By Carol Davis
CARLSBAD, California –When The Heidi Chronicles, Wendy Wasserstein’s Pulitzer Prize winning play for Drama hit Broadway in 1989 it had to have rocked many a boat. It was a reality check on the ‘women’s movement’ from 1965 to 1989 as seen through the eyes of protagonist Heidi Holland. I first saw this play in 1992 fresh off the writing pad from Broadway through regional performances finally hitting the now defunct Gaslamp Quarter Theatre (renamed the Hahn now called The Horton Grand Theatre). It was then in the budding phases of the re-developing Gaslamp Quarter part of San Diego. The Gaslamp Quarter now hums with tourists and locals on any given night after 9PM.
Wendy Wasserstein was born in 1950 in Brooklyn, New York. After attending Mount Holyoke College in 1971 and graduating Yale School of Drama in 1976 (with an MFA) “she followed in the footsteps of her grandfather, Simon Schliefer, who was a prominent Polish Jewish playwright.” Wasserstein’s other plays include Uncommon Women and Others, The Sisters Rosensweig, An American Daughter and Third. Unfortunately, she died of cancer at the young age of 55.
It is now 2010 and it’s hard to tell how Heidi and/ or Wendy, if she were alive today, might see the fruits of their labor. The Heidi Chronicles, which could be subtitled a woman in search of herself, is being given a new airing at The New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad under the direction of Amanda Sitton and starring Kristianne Kurner as Heidi. It still raises more questions than it answers.
In a series of twelve or so vignettes, we are taken on a journey back to a time (some in the audience weren’t even born in 1969) when standing up for something, marching for a cause, supporting your favorite political candidate and or picketing outside a building that discriminates against women meant something. Heidi grew up in that hippy, feminist, political, find yourself at any cost and coming of age generation. She strove, but really never succeeded at finding the ultimate happiness of someone ‘who wanted to have it all’.
The highlights and lowlights of Heidi’s career beginning with a lecture at Columbia University that Professor Heidi Holland is giving about the history of women in art and their disappearance from the art scene sets the tone. It then flashes back to Heidi and her high school friend Susan (Jacque Wilke) at their senior high school dance.
With Heidi shying away from the boys and Susan a Venus flytrap the die is cast and Heidi is pretty much set on her singular journey. One positive that follows Heidi, however is the lasting friendship she carves out with Peter Patrone (Brian Mackey) another socially shy senior who whose friendship continues throughout her adult years and who later in their friendship finally confesses to Heidi that he is gay.
Fast-forward where slides of the Eugene McCarthy era run for president clips are highlighted as Heidi shows up at a McCarthy rally and social event several years later. It is here at this event in Manchester, New Hampshire that she meets up with the overbearing and intellectual snob Scoop Rosenbaum (John DeCarlo) the Jewish thorn in her side; first and lost love that she can’t seem to shake and whom she can’t have.
With Wasserstein’s wry humor, Scoop has Heidi’s number from the start and in the most annoying of his personality traits (and he has many) he judges and grades her every move and thought on a scale from A to D. This too, continues throughout their long friendship. It is one of the many put down’s Wasserstein’s humor takes on that Scoop has in his arsenal of simplifying and trivializing all the women in his life. Wasserstein was criticized by many in the feminist movement for her depreciating humor toward women.
Wasserstein’s humor rings throughout and while getting the required laughs, it camouflages some of the more underlying social issues in Heidi’s life. The fact that she always appears to be on the outside looking in and commenting, not necessarily completely emerged, became another thorny issue of criticism for Wasserstein.
This ‘out sidedness’ is most noted when she attends a woman’s consciousness raising group with Susan, who is now a law student. When Heidi meets up with Jill (Kelly Iverson in multiple roles) and Fran (Frances Regal also in multiple rolls) two of the more vocal women in the group and they ask if she supports their ideas, she retorts, “I’m just visiting.” Again she’s the onlooker and note taker.
Kristianne Kurner, executive artistic director, seems to be the right choice to play Heidi. As one of the founders of the theatre, she has surrounded herself with strong women and probably knows Heidi Holland better than most. It might also be noted that Kurner might very well have benefited from the work of all the Heidi Hollands.
To say that Kerner has it all would be presumptuous on my part, but living her dream to have her own theatre company, raising a son and keeping a positive attitude certainly separates her from Heidi’s not being able to find her little niche in the world.
Kurner’s Heidi is upbeat and straightforward while keeping herself on the sidelines of reaching her true potential. As always, Kurner glows from within and her character, shines as well. She also manages to show that aloof, reserved and somewhat naïve side as well, giving her some limited range and use of her acting abilities.
As for her quest looking for that ‘Bluebird of Happiness” even when it peters off in the late 1980’s, Kurner’s Heidi takes on a lonely, disillusioned and little more tarnished tone by its shortcomings and eventual waning. Since the two men in her life are unavailable, Peter is gay and Scoop is married but still playing around, she decides to adopt and raise her baby as a single mom and a new enthusiasm shows through. Kurner remains consistent throughout which has both positive and negative results.
Jacque Wilke is the perfect Susan pushing for more while her path takes on a more convoluted road as she matures and decides the creature comforts and money work well for her. Brian Mackey’s Peter, who by now has become a respected pediatrician and living in the world of AIDS, is charming and ever convincing as Heidi’s true friend through thick and thin. His character rings as the most convincing.
The Scoop character we love to hate is beautifully played by John DeCarlo. He so typifies the selfish, self-absorbed know it all, pushy playboy. I’m inclined to think his character is more stereotypical than most of the others. I have known men like him. In this case it works well and DeCarlo, as much as we don’t want to like his character, does charm.
Some might find Wasserstein’s “Chronicles” dated. My first reaction was just that. However with the addition of live music by the very talented Linda Libby (an accomplished actor as well) playing selected music (on her guitar) snatched right out of the era and with authentic videos showing who and what went on during those 25 or so years it all came back.
This all culminated in a very poignant home video showing movies of Heidi (Kurner) and Peter (Brian Mackey) playing with the youngster Heidi finally adopted romping around in front of the very art museum they all picketed at the beginning of their long journey.
As for Wasserstein, her life pretty much mirrors Heidi’s. She too was a bright star an over achiever who never married and at age 48 gave birth to a little girl, Lucy Jane Wasserstein. Unfortunately for both, Wendy died several years later of lymphoma. I happened to be in New York when she died. The lights on Broadway dimmed in her memory.
And while the feminist movement may be a thing of the past and they fought like hell for equality, women are still struggling to break the glass ceiling, still getting wages lower than their male counterparts in many areas of the country and are still in jobs where the ‘good ol’ boy’s club’ takes precedent over fair and equal treatment for all.
Sitton in her debut directorial assignment might have given the characters a few more layers to make them less one-dimensional. Thumbs up to Brian Townsend for his wonderful and accurate projections, Jason Bieber’s lighting design and Tim Wallace’s scenic design and thumbs down to Renetta Lloyd’s choice of clothes for Heidi in particular and the rest of the cast in general. Nothing in their clothes reflected the period and Heidi’s dress did not compliment her character. Just a suggestion.
Every now and then it’s a good idea for reality checks. I surely wouldn’t want to go back to the times when most women had the choice of being either a teacher or a nurse, if and when they were fortunate enough to have gone on to higher education. I know my three grown girls don’t even think twice about what they can and cannot do as productive women in a changing society, they just ‘do it’.
For all the Wendy Wasserstein’s, Gloria Steinem’s, Bella Abzug’s, Emma Goldman’s and yes, Susan B. Anthony’s, et al our hats are off to you.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: April 5th – April 28, 2010
Organization: New Village Arts Theatre
Phone: 760-433-3245
Production Type: Dramatic
Where: 2787 State Street, Carlsbad, and Ca. 92008
Ticket Prices: $30.00 general admission, 25.00 senior and student and military/22.00 groups of 10 or more.
Web: NewVillageArts.org
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Davis is a San Diego-based theatre critic.