptive characters, though it occasionally falls into stereotypes and requires further refinement to fully succeed on Broadway.
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The Day before the Fifth of July
(summary)
In the following essay, Edith Oliver examines Wendy Wasserstein's play "Isn't It Romantic," highlighting its comedic elements and underlying themes of sadness and rootlessness as it follows the life of Janie Blumberg, a witty yet perplexed Jewish heroine navigating friendship and romantic relationships.
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Failing the Wasserstein Test
(summary)
In the following essay, John Simon criticizes Wendy Wasserstein's play Isn't It Romantic for lacking the promise shown in her earlier work, highlighting its tendency towards self-indulgence and fragmented humor, yet acknowledges her talent for comic-wistful lines and anticipates further development from her as a playwright.
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Tender Offer
(summary)
In the following essay, Edith Oliver analyzes how Wendy Wasserstein's play "Tender Offer" uses a seemingly trivial incident to explore serious emotional themes, highlighting the father-daughter dynamic and the beginning of reconciliation within a humorous yet poignant narrative.
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New 'Romantic' by Wendy Wasserstein
(summary)
In the following essay, Mel Gussow argues that Wendy Wasserstein's revised version of "Isn't It Romantic" enhances the play's comedic elements with a more profound emotional depth, focusing on the protagonist's journey toward maturity and her quest for a balanced life, culminating in a poignant resolution.
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Edith Oliver
(summary)
In the following essay, Edith Oliver praises Wendy Wasserstein's revised version of "Isn't It Romantic" for its gained momentum, focus, and depth, noting that the play has grown in strength and form while retaining its humor and wit, ultimately highlighting Janie's self-discovery and decisive independence.
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There Really Is a World beyond 'Diaper Drama'
(summary)
In the following essay, Benedict Nightingale critiques Wendy Wasserstein's "Isn't It Romantic" for its focus on the immaturity and parental dependency of its characters, arguing that contemporary American theater overly dwells on themes of personal relationships and adulthood struggles, often neglecting broader social contexts and diverse subject matter.
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Isn't It Romantic
(summary)
In the following essay, Elliott Sirkin critiques Wendy Wasserstein's Isn't It Romantic for its reliance on clichéd characterizations and stereotypes, arguing that its depiction of Jewish and WASP characters reflects unconscious reverse bigotry and that its structural format resembles a series of theatrical skits.
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Women One Can't Forget
(summary)
- Further Reading