Wendy Wasserstein
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WENDWENDYY WASSERSTEINWASSERSTEIN CASEBOOKSCASEBOOKS ONON MODERNMODERN DRAMATISTSDRAMATISTS VOLUMEVOLUME 2626 GARLANDGARLAND REFERENCEREFERENCE LIBRARYLIBRARY OFOF THETHE HUMANITIESHUMANITIES VOLUMEVOLUME 20752075 CASEBOOKCASEBOOKSS OONN MODERMODERNN DRAMATISTSDRAMATISTS KIMBALKIMBALLL KINGKING,, General EditorEditor CHRISTOPHECHRISTOPHERR HAMPTONHAMPTON DAVIDAVIDD HAREHARE A CasebookCasebook A CasebookCasebook editeeditedd bbyy RoberRobertt GrosGrosss editeeditedd bbyy HersHershh ZeifmaZeifmann HOWARHOWARDD BRENTONBRENTON MARSHMARSHAA NORMANNORMAN A CasebookCasebook A CasebookCasebook editeeditedd bbyy AnAnnn WilsoWilsonn editeeditedd bbyy LindLindaa GinteGinterr BrowBrownn DAVIDAVIDD STOREYSTOREY BRIABRIANN FRIELFRIEL A CasebookCasebook A CasebookCasebook editeeditedd bbyy WilliaWilliamm HutchingHutchingss editeeditedd bbyy WilliaWilliamm KerwiKerwinn PETEPETERR SHAFFERSHAFFER NEINEILL SIMONSIMON A CasebookCasebook A CasebookCasebook editeeditedd bbyy Cc.J..J. GianakaraGianakarass editeeditedd bbyy GarGaryy KonaKonass SIMONSIMON GRAYGRAY TERRENCETERRENCE McNALLYMCNALLY A CasebookCasebook A CasebookCasebook editeeditedd bbyy KatherinKatherinee HH.. BurkmaBurkmann editeeditedd bbyy TobTobyy SilvermanSilverman ZinmanZinman JOHJOHNN ARDEARDENN ANANDD STEPHENSTEPHEN SONDHEIMSONDHEIM MARGARETTAMARGARETTA D'ARCYD'ARCY A CasebookCasebook A CasebookCasebook editededited bbyy JoannJoannee GordoGordonn editededited bbyy JonathanJonathan WikWikee HORTONHORTON FOOTEFOOTE AUGUSAUGUSTT WILSONWILSON A CasebookCasebook A CasebookCasebook editededited bbyy GeraldGerald CC.. WooWoodd editeeditedd bbyy MarilyMarilynn ElkinElkinss SAMUELSAMUEL BECKETTBECKETT JOHNJOHN OSBORNEOSBORNE A CasebookCasebook A CasebookCasebook editededited byby JenniferJennifer M.M. JeffersJeffers editededited byby PatriciaPatricia D.D. DenisonDenison WENDYWENDY WASSERSTEINWASSERSTEIN ARNOLDARNOLD WESKERWESKER A CasebookCasebook A CasebookCasebook editededited byby ClaudiaClaudia BarnetBarnettt editededited byby ReadeReade W.W. DornaDornann WENDYWENDY WASSERSTEINWASSERSTEIN AA CASEBOOKCASEBOOK EDITEDEDITED BYBY CLAUDIACLAUDIA BARNETTBARNETT ~ ~~o~;!~n~~~up New York London FirsFirstt publishepublishedd bbyy GarlandGarland PublishingPublishing,, Inc.Inc. ThisThis editionedition publishepublishedd 20122012 bbyy RoutledgeRoutledge RoutledgRoutledgee RoutledgeRoutledge TaylorTaylor & FranciFranciss GroupGroup TaylorTaylor & FranciFranciss GrouGroupp 711711 ThirdThird AvenuAvenuee 2 ParParkk Square,S quare, MiltoMiltonn ParParkk NeNeww YorkYork,, NNYY 1001100177 AbingdonAbingdon,, OxoOxonn 0X1OX 144 4R4RNN CopyrightCopyright © 19991999 bbyy ClaudiaClaudia BarnettBarnett AllAll rightrightss reservedreserved LibraryLibrary ooff CongressCongress Cataloging-in-PublicatioCataloging-in-Publicationn DatDataa WendWendyy WassersteinWasserstein : a caseboocasebookk I/ editededited bbyy ClaudiaClaudia Barnett.Barnett. pp.. cmcm.. -— (Garland(Garland referencereference librarylibrary ooff thethe humanitieshumanities ; vv.2075.. 2075. CaseCasebook bookss oonn modernmodern dramatistsdramatists ; vv.. 26)26) IncludesIncludes bibliographicalbibliographical referencesreferences andand index.index. ISBNISBN 0-8153-2953-90-8153-2953-9 (alk(alk.. paper)paper) 1.1. Wasserstein,Wasserstein, Wendy-CriticismWendy—Criticism andand interpretationinterpretation.. 22.. WomeWomenn andand literature—Uniteliterature-Unitedd States-History-20thStates—History—20th centurycentury.. I.I. BarnettBarnett,, Claudia.Claudia. II.II. Series:Series: GarlandGarland referencereference librarylibrary ofof thethe humanities;humanities ; voLvol . 2075.2075. III.HI . Series:Series : GarlandGarland referencereference librarylibrary ooff thethe humanities.humanities. CaseCasebook bookss oonn modermodernn dramatistsdramatists ; volvol.. 26.26. PS3573.A798Z96PS3573.A798Z96 19991999 812'.54-dc21812\54—dc21 98-4041898-40418 CIPCIP CoverCover photograpphotographh ofof WendyWendy WassersteinWasserstein bbyy JamesJames HamiltonHamilton provideprovidedd bbyy RoyceRoyce CarltonCarlton Incorporated.Incorporated. GENERAGENERALL EDITOR'SEDITOR'S NOTENOTE WendyWendy WassersteiWassersteinn isis ononee ooff America'America'ss foremostforemost playwrights.playwrights. LikLikee MarshMarshaa NormanNorman,, whosewhose casebookcasebook forfor GarlanGarlandd waswas compiledcompiled bbyy LindLindaa GinteGinterr BrownBrown anandd publishedpublished a yearyear ago,ago, sheshe iiss ononee ooff thethe leadinleadingg femalfemalee voicesvoices oonn ththee contemporarcontemporaryy stage.stage. AAtt timetimess heherr gendegenderr hahass leledd toto unfaiunfairr evaluaevalua• tionstions ofof herher worworkk becausbecausee criticscritics lookinlookingg forfor a straightforwardstraightforward feministfeminist poinpointt ooff vievieww areare likelylikely toto bbee disappointedisappointedd bbyy herher complexcomplex visiovisionn ooff lifelife.. WomeWomenn iinn Wasserstein'Wasserstein'ss playsplays areare likellikelyy toto bbee educatededucated,, affluent,affluent, aatt easeasee iinn urbaurbann settings,settings, anandd frequentlyfrequently Jewish.Jewish. ThereThere isis onlonlyy ononee womanwoman ooff colorcolor inin herher playsplays,, anandd heherr malmalee characterscharacters araree oftenoften positivelpositivelyy portrayeportrayedd andand interestinginteresting ttoo a degreedegree thathatt compromisecompromisess certaincertain feminisfeministt "agendas.""agendas." YetYet WassersteinWasserstein,, whwhoo isis a professionaprofessionall journalisjournalistt andand anan astuteastute analystanalyst ooff soso• ciologicalciological anandd anthropologicaanthropologicall trends,trends, isis primarilprimarilyy interestedinterested inin capturincapturingg thethe qualityquality ooff thethe contemplative,contemplative, responsiblresponsiblee individuaindividuall iinn thethe twentiethtwentieth century.century. HerHer themesthemes araree nevernever didactic;didactic; herher techniquestechniques oftenoften seemseem traditradi• tionaltional,, witwithh linealinearr plotplotss and/orand/or surprisesurprise endings.endings. ClaudiaClaudia BarnettBarnett,, thethe editoeditorr ooff thisthis volume,volume, mustmust bbee creditedcredited withwith placinplacingg Wasserstein'Wasserstein'ss contributionscontributions ttoo modermodernn dramadrama inin a propeproperr concon• texttext.. Barnett,Barnett, whowho receivereceivedd heherr Ph.DPh.D.. frofromm OhioOhio StateState University,University, wrotewrote a dissertationdissertation onon AdrienneAdrienne KennedyKennedy andand hashas publishedpublished articlesarticles onon modmod• erernn playwrightplaywrightss inin TheatreTheatre JournalJournal,, ModerModernn DramaDrama,, anandd AmericanAmerican DramaDrama.. CurrentlyCurrently anan assistantassistant professoprofessorr atat MiddlMiddlee TennesseeTennessee StateState UniUni• versity,versity, sheshe wonwon thethe BurgerBurger TheatreTheatre EssaEssayy PrizePrize iinn 19971997 forfor aann essaessayy onon PhylliPhylliss NagyNagy.. SheShe isis doingdoing researchresearch foforr a projecprojectt oonn NaomNaomii WallaceWallace,, asas• semblingsembling anan extremelyextremely heterogeneouheterogeneouss groupgroup ofof well-knownwell-known scholars.scholars. BarnetBarnettt hashas finallyfinally establisheestablishedd a balancebalancedd andand intriguingintriguing basibasiss forfor studyinstudyingg andand appreciatinappreciatingg Wasserstein,Wasserstein, a talentedtalented andand insightfulinsightful AmericanAmerican writer.writer . KimbalKimballl KingKing This page intentionally left blank FoForr my father, RicharRichardd BarnettBarnett This page intentionally left blank ContentsContents AcknowledgmentAcknowledgmentss ix IntroductionIntroduction Claudia BarnettBarnett xi ChronologChronologyy xix ChapteChapterr 1:1: Women'Women'ss Movement:Movement: TheThe PersonaPersonall aass PoliticalPolitical iinn thethe PlaysPlays ooff WendyWendy WassersteinWasserstein Bette MandlMandl 3 ChapteChapterr 2:2: BachelorBachelor Machine:Machine: PostmodemPostmodern Travels,Travels, FemaleFemale CommunitiesCommunities,, MelancholMelancholyy anandd ththee MarkeMarkett iinn Bachelor GirlsGirls Stephanie HammerHammer 1313 ChapteChapterr 3:3: GenerationsGenerations ofof NoraNora:: Self-RealizationSelf-Realization inin thethe ComedieComediess ooff RachelRachel CrotherCrotherss anandd WendyWendy WassersteinWasserstein 3535 Robert F. GrossGross ChapteChapterr 4:4: "We've"We've AllAll ComComee a LongLong Way":Way": TheThe RolRolee ofof WomeWomenn inin Uncommon Women, Top Girls, anandd MyMy Mother Said I Never ShouldShould William C.C BolesBoles 5757 ChapteChapterr 5:5: FemaleFemale LaughterLaughter anandd ComiComicc Possibilities:Possibilities: Uncommon Women and OthersOthers Miriam M. ChiricoChirico 8181 viii Contents ChapterChapter 66:: BuildingBuilding thethe Gift:Gift: CreatingCreating a CharacteCharacterr iinn Wasserstein'sWasserstein's The Sisters RosensweigRosensweig Deborah K. AndersonAnderson 107107 ChapteChapterr 77:: WendWendyy Wasserstein'sWasserstein's ThreeThree Sisters:Sisters: SquanderedSquandered PrivilegPrivilegee Gaylord BrewerBrewer 119119 ChapteChapterr 8:8: WhenWhen WendWendyy Isn'tIsn't Trendy:Trendy: WendWendyy Wasserstein'Wasserstein'ss The Heidi Chronicles andand An American DaughterDaughter Helene KeyssarKeyssar 131333 ChapteChapterr 9:9: ThreeThree AmericaAmericann Daughters:Daughters: WendWendyy WassersteiWassersteinn CritiqueCritiquess SuccessSuccess Glenda FrankFrank 161161 ChapteChapterr 10:10: InterviewInterview witwithh WendWendyy WassersteiWassersteinn Claudia BarnettBarnett