'The Heidi Chronicles' Returns With New Enticements to Witness

Heidi (Elisabeth Moss) and Scoop (Jason Biggs) have history in "The Heidi Chronicles." Photos by Joan Marcus.

BY TAMARA BECK

FEMINISM as a movement has evolved or perhaps devolved since the 1960s. Women of a certain age recall the allure of bra-burnings.

The younger ones tend to distance themselves from their elder sisters. Being a feminist feels like a betrayal of their sexuality.

"The Heidi Chronicles," in revival at the Music Box Theatre (recently rolled back from 9 Aug. to 3 May), is here to remind us all that liberation – both sexual and careerist – was a goal of the feminist movement. (See video below).

Wendy Wasserstein won a Pulitzer in 1989 for "The Heidi Chronicles," which also grabbed a Best Play Tony that year.

In this production of "The Heidi Chronicles," there is a well-delineated timeline for Heidi Holland (Elisabeth Moss) as she grows from awkward teen to awkward woman. EM never seems fully at home in her Heidi except in scenes where she is lecturing on art history. Heidi is a professor of art who laments the neglect of female painters.

While still in high school, she meets Peter Patrone (Bryce Pinkham) who becomes a lifelong friend. She attends the dance at which Peter and she meet with her other bestie, Susan Johnston (Ali Ahn).

In college, Heidi goes on to meet the irresistibly charming and self-centered Scoop Rosenbaum (Jason Biggs). Their encounter at a rally for Eugene McCarthy leads to an on-again off-again love affair.

Despite that their friendship survives even after Scoop marries. JB's Scoop is carelessly charismatic and flamboyant. BP is excellent as Peter to EM's Heidi. (The Swiss tale in which Peter and Heidi are prominent gets a mention in the course of the play. And, yes, one might also be put in mind of a well-known Peter and Wendy in children's lore.)

In the ensemble, AA is a standout and very funny as Susan who goes from callow teen to a deeply committed young adult and back again to a shallow and successful professional woman as she matures.

Ali Ahn, Elisabeth Moss and Elise Kibler in "The Heidi Chronicles."

Tracee Chimo is a character actress who gets to trot out and display her many talents in a variety of roles. Foremost of these is her turn as April, TV host with a fleeting attention span who interviews middle-aged Heidi, Peter and Scoop as representative boomers.

As the action slows and dulls toward the end of the second act, it looks as if this production, under Pam MacKinnon's direction, is abandoning the entertainment value of "The Heidi Chronicles" in favor of its valuable historical perspective.

Peter Negrini is responsible for the enlivening video montage that keeps the earlier scenes moving. John Lee Beatty has designed a well-appointed, yet minimalist set that also moves with the times of Heidi's story.

Tracee Chimo, Jason Biggs, Elisabeth Moss and Bryce Pinkham in "The Heidi Chronicles."

The revival of this important work mostly attracts two distinct groups. It appeals to those who lived through the times it describes. In the other camp, the draws are JB (“Orange Is the New Black,” "American Pie"), EM (“Mad Men,” “Top of the Lake”) and BP (Tony-nominated in "A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder.")

Even in an imperfect form, though, it's good to see Wendy Wasserstein's work back on a Broadway stage.

Visit http://www.theheidichroniclesonbroadway.com/ to learn more about "The Heidi Chronicles."

In 'The Whipping Man,' Also Freeing Hurts

Jay Wilkison, Andre Braugher and Andre Holland as three men at a crossroads in "The Whipping Man." Photos by Joan Marcus.

BY TAMARA BECK

AS Matthew Lopez’s “The Whipping Man” begins, a badly wounded Caleb DeLeon (Jay Wilkison) creeps surreptitiously into his pillaged childhood home.

When Simon (Andre Braugher) discovers him in the house he blesses him with a Hebrew prayer.

“The Whipping Man,” at Manhattan Theatre Club at City Center Stage I until 10 April, explores the relationship between a Jewish Confederate soldier returned from the war and the freed slaves of his household. In doing so, it showcases subtle truths about decency and dignity. (See audience interviews and scenes from “The Whipping Man” at http://www.manhattantheaterclub.org/current-season/thewhippingman/media.asp)

Jay Wilkison and Andre Braugher in "The Whipping Man."

The rest of the household has moved on to safety elsewhere. Simon has remained in Richmond to guard the property from further damage at the request of Caleb’s mother. He is also awaiting the return of his wife, Sarah, and their daughter before moving on as a free man.

It is April 1865. Simon and John (Andre Holland), another former slave of the DeLeon household, are newly emancipated. Since they were brought up in the DeLeon household, they, like their former masters, are Jews. Passover is late this year, and Simon intends to celebrate with what little they have in the house. For Simon and John, the Passover ritual this year will reinforce the joy of their liberation.

While the seder is a happy occasion, it is also rendered bittersweet by certain realities. The war has tested Caleb’s faith and has ravaged his body. He must rely on his former slaves to save his life.

But John is more than a former slave. He and Caleb are contemporaries. As boys, they were inseparable, almost like brothers, as Simon says. However, their relationship as men is fraught with the ugliness of master and slave. In fact, all of their relationships are tainted by their past.

The entire cast of “The Whipping Man” is suitably fine, but AB is inspired. He makes clear that Simon’s pride at his new-found freedom has only added to the dignity with which this man has always lead his life.

In "The Whipping Man," the truth is revealed in subtle ways.

The drama is enhanced by the graying darkness in a richly sparse set by John Lee Beatty. The designer has fashioned a twisting staircase in the gloomy house that adds a surreal quality to the darkness that is the heart of “The Whipping Man.”

Visit http://www.manhattantheaterclub.org/current-season/thewhippingman/default.asp to learn more about “The Whipping Man.”

‘The Milk Train’ Stops Longer Than Planned
“The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore” is stopping a little longer at the Laura Pels Theatre – until 10 April. The Roundabout Theatre Company production of the Tennessee Williams play set in an Italian mountaintop villa stars Olympia Dukakis as the outsized Flora "Sissy" Danforth who is dying and writing her memoirs. (See review at http://www.vevlynspen.com/2011/03/fear-and-foreboding-in-milk-train.html).