An American Daughter

Having premiered in 1997 at Lincoln Center, An American Daughter remains one of Wendy Wasserstein’s most incisive and sharply observed works. Blending comedy with pointed socio-political insight, the play examines the unraveling of a prominent American political family as personal missteps, sexual politics, public scrutiny, and relentless media attention collide. It is a multifaceted tale of a family that cannibalizes its own legacy by undermining the potential of the daughter who carries the family torch—all with a significant assist from the media.

At the center of An American Daughter is a brilliant, accomplished woman, poised to step onto the national stage, until a seemingly minor personal oversight ignites a media frenzy that threatens to dismantle her reputation and shatter her dream of national public service. As the story unfolds, Wasserstein deftly reveals the unfair standards placed on women in public life alongside society’s fear of ambitious, strong women. Exploring the dilemma facing smart, powerful women, the prescient Wasserstein shines a light on not only just how fractured the American dream can be but also how fundamental fairly attaining that dream is to the future of the American experiment.

La Femme’s updated production, featuring an unpublished second act, marks the first New York revival of this sharp-witted play by the trailblazing Pulitzer Prize-winning Wendy Wasserstein, who was the first woman to win the Tony Award for Best Play as a solo playwright.

The cast is led by Tony nominee Montego Glover, Tony winner Robert Sean Leonard, and Jean Lichty, with Drama Desk Award winner Dakin Matthews, Tony and Drama Desk nominee Mary Beth Peil, Drama Desk Award winner Ryan Spahn, Will DeVary, Chris Ghaffari, and Carmen Zilles.