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An American
Playwright

Wendy Wasserstein tells her stories
in books as well as play,

LISA BUCZKO

Special to The Jewish News

A

I'm doing. Anyone who writes a care-
fully-structured comedy like The
Sisters Rosensweig is bound to come
up against the criticism, both external
and gnawingly inter-
nal, of 'When are you
Wasserstein going to stretch and
show us your anger?
When will you grow
and reveal your serious
side?'"
Her intention with
An American Daughter
was to widen the
range of her work, "to
create a fractured
fairytale depicting
both a social and a
political dilemma for
contemporary profes-
sional women." ❑

lthough best known for
Broadway
works like
Wendy
The Sisters
Rosensweig, Wendy
Wasserstein wants you
to know she's an
author, too. Of course,
even her books are pro-
duced on stage, like An
American Daughter
(Harcourt Brace), pro-
duced by Lincoln
Center Theatre last
spring.
It's the story of
Lyssa Dent Hughes,
daughter of a
Republican senator
and fifth-generation granddaughter of
Ulysses S. Grant as well as the presi-
dent's nominee for surgeon general.
The story revolves around Lyssa's neg-
ligent failure to report for jury duty
— a mistake that costs her dearly as
press investigations wreak havoc on
her career, her relationships and her
privacy.
It's not the author's story, though.
Wasserstein graduated from Mount
Holyoke College and Yale's Drama
School, and went on to win a Tony
Award and the Pulitzer Prize for The
Heidi Chronicles. She also received
critical and commercial acclaim for
The Sisters Rosensweig.
A contributing editor for New York
Woman and a contributing writer at
the New Yorker, New York Times and
Slate Magazine, Wasserstein wrote the
screenplay for Object of My Affection,
the recent movie starring Paul Rudd
and Jennifer Aniston, about a young
woman's love for a homosexual man.
"I generally get an idea for a new
play just as I am completing one,"
Wasserstein writes in the foreword to
An American Daughter. "It works
almost like a dialectic or, to be less
pretentious, like a response to what

• yr....,

,

Wendy
Wasserstein
will speak at
the Jewish
Book Fair at
8 p.m.
Saturday,
Nov. 14, at
the Kahn
Wendy
Jewish
Wasserstein,
Community
author of
Center in
An American
West
Daughter.
Bloomfield.
She is being sponsored by
National Council of Jewish
Women and Young Adult
Division of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit. The Rosedale
Community Players will stage
Wasserstein's play, "The Sisters
Rosensweig," at 8 p.m. on
Friday and Saturday evenings,
Nov. 6-21, with a 2 p.m. mati-
nee on Sunday, Nov. 15, at the
Upstage Theatre, 21728 Grand
River near Lahser, Detroit.
Tickets: 537-7716.

Photo by Martha Sw

72,

Outlaw Reading

In "Tough Jews," Rich Cohen
celebrates Jewish gangsters.

"Jewish people believe in the epic ...
the story of the Jews is the biggest
Special to The Jewish News
story of all. You live your own life, but
you're part of this big epic [that] start-
ou're only supposed to
ed with Abraham; we're still hoping it
look at history a certain
ends well."
way; it's the same with
Tough Jezvs, Cohen's first book,
Jewish history. If you look
has stirred some
at it in a different way
controversy. Just
or think of it outside
talking about Jewish
the normal way, peo-
gangsters
makes
ple react," said 30-
some uncomfort-
year-old Rich Cohen,
able, as if it tarnish-
author of Tough Jews
es the reputation of
— Fathers, Sons and
an upstanding peo-
Gangster Dreams
ple.
(Simon & Schuster).
"The image of
"Some people say
what
a gangster is
`The Jews don't have
and
the
image of
enough trouble —
what a Jewish person
you have to remind
is don't quite go
them there were
together," Cohen
Jewish gangsters?' It's
Rich Cohen, author o
admitted. But he
a chapter of American
"Tough
Jews".
sees Jewish gangsters
Jewish history and
as positive role mod-
something you can
Rich Cohen will speak at
els, "guys who were
actually learn good
the Jewish Book Fair at
incredibly tough
things from, too," he
6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov.
and who, when
said in a recent phone
10, at the Kahn Jewish
faced with a difficult
interview.
Community. Center in
situation
... rose to
Cohen said that
Wesk lgoqmfield. The
it.
when he steps up to
t of Jewish
De* AAA
"Most of my
the microphone at the
War Veterans and the
friends
grew up in
Jewish Book Fair on
Department of Jewish
the
suburbs
and are
Nov. 10, he'll "talk
War Veterans Ladies
a little soft, like me;
about gangsters, how
Auxiliary are sponsorin
it's good to know
the book came about
his taik.
there was a time
and read a little from
when
the Jewish
the book and take
gangster
was the
some questions."
toughest,"
he
said.
Born and raised in Glencoe, Ill.,
It also downplays the Jewish
Cohen went to New York for one
stereotype
of college, career, and
reason: to become an author. NoW a
family. "Any way that can get you
contributing editor for Rolling Stone
out of a stereotype is a good thing
magazine, he began his career as a
because it gives you back your free-
messenger at the New Yorker. But
dom," asserted Cohen.
running around New York on
While Cohen is known for his
errands paid off; Cohen's work has
sleek
profiles of rock stars on the
and
appeared in the New York Times
glossy
pages of Rolling Stone (he's
Details.
written about Howard Stern, Alicia
Admittedly a hip, young writer
Silverstone and the Rolling Stones),
who aims for a Gen-X audience,
Cohen is now cutting his teeth in
Cohen said being Jewish is also a
cinema. He's working with director
definitive part of his work.
"If you're Jewish, culturally, there's a Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger on
a script about the history of rock 'n'
history of storytelling and of humor;
roll.
that affects my writing," he said.

LISA BUCZKO

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Detroit Jewish News

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