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The Heidi Chronicles

Wendy Wasserstein,

Kaitlin Hopkins (Read by),

Martha Plimpton (Read by)

3.75 · Rating details · 1,601 ratings · 86 reviews

Wendy Wassersteins Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play is the tale of a baby-boomers long, hard road from 60s confusion to 90s self-made woman...or so she hopes.

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Published January 1st 2003 by LA Theatre Works (first published 1988)

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Dec 10, 2016 Brina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

One of my reading themes in 2016, that I hope to continue in 2017, has been to read more classic plays. It is in this regard that I selected Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles, which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1988. Wasserstein had previously wrote for the Seattle Repertory Company and penned two other plays- An Uncommon Woman and A Life Imagined. Heidi was her first play to win multiple awards and enjoy long success on Broadway.

The Heidi Chronicles details twenty five years in t One of my reading themes in 2016, that I hope to continue in 2017, has been to read more classic plays. It is in this regard that I selected Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles, which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1988. Wasserstein had previously wrote for the Seattle Repertory Company and penned two other plays- An Uncommon Woman and A Life Imagined. Heidi was her first play to win multiple awards and enjoy long success on Broadway.

The Heidi Chronicles details twenty five years in the life of Dr. Heidi Holland, professor of art history. Heidi becomes an archetype of the baby boom era who went from campaigning for Eugene McCarthy to demanding equality for women in the work place and at home. Along the way, we meet other characters who share Heidi's journey in life: Susan who is Heidi's closest friend and cracks the glass ceiling in the working world; Scoop Rosenbaum an entrepreneur who loves Heidi but can not marry her because she would rather achieve at work than at home; and Peter Patrone, Heidi's first love who becomes a successful pediatrician and then turns out to be gay. These four characters become representative of the baby boom era that is still achieving today.

In the course of 80 pages of dialogue, it is clear that Wasserstein diligently took the time to research Heidi's character. We learn of lesser known female painters who had to take a back seat to famous men in society; most evident is Lilly Cabot who at a time lived next door to Monet and learned from the French master. What Heidi hoped to achieve in the art world was to eradicate the gap between men and women so that Lilly Cabot is as well known as Claude Monet. This is apparent with Wasserstein's other characters as well. Susan makes inroads in producing sitcoms, Lisa publishes children's books, and April hosts Hello, New York. All of these gains occurred in the 1980s while the glass ceiling was first beginning to crack.

What did not work for me and lowered my rating was the depiction of the male characters in the play. In order to get Heidi to achieve, Wasserstein created two ex-lovers who maintained traits negative enough for Heidi to reject them. Scoop Rosenbaum desired a spouse who would not compete with him. Lisa Friedlander desired a family and was happy taking a back seat to her husband, so she was marriageable material; Heidi, who loved Scoop dearly but wanted a successful career, was not. Peter also loved Heidi for a quarter century but turns out to be gay. In the 21st century, Scoop and Heidi would be considered a power couple. In the mid 1980s, however, Heidi impedes Scoop rise to stardom, thus dating the play thirty years back.

The Heidi Chronicles remains a poignant study of the feminist side to the baby boom generation. I enjoyed reading how women of my mother's generation began to crack into the mythical glass ceiling in many facets of the working world. Yet, from its depiction of men, I believe the play not to be as timeless as some of the other plays I have read this year. Heidi was deserving of the Pulitzer upon its release in 1988, and I glad that I took the time to study it. Worthy of this award, I rate The Heidi Chronicles 4 stars. ...more

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Oct 07, 2009 Jackie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: plays

I liked this play a lot more before I read my Women in Theater professor's article about it. Then all of a sudden all its flaws became pretty clear. Nonetheless, my favorite thing about it, the dialogue, remained unchallenged, so that's okay.
Heidi was an interesting main character in that she is often portrayed as responding to things happening around her rather than actively engaging in them herself. As a way to highlight the different stages of the second wave feminist movement (stages Heidi s ...more

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Jul 29, 2020 Andrea Laurion added it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

It's funny, the elements that made this play groundbreaking 30 years ago are what make it sound dated now. Doesn't take away from it's importance. ...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Bradley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: year-2011

I'm on a bit of a Wendy Wasserstein kick. This play won the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony in 1989. Even though the play is over 20 years old, the themes presented are still valid. ...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Gorfo rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: people nostalgic for the late 20th century

Recommended to Gorfo by: school

Shelves: realistic, plays, historical-fiction

The Heidi Chronicles is a coming of age novel that leaves the reader feeling empty, disappointed and more than a little depressed. The main character comes of age during a time of change and movement from the time spanning the 1960's-to the early 90's. With all of this change surrounding her Heidi feels compelled to action and finds herself fiercely advocating for the representation of women in art. However through all of this she finds herself lonely and unfulfilled. Her romantic life center ma ...more

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May 12, 2015 Susan added it · review of another edition

I cannot remember not knowing there was a play called "The Heidi Chronicles," but I had never seen or read it. I read a lot about it and about Wendy Wasserstein. recently, I read a New York Times article about the Broadway revival of the play starring Elisabeth Moss, whose Peggy Olsen was quite Heidi-ish, by the way. The article stated that the play was closing due to lack of ticket sales. That was interesting to me. Was the play dated? Irrelevant? So I finally read it.

It's a very good play, abo ...more

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Jul 26, 2016 Becca Morello rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow. Amazing. "The Heidi Chronicles" captivated me in ways I never expected! This witty, fast-paced and enchanting play culminates with a chilling reality about careers, love, marriage, friendship and the ups and downs of life. "The Heidi Chronicles" resonated with me on so many levels and I look forward to seeing it on stage soon. Better yet, I look forward to someday portraying Heidi on stage. Highly recommend. ...more

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Dec 29, 2018 Kasy Long rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I enjoyed this play because the themes are still relevant to today’s culture. Even though it’s 20 years old, the play’s themes on feminism, female empowerment, friendship, culture, society, etc. are still true today. This was an interesting play. If you’re interested in feminism writing, you should give this a read.

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Aug 19, 2011 Carrie Ridgeway rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, bpl

I listened to the audio version of the play from Library2Go. The story was pretty good. Enjoyed the interview with the author at the end.

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May 12, 2015 Jason rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I adore Wendy Wasserstein's work and this is my favorite. I'v always wanted to play Peter in a production. A great look a life! ...more

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Jun 13, 2015 Steven rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: american, plays, women

A pulitzer prize winning play for the feminist Vassar and Brown crowd.

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Jan 06, 2018 Ina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I'm not big on plays, but I really liked this one. The thing that attracted me initially was the synopsis - finding myself and trying to be true to myself (as cliche as it sounds) are things I have always thought about. But I definitely found much more in this play.
People argue if this work is still relevant, they talk about feminism and how it's different today. I do agree that this work is about the specific situation of a middle-class woman in that specific time and I wouldn't say that one ca I'm not big on plays, but I really liked this one. The thing that attracted me initially was the synopsis - finding myself and trying to be true to myself (as cliche as it sounds) are things I have always thought about. But I definitely found much more in this play.
People argue if this work is still relevant, they talk about feminism and how it's different today. I do agree that this work is about the specific situation of a middle-class woman in that specific time and I wouldn't say that one can just change some details and, voila, the play would be as if set today. (The dialogue alone both between Heidi and Scoop or Peter and Heidi and Fran or Susan would go quite differently today.) But, although significant improvements on women's rights have been made, I would say the question of "having it all" is still very much on the table (or the question of having equal opportunities if we're talking in terms of class). We as people are still trying to find ourselves, wanting to find our own voices, but also wanting to be a part of a larger group, to find acceptance, but also be content with ourselves.
But it's not only about being relevant, it does and has more than that. The play serves as a historical view on feminism and its problems back then, it is a play where the sentiment that was present in the lives of many women was finally put on paper and then the stage. And it has such snappy and witty dialogues that to me they seemed as good and important as the subject matter itself.
I'm not going to go into an analysis of the text itself as there are definitely more competent people out there doing just that, but there is one more thing I would like to say about the matter at hand and things around it. The women in this play fight for having it all, but the content of "having it all" is not the same for every woman (or every man, for that matter). The play seems to be more about the women being in this together (or, as it turns out, not being together), but it seems to me it also brings up a question of separateness in this togetherness. That is still a question worth considering. And this is still a play worth reading. ...more

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May 08, 2018 Michael McClain rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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 distill ...more

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Dec 12, 2017 LoriO rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Some plays read better than others; this is one I think needs the nuance of voice and facial expressions to help with comprehension. I can't believe I've never seen this performed! Anyway, there are bits I'm just not sure I understood, characters I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to feel about. But the language is so spot on and the banter is so real...I trust that, when seen and heard, all would be revealed.

As an aside, I also find amusing the fact that this reads, and strongly, as a period pi ...more

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Mar 13, 2019 Anne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: feminism, plays

Really loved the female-based narrative and the discussions the characters have that women have in real life about perceived timelines and "can they have it all." For a play that came out in 1988, it was surprisingly open to the gay narrative, though there was a joke that was supposed to be a double-entendre alluding to the gay character but in actuality connected homosexuality to pedophilia - hence not 5 stars. ...more

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Feb 24, 2018 Natalie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: plays

I picked this up for an audition monologue, and I liked it much more than I was expecting to after hating Uncommon Women and Others! Almost 30 years on, it didn't feel particularly groundbreaking to me (especially not after having read several other Baby Boomer Retrospectives), but the characters were interesting, and several of the scenes were comedic gold. ...more

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Jun 11, 2018 Anna Fitzgerald rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: plays

I didn't find the characters overly interesting and watched them passively from a distance as if they were a bit flat. However, I read a lot of plays and what I did like was the approach of the interconnected scenes moving back and forth through time. That kept the pace moving forward and was refreshing. ...more

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Jun 30, 2019 MaryAnn Kelling rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Coming to a theater near you (Carleton College, Northfield MN) this fall. It has potential to be a good one. The script follows the life of Heidi and the path she takes to define herself as a woman and a person. It begins the mid 1960's when Heidi is a teenager and ends in the late 1980's. ...more

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Apr 26, 2020 Sarah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: play

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. ...more

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Apr 26, 2020 Mrs. Owens rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: play

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Jul 09, 2020 Sharon Kuromiya rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Listened to the play on audio. It was so stupid and shallow that I could hardly bear to sit through it. It's not that it hasn't aged well. Dunning-Kruger in action? Playwright has no idea how much she doesn't know about what was really going on. ...more

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Oct 16, 2017 A.D. Elliott rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A look into a life of a feminist. Heidi is my new inspiration for off hand and witty remarks.

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Apr 03, 2018 Steve rated it did not like it · review of another edition

It's only April but we have a top contender for the worst play read in 2018. A boring slog through three decades with empty, soulless characters. ...more

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Oct 17, 2018 Melissa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: school, 2018

Quite witty. I was with her up until the final act.

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Oct 17, 2018 Carla Seravalli added it · review of another edition

too true to be funny... this broke my heart

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Jan 04, 2019 Lily rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: plays

The energy of act one is good, but Heidi herself was boring. I'd say the exact opposite for act two. 3.5 stars. ...more

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Jun 26, 2019 Dee Dee OConnor rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: plays, my-plays

A great exploration of feminism's evolution from the 60s through the late 80s as seen through and experienced by Heidi. I would love to see this performed but thoroughly enjoyed the read. ...more

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Jul 28, 2019 elle buss rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtq, plays, 2019

i really didn’t care about anybody or anything in this honestly

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May 07, 2020 Patrick Grizzard rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Everything boomer is millennial again.

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Jul 09, 2020 Lindsay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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

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About Wendy Wasserstein

Wendy Wasserstein

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Wendy Wasserstein was an award-winning American playwright and an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University. She was the recipient of the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.