The Heidi Chronicles
"The Heidi Chronicles" is a pivotal play by Wendy Wasserstein that traces the life of Heidi Holland from her teenage years in the 1960s through her struggles as a single woman in the 1980s. The narrative explores Heidi's journey toward understanding feminist ideals while navigating her relationships, including a casual affair with magazine editor Scoop Rosenbaum and a close friendship with gay pediatrician Peter Patrone. As she grapples with issues of independence and fulfillment, Heidi ultimately seeks to adopt a child, reflecting her desire for companionship and purpose.
The play highlights the complexities of the feminist movement, specifically addressing the feelings of isolation and disillusionment that some women experience despite the societal advancements of the time. Critics have engaged with the portrayal of Heidi, debating her representation as a lost figure and the implications of her male-centric relationships. Notably, "The Heidi Chronicles" received widespread acclaim, winning major awards such as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award, and it has been adapted into a television film that brought its themes to a broader audience. The work remains a significant commentary on the intersection of feminism, success, and personal identity in American society.
The Heidi Chronicles
Identification Award-winning play
Author Wendy Wasserstein
Date Produced in 1988
Wendy Wasserstein’s award-winning and best-known play explores women of the baby-boom generation, the women’s movement in the 1980’s, and how many women’s views of success differ from those of many men.
Key Figures
Wendy Wasserstein (1950-2006), playwright
The Heidi Chronicles follows the life of Heidi Holland from her promising 1960’s high school days to her experiences with the consciousness-raising women’s groups of the 1970’s to her life as a single woman trying to have it all in the 1980’s. Throughout, Heidi’s understanding of and search for equality and feminist ideals are tested. Well-educated yet unsure how to make herself happy, Heidi has a no-commitment affair with magazine editor Scoop Rosenbaum while leaning heavily on her best friend, gay pediatrician Peter Patrone. Getting older and feeling alone, she decides to adopt a baby and attempt single parenting, hoping it will bring her the fulfillment and companionship for which she longs.
The most telling discussion of Heidi’s views on feminist principles—often taken to be those of Wasserstein as well—occurs toward the latter part of the play in a speech Heidi gives discussing both her work as an art historian and her view of her own life. Heidi became an independent woman, as the feminist movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s encouraged, but by doing so, she has come to feel isolated and alone. She admonishes the crowd by telling them that she feels stranded, when she thought the whole point was that women wouldn’t feel stranded; rather, they would support one another and feel closer as a gender. The 1980’s may have brought liberation, but that liberation did not bring contentment.
While many praised Wasserstein’s play for its unflinching examination of mainstream American feminism and Heidi’s struggle to define herself, others felt her attack on the women’s movement and joke-ridden dialogue betrayed the importance of women moving forward as both mothers and workers. Others felt that by creating a character that is lost and often voiceless, Wasserstein put too much credence in the points of view expressed by Scoop and Peter, two men. Wasserstein herself countered that Heidi, and indeed most women in the 1980’s, were lost and voiceless and that the definition of “success” was not the same for women as it was for men. Whatever disagreements the play presented among critics, audiences were very receptive to a contemporary feminist play and agreed that Wasserstein’s Heidi was a fitting representation of baby-boom women and their fears that success in the workplace would not be enough for a happy life.
Impact
Wasserstein’s play opened starring Joan Allen, Boyd Gaines, and Peter Friedman and won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, the Tony Award, the Drama Critics Circle Award, and scores of other honors. It was eventually made into a television movie starring Jaime Lee Curtis, Tom Hulce, and Peter Friedman that was seen by—and influenced—a much wider audience.
Bibliography
Austin, Gayle. “The Heidi Chronicles (Review).” Theatre Journal, March, 1990, 107-108.
Balakian, Jan. “The Heidi Chronicles: The Big Chill of Feminism.” South Atlantic Review 60, no. 2 (May, 1995): 93-101.
Ciociola, Gail. Wendy Wasserstein: Dramatizing Women, Their Choices, and Their Boundaries. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1998.