Read this in English 52: 20th Century Drama with Professor Donald Pease.

I love Wasserstein, and her characters have never been so alive.

What a great play packed with all the issues you could want!

Spoiler:



Summary and conclusion. A lonely and sad woman can’t find fulfillment, so even though she’s never been there particularly maternal, she adopts a baby.

Hmmm… I wonder if I’m missing a lot because I read this and didn’t see it performed. But it feels really dated.

This was an interesting perspective of a woman's life from the 1960's to the 90's. The characters are dynamic, and the subjects definitely push the envelope of conservative society.



*For my friends who might have concerns: Does have strong vulgar language.

Exceptionally well written by Wendy Wasserstein. Heidi, an art historian spanning the time between 1965 and 1989, meets many women, mostly feminists, along with a couple of men who influence her decisions as she searches for the answers to life. Very thought-provoking. Might work better on a stage, rather than in print.

What struck me most about The Heidi Chronicles was Heidi's uncertainty as time marches on and she becomes increasingly lost and frustrated dealing with the repercussions of what she fought for back in the '60's and '70's. I think I expected a more confident, self-assured Heidi when I began but what Wendy Wasserstein gave us was a more complex, ambivalent portrait. Heidi even compares herself to a Heffalump and gurrrrllll. Same.
Heidi's heartbreaking speech in Act 2, Scene 4 is the perfect distillation of what Wasserstein's aiming to bring to the surface: wasn't the feminist movement supposed to bring women together? If so, why does Heidi feel so alone?

I am very excited to be doing a scene from this play for my final this semester! I thought that it was good feminist social commentary for the time. It's tone is somewhat melancholy but overall I liked the message.

Reading a play is never as good as watching a play.

Follows Heidi in her quest to "have it all." At times it is insightful but I feel like ending the play with Heidi adopting a baby as the way to find happiness was...unfortunate.

This made a great audio and now I'd love to see the play. Especially enjoyed the chronology of aging, opinions, and music at various points in time from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Be still my feminist heart.

"Do you, Scoop Rosenbaum, take Lisa Friedlander to be your bride?" "Well, I feel ambivalent about her. But I am blocked emotionally and she went to good schools, comes from a very good family and is not particularly threatening. So, yay, I do. Anyway, it's time for me to get married."

Here's to not settling.