An American Daughter is worth seeing

I don’t think it’s necessarily the best written play, but let me tell you, there’s some great ideas being presented in this play. It evokes a bygone era in politics when skipping out on jury duty would be a big scandal. Today, this would be a nothing burger. Written in the mid 90s, it feels like Wendy Wasserstein was ahead of her time with all of the themes of intersectionality and progress through the generations, and how women want different things, and how women are fvcked in this man’s world, and ultimately to keep moving forward. She walked so Bess Wohl and Annie Baker and Shaina Taub could run.


It’s a little bit of a slow burn so stay with it. My biggest criticism was the leading lady. There weren’t many colors to her performance. There’s so much you could do with a role like that, and she kinda seems laissez faire throughout the whole play. She has a very distinct voice, it sounds very smarmy so it comes across as a parody of Hillary Clinton. Overall, a pretty good evening at the theater.

Fred Mason said: "I don’t think it’s necessarilythe best writtenplay, but let me tell you, there’s some great ideas being presented in this play. Itevokes a bygone era in politics when skipping out on jury duty would be a big scandal. Today, this would be a nothing burger.Writtenin the mid 90s, it feels like Wendy Wasserstein was ahead of her time with all of the themes ofintersectionality and progress through the generations, and how womenwant different things, and how women are fvcked in this man’s world, and ultimately to keep moving forward. She walked so Bess Wohl and Annie Baker and Shaina Taub could run.


It’s a little bit of a slow burn so stay with it. My biggest criticism was the leading lady. There weren’t many colors to her performance. There’s so much you could do with a role like that, and she kinda seems laissez fairethroughout the whole play. She has a very distinct voice, it sounds very smarmy so it comes across as a parody of Hillary Clinton. Overall, a pretty goodevening at the theater."



Hey Flash --- if this one is so good, then why did you just PM me trying to sell me a ticket to SCHOOL GIRLS??

Lichty is severely miscast here. Did not know this was her theater company - could not figure how she got that role. She's one note, flat and flat wrong in this role - misses the boat. Montego Glover is also quite miscast - a musical theater actress lost in a play. She can't find a natural state and her delivery in the wrong show

Sarna Lapine's direction is quite poor and does nothing to help the actors or the material. She and Lichty really muck this up.

Mary Beth Peil, Ryan Spahn and Dakin Matthews come off the best - but are having to fight bad direction - and everyone has to do scenes with Lichty. Can't be easy. The set is nice. The lighting average, at best.

There was no standing ovation. A skip.

Updated On: 8/14/26 at 05:02 PM

I saw an early workshop of this play at the Seattle Repertory Theater with none other than Meryl Streep playing the lead. I remember very little, just that I was turned off by Wasserstein's very Boomer-patronizing portrayal of Gen X feminists.

I saw this tonight. If Robert Sean Leonard is on a tri-state area stage, I will be there. There was also the morbid curiosity around the lead actress/producer and if her performance is as bad as I have been reading. Gentle reader, it is worse than you can ever imagine.

Bless the professionals on stage. Imagine what their performances could be with a worthy talent at the center.