MAD MEN star Elisabeth Moss will officially play the title role in an upcoming Broadway revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, opening in February 2015. Pam McKinnon is on board to direct, which will also star ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK's Jason Biggs as Scoop Rosenbaum and A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER's Bryce Pinkham as Peter Patrone. Tracee Chimo co-stars.
Ms. Moss, a superb actor who possesses an unusual ability to project innocence and smarts at the same time, inherits a role played by many since Joan Allen originated it...Fortunately, under the direction of Pam MacKinnon and in the hands of a fine supporting cast, notably Jason Biggs and Bryce Pinkham as the men in (and largely out) of Heidi's life, the play's humor retains its buoyancy, even when the specific matters at hand [...] have acquired the distancing patina of textbook history...For me, the moving heart of 'The Heidi Chronicles' remains the wonderful monologue in the second act. Heidi is speaking at a gathering of her high school alumnae, but instead of the usual manicured, upbeat speech, she delivers an off-the-cuff, emotionally exposed anecdote. It's really a play in itself, about the sense of alienation she felt that day from other women in a gym locker room: women she respects and admires, in some senses, but whose choices to pursue life's more superficial rewards leave her feeling 'stranded.' Ms. Moss, her eyes moistening even as her voice remains strong, delivers this beautiful speech with a grace that grows stronger as Heidi's peppery, self-aware humor gives way to lacerating honesty. Those are, as it happens, key notes in Wasserstein's durable play, and Ms. Moss and her collaborators in this sterling production sing them forth with a revitalizing warmth.
Wendy Wasserstein's 1988 play 'The Heidi Chronicles' was originally a bracing wakeup call about women's evolving lives. The Broadway revival is far less stirring...Chalk that up to the passage of time and a middling performance by 'Mad Men' star Elisabeth Moss...In its day, the play, which began Off-Broadway before transferring to Broadway and winning a Pulitzer and a Tony, was a heady blast of fresh feminist-themed consciousness-raising. Its landmark status is intact, but its impact has been blunted by the years: Such topics are now everywhere on stage, film, TV and even in Patricia Arquette's Oscar acceptance speech...Pam MacKinnon's direction is heavy-handed and lacks nuance...Worse, the characters are one-dimensional, so often we feel as if we're not watching people, but caricatures...Moss gives a capable if starchy performance. The actress is at her best when onstage alone, addressing students jokingly during a class, and woundedly during a speech. But it's a rare moment when Heidi and her chronicles come fully alive.
1988 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
1989 | Broadway |
Broadway |
2014 | St. Paul, MN (Regional) |
Guthrie Theater Production St. Paul, MN (Regional) |
2015 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Elisabeth Moss |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Bryce Pinkham |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Wendy Wasserstein |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Elisabeth Moss |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Bryce Pinkham |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | The Heidi Chronicles |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Elisabeth Moss |
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