Isn't It Romantic
by Wendy Wasserstein

Name: Isn't It Romantic
Brand: Wendy Wasserstein
SKU: 9780822205777
Rating: 3.54 (201 reviews)

Isn't It Romantic Book Cover — Isn't It Romantic Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

120 minsUnit Set/Multiple SettingsComedy

What readers are saying

Readers have mixed feelings about the play, with some appreciating its exploration of women's issues and strong dialogue, while others find it lacking in coherence and depth. Many enjoy the closing scene, which leaves a more positive lasting impression compared to earlier parts of the play. Overall, it receives praise for its relatable themes but faces criticism for its execution.

Incredible dialogueGreat feminist charactersCaptures post-college moodChoppy narrative structureSome characters lacking depth

Synopsis

THE STORY: The play deals with the post-college careers (and dilemmas) of two former classmates: a short, slightly plump would-be writer named Janie Blumberg, and her tall, thin, gorgeous WASP friend, Harriet Cornwall.

Both are struggling to escape from lingering parental domination and to establish their own lives and identities.

In Janie's case this leads to an inconclusive involvement with a young Jewish doctor who calls her “Monkey,” while Harriet assails the world of big business and has an affair with her hard-driving (and married) boss.

Told in a fast-moving series of inventive, alternately hilarious and touchingly revealing scenes, the play explores their parallel stories with uncommon wit and wisdom—resulting, ultimately, in a heightened awareness which, while not providing all the answers, goes a long way toward achieving the maturity and self-assuredness that both protagonists so desperately desire.

Press Reviews

"A brightly witty, trenchantly observant contemporary comedy. ”ISN'T IT ROMANTIC is romantic—also bright, funny, sentimental, and throughout inching toward wisdom.“ —Time Magazine. ”…one of the funniest and most satisfying shows in town…If Dorothy Parker were a playwright today, she might have written this endearingly acid comedy.“ —Variety. ”…[Wendy Wasserstein is] among the funniest and most inventive writers around…“ —The New Yorker. ”…a nouvelle cuisine comedy."
— The New York Times