Best American Plays
65 books |
33 voters
The Heidi Chronicles: Uncommon Women and Others & Isn't It Romantic (Vintage)
by Wendy Wasserstein
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Read in January, 2008
Uncommon Women and Others was really good. It was refreshing to read a play with female characters written by a woman. That's the reason the monologues from this play are used so much in auditions. What's also really cool is the familiar names in the original cast. Picturing Glenn Close or Meryl Streep saying the lines makes the reading more vivid.
Isn't It Romantic didn't sit as well with me, but that was probably more my fault because I read the play in pieces over the course of a week....more
Isn't It Romantic didn't sit as well with me, but that was probably more my fault because I read the play in pieces over the course of a week....more
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Read in January, 1994
recommends it for:
Women
I picked this up for my Modern Drama class in college. I had to choose a playwright we were not studying in class to read and write a paper about. My dad suggested Wendy Wasserstein for he thought she was up my alley. Oh, how I loved this play. I read all of her plays in print for my assignment, but the Heidi Chronicles is so true, so heartbreaking, and touched me in a way few authors are able. It stands the test of time and does not date itself. I have given this to many friends during some tou...more
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maryliciousness
Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
Mary McDonnell fans, Wendy Wasserstein fans, fans of 20th century American drama
"The Heidi Chronicles" is a beautiful play about the changes of time since the 60s and how it shaped a generation. Heidi, a character who is deeply influenced by the time she grew up in also stands out. Contrasting her friends, she feels out of place and is more of an observer than of an actual participant in certain developments while she always manages to end up being center-stage in her time.
It's a beautiful play by Wendy Wasserstein - witty, funny and critical, it is also an hom...more
It's a beautiful play by Wendy Wasserstein - witty, funny and critical, it is also an hom...more
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Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
I'd recommend this book to uncommon women and others.
I've never seen any of Wendy Wasserstein's plays performed live; however, I did see the Meryl Streep/Swoosie Kurtz performance of <i>Uncommon Women<i> on DVD. It's my favorite of her plays, yet <i> The Heidi Chronicles<i> seems to get the most acclaim. I actually like <i>The Heidi Chronicles<i> least of the three plays featured in this book.
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A good play, but not a great one-- certainly not worthy of the awards it won... it does not date well. I think Heidi's vignette-told story was a lovely slice of life piece that really illustrated the Zeitgeist of the time... but now feels simplistic and, well, rather juvenile. Although the Art lectures are still pretty interesting.
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The Heidi Chronicles is easily the best play in this collection. Wasserstein's portrayal of Heidi is real and unsympathetic. The other two plays in this collection - Uncommon Women and Others & Isn't It Romantic - are less fully realized. So I've rated this collection solely on the merits of THC.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
recommends it for:
women in search of their feminist core
Brilliant play exploring realistic feminism throughout the last half of the 20th century. Wasserstein uses Heidi to speak beautifully simple truths, that connected with me on a level few things have. I highly recommend reading it at least two times to pick up on all the nuances.
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Read in September, 2008
Even though Wasserstein's brand of feminism is exactly congruent with my own, I am wondering if maybe it indicates there has been a shift in times and a gal really can "have it all". I liked "Uncommon Women and Others" the best.
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"The Heidi Chronicles" are fantastic; "Isn't It Romantic" is decently funny; "Uncommon Women" is pretty good in its own right.
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I was excited to have discovered a modern, moderate feminist. But, she didn't really end up saying much - at least, to me.
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"Heidi Chronicles" is one of the reasons I went into theater in the first place. Loved Wendy Wasserstein. Such a loss.
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Read in April, 1994
I recently re-read these plays, and although they're clearly set in a certain time period, they still ring very true.
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Read in December, 2007
This play had some interesting ideas, and I liked Heidi, though it all ends up feeling a little dated by the end.
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i really like all three of these plays. wasserstein had such a unique voice and she is evocative of her time.
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I read this book on a (harrowing) car ride to and from Vermont. It's a quick play, but funny and insightful
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The Heidi Chronicles is one of my all-time favorite plays. The writing is smart, witty and touching.
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school-book
Read in December, 2007
What an incredibly funny (and poignant...and telling...) play. Someone needs to make a movie of this.
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Read in January, 2006
don't bother if you did not grow up in the 60's because the pop culture references will fly by you
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Read in June, 1997
recommends it for:
Lynsley
The Mistress of light, fed my soul with this one.
I am a sucker for a woman of taste and talent
I am a sucker for a woman of taste and talent
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Read in May, 2008
Here we are twenty years later, still trying to figure out if we can "have it all..."
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