Wendy Wasserstein, 1985
Posted on 01/30/2006 10:14:04 AM PST by summer
Playwright Wendy Wasserstein, who celebrated women confronting feminism, careers, love and motherhood in such works as "The Heidi Chronicles" and "The Sisters Rosensweig," died Monday. She was 55.
Wasserstein, who had been battling cancer in recent months, died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Andre Bishop, head of Lincoln Center Theater and Wasserstein's close friend and mentor, said the cause of death was lymphoma.
"She was an extraordinary human being whose work and whose life were extremely intertwined," Bishop said. "She was not unlike the heroines of most of her plays - a strong-minded, independent, serious good person."
Wasserstein's writing was known for its sharp, often wry observations about what women had to do to succeed in a world dominated by men.
In "The Heidi Chronicles," which won the best-play Tony as well as the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1989, its insecure heroine (played by Joan Allen) takes a 20-year journey beginning in the late 1960s and changes her attitudes about herself, men and other women. "The Sisters Rosensweig," which moved from Lincoln Center to Broadway in 1993, concerned three siblings who find strength in themselves and in each other.
Her most recent work, "Third," which ended a New York run Dec. 18, 2005, dealt with a female college professor, played by Dianne Wiest, whose liberal, feminist convictions are put to the test by a student she sees as the epitome of the white male establishment.
In public, Wasserstein was genial, often quite funny, presenting herself as a rumpled observer of the baby-boom generation.
Many of her plays were initially seen at off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons and later at Lincoln Center Theater, both run by Bishop.
Wasserstein was first noticed with "Uncommon Women and Others," written as a Yale School of Drama graduate thesis. The one-act play was expanded and done off-Broadway in 1977 with Glenn Close, Jill Eikenberry and Swoosie Kurtz in the cast. A year later, this satire about the anxieties of female college graduates was filmed for public television with Meryl Streep replacing Close.
The playwright continued her off-Broadway success with "Isn't It Romantic?" - about a free spirit who rejects her fiance and tries to find a life as a single woman.
In 1997, Broadway saw "An American Daughter," Wasserstein's story of the political downfall of a perfect career woman, played by Kate Nelligan. It was followed in 2000 by "Old Money," her look at money, manners and morals at the beginning and end of the 20th century, done at Lincoln Center's small Mitzi Newhouse Theater.
While primarily a playwright, Wasserstein also wrote for TV and the movies, most notably the screenplay for the 1998 film version of Stephen McCauley's novel, "The Object of My Affection," about a gay man and a pregnant woman who meet and move in together.
Wasserstein was the author of the best-selling children's book, "Pamela's First Musical" (1996). She also wrote two collections of personal essays, "Bachelor Girls," published in 1990, and "Swhiksa Goddess: Or, How I Spent My Forties" (2001).
At age 48, Wasserstein had a daughter, Lucy Jane, born in 1999, three months prematurely. Despite persistent speculation, she always declined to reveal the identity of the girl's father.
"The thing about having a baby (at an) older (age) is that she doesn't have to live her life for me," Wasserstein said in an interview with the Forward, a Jewish weekly. "I can see her, I hope, as a person."
Born Oct. 18, 1950, Wasserstein, the youngest of four children, grew up first in Brooklyn in what she has called, "a nice, middle-class Jewish family," and later in Manhattan. Her father, Morris, was a textile executive.
She attended Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and then went to Yale University, where she became friends with such budding playwrights as Christopher Durang and Albert Innaurato and began her theater career.
"I find myself being more interested in my old friends and in deeper alliances," Wasserstein said in an interview with Time last year. "My 50s are also about being a mother and the joy of my daughter Lucy Jane and about loss. Real loss. My sister Sandra died of breast cancer at 60, so I know about things I didn't know about before. My father died two years ago, and then my friend (director) Gerald Gutierrez died. He was 53. I think if you experience loss, you also on some level try to treasure joy. It can be as simple as going to the ballet or being with your child."
Wasserstein is survived by her daughter Lucy Jane; her mother, Lola; a sister, Georgette Levis; and her brother, Bruce Wasserstein, chairman and chief executive of Lazard LLC. [and owner of NY Magazine]
Funeral services will be private.
FYI.
Obesity is certainly related to diabetes, heart disease and a host of other medical problems but I think the cancer link is less of an issue.
Heavy or not, she was a lovely lady and very attractive. So sad about her daughter. No father, no mother. Very very sad.
1 out of every 3 cancer deaths are connected to obesity -- and, she was extremely obese her entire life, as far as I know. I will post some photos of her.
I'm not sure I agree with this statement....stats to back it up. While obesity does cause health problems, 1 of 3 cancer death are most likely caused from smoking not obesity.
I don't think Jacqueline Kennedy fit that overweight scenario either.
Very, very sad. Why are so many women of my generation dying so young?? Beth Fallon - a NY Daily News reporter -just died of cancer in her late 50s.
Apropos of nothing, as someone who had the mispleasure of being in her plays as well as seeing some of the original productions, I think WW was a pretty mediocre playwright. Exceedingly p.c.
I have 6 aunts who are very obese (one is almost 400 pounds), and are in their mid-90's to mid-100's. The one who recently died was 102.
Go figure.
Interesting links. Most malignancies are multi-factorial in their cause and it's very difficult sometimes to tease out one specific cause from the data. I'll be paying attention to this but, to be honest, I'm kind of skeptical. There are very few cancers where we can say that we know the cause (the best example of this is cervical cancer). Still, I'm embarassed to say that I was unaware of the speculation concerning insulin levels and malignancies so thanks for the info.
My brother died of cancer at age 54. He was physically fit and did not smoke. What made him get cancer? Guess what, Summer, you might get cancer, too. The skinny lady down the street might get cancer. Fat people, skinny people - they can all die "prematurely."
I once saw a death cert. for a man who died of diabetes at age 76. His kidneys finally failed and he could not get a transplant. He had the disease since childhood. The cause of death was marked as "smoking." So now you think that "fat" should be the cause of death when someone dies of cancer? How are you going to blame yourself when you get sick, Summer?
I can relate to what you're saying -- I know someone who recently died of cancer who did ALL the right things for YEARS: no smoking, no drinking, ate healthy, not overweight, exercised, good marriage, loving family, etc. But, died of cancer. Then there are those who smoke cigars till they're 90 and get married and divorced repeatedly, and never exercise, overeat, etc. and yet somehow make it to their 90's. So, who knows...
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