Wendy Wasserstein wrote An American Daughter in the 1990s about a qualified woman destroyed by a trivial disclosure, and the first New York revival arrives with an unpublished second act restored. Sarna Lapine directs Montego Glover as Lyssa Dent Hughes alongside Robert Sean Leonard, Jean Lichty and Mary Beth Peil, playing the Washington dinner-party wit straight before the trap closes. It only just opened, so this is the version people will reference.
What to expect
The Irene Diamond Stage is a mid-size house inside the Signature Center on West 42nd Street, with a wide, shallow playing area suited to talk-driven plays. Expect roughly two and a half hours with an intermission, sharp period-specific political comedy in act one, and a much colder second half. Signature's lobby cafe is a good pre-show meeting point.
Good to know
- The Signature Center is on West 42nd between Ninth and Tenth; take the A, C or E to 42nd Street–Port Authority
- The building is fully step-free with elevators to every theater level
- The revival restores a previously unpublished second act, so it differs from the printed script
- Signature's lobby cafe and bar open well before curtain and are a comfortable place to wait
- Best for adults — the play turns on media scandal, marriage and political machinery
- The production is early in its run, so scheduling flexibility is better now than near the close
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Common questions
Is this a Signature Theatre production?
No. La Femme Theatre Productions presents it on the Irene Diamond Stage inside the Pershing Square Signature Center, which houses several companies.
What is different about this version?
It restores an unpublished second act by Wendy Wasserstein, making it the first New York revival to stage material not in the published edition of the play.
How long does it run?
About two and a half hours including one intermission.
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