February 2007

Dear Subscriber:

JANUARY CERTAINLY REMINDED US that winter does exist here in St. Louis. I know that many of you were hit hard by the storms, and we hope that you got through it all without too much hardship. Many of our own staff were without power for several days, but luckily we were able to keep on performing and also rehearsing. We appreciate all the effort made by audience members to get to our shows during the bad weather.

MANY OF YOU ARE AWARE that Wendy Wasserstein died this past year at age 55 of cancer. She was the voice of her generation onstage, writing with humor, irony and a clever sense of observation. Her passing leaves the modern stage with a loss of one of the few writers of comedies of manners for the modern age. This point is beautifully illustrated in The Heidi Chronicles as she makes you laugh uproariously in one moment and cry in the very next. As the generation she was writing about moves into the next phase of their lives, her observations of the latter decades of the 20th century bring back memories that are wonderfully cringe-worthy, with vivid touchstones of current events and music of those years. And for people who are younger, the look back at this fabulous 30-year period is revealing, serving as an important reminder that the struggles are ongoing and that even though the discussion may have changed a little, the essential issues that Wasserstein is speaking about are still applicable today. In selecting the season, two things led me to this play—Betty Friedan and Wasserstein passing in the same week and Heidi’s reference to her young daughter in the final scene of the play as “a heroine for the 21st [century].” And there it is—now in our time we can look at the forces that came together to make the world what it is for the generations coming of age in this new century.

AS WE MOVE from Heartbreak House and the classically funny repartee of Shaw’s commentary on love and politics in the early 1900s to Wendy Wasserstein’s The Heidi Chronicles, a hilariously wry and complex retrospective on the same subjects at the close of the 20th century, we are reminded that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Though they approach the concept in radically different ways, both playwrights emphasize the idea that a life of idealism and principle is potentially lonely, even dissatisfying, but its pursuit is worthwhile because of the groundbreaking potential that it holds for future generations. Shaw speaks to this point through the prophetic admonishments of Captain Shotover and Ms. Wasserstein through her neo-heroine, Heidi Holland, an unassuming, uncompromising art historian navigating her way through three decades of baby boomer growth and change.

IN THIS, THE MOST POPULARLY and critically acclaimed of the late playwright’s works—it earned her not only a Pulitzer Prize for Drama but also the title of first female Tony Award winner for Best Play—we watch Heidi watching her friends, her opportunities and her world evolve from idealistic to realistic as she tracks through three crucial decades of the women’s and civil rights movements: the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. We see the first glimmers of Heidi’s identity as a “true believer” at a prep school mixer dance, where she eschews her best friend Susan’s pursuit of the highly desirable boy who can “smoke and twist at the same time” for a quiet corner with a copy of Death, Be Not Proud and a charming but platonic conversation with the aptly named Peter who remarks that she “look[s] so bored, [she] must be very bright.” The parallels to her Swiss shepherdess namesake continue through the ‘70s as she “travels and learns” in her college and early career years, steering around a potentially self-destructive, albeit gratifying romantic relationship with a radical editor, Scoop, and cementing her belief that “all people deserve to fulfill their potential.” However, as her friends soften in their resolve and make what they defend as more pragmatic career and life choices, Heidi finds herself alone, unhappy and frustrated by her idealism. This sentiment culminates in a locker room confession in which she confides to a relative stranger about the apparent shortcomings of feminism: “I don’t blame the ladies...for how I feel. I don’t blame any of us. We’re all concerned, intelligent, good women. It’s just that I feel stranded. And I thought the whole point was that we wouldn’t feel stranded. I thought the point was we were all in this together.” As poignant as that statement is, it is worth remembering the comments of Linda Winer, the Newsday critic: “a wonderful and important play, smart, compassionate, witty, courageous, this one not only dares to ask the hard questions...but asks them with humor, exquisite clarity and great fullness of heart.”

WHAT SAVES HEIDI and allows her to remain unwavering in her commitment is the same choice that delivers the fictional orphan of the Alps—she decides to “use what she learns.” Heidi is by training an art historian, a profession which demands careful, knowledgeable observation without encroaching on the artists’ work. Though the art historian may have a much greater understanding of the full scope of the art world than an individual painter, she would never presume to raise a brush against a canvas to alter it. Her endorsement or denouncement of a work comes in commentary and interpretation to others, not active pursuit of the craft of painting.
As a means of both self-preservation and defense of her ideals, Heidi learns to wield these same tools in the personal sphere, willfully placing herself just on the periphery of the lives of those around her, annotating without directly maneuvering. She explicates this precarious position in her class lecture which serves as the Prologue to Act II:

They [the women] appear to watch closely and ease the way for others to join in. I suppose it’s really not unlike being an art historian. In other words, being neither the painter nor the casual observer, but a highly informed spectator.

Granted, this role does lack some of the flair and large scale acknowledgment of that of the artist, but the spectator has tremendous power to affect perspective and ultimately behavior. As we learned in Copenhagen, the very act of observation impacts the course of both the observer and the observed. It is not a passive pursuit. Just as the art historian can sculpt perceptions of past art and consequently the reality of future art, Heidi takes a certain measured satisfaction in knowing that her choices, though not necessarily the same as those around her, do have lasting, exponential effects—that even though she may not be able to fulfill her potential, perhaps her successors will.

THIS SAME DEDICATION to a seemingly never-ending battle is mirrored in the legacy of
Ms. Wasserstein. Though many of last year’s printed tributes to her life and works refer accurately to her “feminist viewpoint” or “decidedly female sensibility,” she clearly identified both Heidi and herself as humanists, seeking fulfilled potential for anyone who desires it. As Charles Isherwood writes in his January 2006 retrospective for The New York Times:

Although it was always laced with comedy, her work was also imbued with a clear eyed… understanding that independence can beget loneliness, that rigorous ideals and raised consciousnesses are not always good company at the dinner table. But she shared her compassion among a wide array of characters, those who settled and those who continued to search...The popularity of her work speaks for her ability to salve a little of that feeling of aloneness in her audiences with her deeply felt portraits of women — and occasionally men — seeking solidarity in their individuality, finding comfort in the knowledge that everybody else is sometimes uncomfortable with the choices they’ve made, too.

We are fortunate that Ms. Wasserstein was among those who continued to search and are honored to be able to produce this piece as a part of our community’s year-long celebration of St. Louis as the “Wendy City.” We hope that you took advantage of The New Jewish Theatre’s recent production of The Sisters Rosensweig and encourage you to see The Orange Girls’ presentation of An American Daughter in July.

MICHAEL EVAN HANEY (The Syringa Tree, Witness for the Prosecution) directs this rich, smart, compelling comedy with set design by Hugh Landwehr, a parade of vintage fashions from Martha Hally and lighting from Marcus Doshi. Effie Johnson (The Gamester, Bug) returns to us in the title role and is joined by Celeste Ciulla, Avery Clark, James Clow, Annie Fitzpatrick, Maggie Hart, Polly Lee and Andy Paris.

ANOTHER STRONG WOMAN takes the stage downstairs in the Studio Theatre in Lanie Robertson’s Woman Before a Glass: A Triptych in Four Parts, running March 14 through April 1. Steve Campo directs Glynis Bell in this one-woman encapsulation of the larger-than-life existence of Peggy Guggenheim, niece of the founder of the museum of the same name, and art (and artist) collector extraordinaire. She spins stories and amazing anecdotes about the modern art world and famous artists whose names you will recognize as she casually drops them. Ms. Guggenheim is full of life and opinions and peppers her stories with colorful and sometimes off-color language. She lived a life of passion and excitement which translated into her championing many of the stars of the art world of the 20th century.

BOTH PLAYS BRING a fascinating perspective to their main characters. From the music, politics and ideas in The Heidi Chronicles you will be able to place yourself in Heidi’s timeline and measure your own experiences against hers. And if you didn’t witness those events firsthand, the comparisons of her journey with your contemporary track will be even more dramatic. Peggy Guggenheim was a precursor to Heidi’s generation and had to assert herself in different ways to gain her station in the complex world of art. They are both intriguing portraits for you to enjoy.

See you at the theatre,

Steven Woolf
Artistic Director

P.S.: Make plans for the whole family to see the Imaginary Theatre Company’s production of A Thousand Cranes on February 10 and Hansel & Gretel: The Next Generation on February 17. Geared toward middle school audiences, A Thousand Cranes is the touching story of a young Japanese girl dealing with the after effects of war and inspiring others to move forward in hope and strive for peace in spite of the challenges they face. This is an excellent springboard for a meaningful conversation with young people about many of the complex international scenarios in our world today. And for the younger set, Hansel & Gretel: The Next Generation follows Gretel into adulthood and looks at how her time in the woods changes the way she parents her own children. Full of catchy tunes and unforgettable characters, this piece will amuse both you and the young theatergoers in your life.

I was able to attend the opening of Ace at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, and it was wonderful to see the show again. Several changes have been made which help the piece a lot. The biggest change was the cutting of the song “Joie De Vivre” and a whole reshaping of the scene on the front in WWI. There are also some earlier book scenes that help to explain the character of the mother. Though there were a few cast changes, the children are the same, and Noah and Gabrielle are just as amazing as we all remember them. The company still recalls their time in St. Louis quite fondly.

The second annual Kevin Kline Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, March 26th at the Roberts Orpheum Theatre. It was extremely gratifying to find that The Rep received the most nominations of any theatre company—an astounding 49 nominations! It won’t be like that every year, but nonetheless, we are quite proud of our showing. You can get ticket information by visiting kevinklineawards.org on the web.

The Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Doubt is going to be at the Fox February 20-25. This is a remarkable play, and to have Cherry Jones reprising her astounding Broadway performance in the lead role is very much worth seeing. John Patrick Shanley’s work raises all sorts of questions about truth, faith and education. For more information or to purchase tickets call Metrotix at (314) 534-1111. You will enjoy the conversations you’re going to have after seeing this provocative and brilliantly written piece.