The Heidi Chronicles

The Heidi Chronicles playing at the Music Box located 239 West 45th Street. It runs two hours thirty five minutes with one intermission. The show will run until August 9, 2015.

The show premiered Off Broadway at the Playwright Horizons from November 18, 1988 thru February 19, 1989, after 99 performances. It transferred to Broadway at the Plymouth Theater from March 9, 1989 to September 1, 1990, after 622 performances.

It won two Tony Awards for Boyd Gaines, Best Feature Actor and Best Play. It was nominated for four Tony Awards for Best Feature Actor (Joan Allen), Best Feature Actress (Joanne Camp), Best Scenic Design (Thomas Lynch) and Best Direction (Daniel Sullivan).

The original cast starred Joan Allen, Boyd Gaines, and Peter Friedman. Sarah Jessica Parker feature in three small roles Off Broadway. Cynthia Nixon played the roles on Broadway. Replacements, Christine Lahti, Brooke Adams, Mary McDonnell , David Hyde Pierce and Tony Shalhoub. Four cast members who played in the show got married, Joan Allen & Peter Friedman (now divorced) and Brook Adams and Tony Shalhoub.

Wendy Wasserman is the playwright. She received a Tony Award for Best Play and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1989 for this play. She died on January 20, 2006.

Pam MacKinnon is the director. She won a Tony Award in 2013 for “Who’s Afraid Virginia Woolf” . She was nominated for a Tony Award in 2012 for “Clybourne Park”.

John Lee Beatty is the scenic designer. He won two Tony Awards for “The Nance” (2013) and “Talley’s Folly” (1980). John has been nominated for thirteen Tony Awards for “Other Desert Cities” (2012) “The Royal Family” (2010), “The Color Purple” (2006), “Rabbit Hole” (2006), “Doubt” (2005), “Dinner at Eight” (2003), “Mornings at Eight” (2002), “The Little Foxes” (1997), “A Delicate Balance” (1996), “The Heiress” (1995), “Redwood” (1993), “A Small Family Business” (1992) and “The Fifth of July” (1981).

Bryce Pinkham was nominated for a Tony Award in 2014 for “Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder”.

Jason Biggs is known for his roles in “American Pies” movie series.

Elizabeth Moss is known for her role as Peggy Olson in Mad Men (2007-present). She was nominated for Primetime Emmy’s in 2010, 2011 2012, and 2013 for this role. Elizabeth played Zoey Bartlet for seven seasons in “West Wing”.

Act one takes place from 1965-1970 in various cities. In Act two is in New York from 1980-1989 but not in that order.

It’s 1989 and Heidi Holland (Elizabeth Moss) is addressing her class in a lecture hall. Her theme is women painters, emphasizing that there have been women painters since the 1500’s who have never been recognized by the art world. She shows painters of these artists.

The stories then goes back in time were we meet the two important men in her life. Peter Patrone (Bryce Pinkham) in Chicago in 1965 and Scoop Rosenbaum (Jason Biggs) in Manchester, New Hampshire in 1968.

Susan Johnson (Ali Ahn) has been her friend since childhood, remains an important part of her life.

We are introduced to parts of Susan’s life from high school to the present (1989). Heidi moves around, there are new people in her life in these locations. When she's in New York we watch the women we saw as a young lady now is maturing into the women we first met.

This is a well-directed play. Pam MacKinnon brings out the best in everyone especially Bryce Pinkham. He does an outstanding job. Elisabeth shines as Heidi. Leighton Bryan, Trace Chimo and Elise Kibler hold their own, each are doing several roles each. What a great job.

The set is amazing. Each scene the music is of the time the scene is taken place in. The settings are different. The walls have newspaper or magazine clipping giving you a hint of what time period we are in if the music hasn’t helped. I now see why John Lee Beatty has won or been nominated for so many Tony Awards.

This is a must see show. Among the thing that makes it worthwhile seeing are great acting, directing, set and story that don’t get old or boring.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.

Photos by Annazor.

To read a candid interview with the cast, scroll down to the left for recent photos. Click on recent photos for this and other shows.