Review: THE HEIDI CHRONICLES at Vagabond Players
Some Questions Never Go Out of Style
At Vagabond Players, THE HEIDI CHRONICLES is a revival that feels like a conversation we never quite finished.
Directed by Lee Conderacci, Wendy Wasserstein’s Pulitzer Prize–winning play traces Heidi Holland’s journey from 1960s idealism to the more ambiguous terrain of the 1980s. The structure is episodic, almost like a scrapbook. This could be tricky, but here it plays as memory: fluid, sharp, and cumulative.
Chelsey Megli anchors the production with a thoughtful, quietly compelling performance. Her Heidi is observant rather than showy, which pays off as the character’s confidence gives way to something more complicated. Megli lets the emotional weight arrive gradually—and when it does, it lands.
As Scoop Rosenbaum, William (BJ) Darden brings easy charisma and just enough ego to make the character both appealing and exasperating. It’s a balanced performance that avoids caricature.
Aparna Sri’s Susan Johnston is a standout—sharp, ambitious, and refreshingly direct. Sri leans into Susan’s pragmatism without softening it, creating a compelling counterpoint to Heidi’s introspection.
Colin Tillery as Peter Patrone offers warmth and steadiness, grounding the play’s emotional core without drifting into sentimentality
The ensemble (Penelope Chan, Maggie Dennis, Danae Nick, Nava Rastegar, and Nathan Trexler) keeps the production moving with ease through its many time jumps and tonal shifts. Scenes feel populated rather than staged, especially in group moments where the dialogue overlaps with natural rhythm.
Wasserstein’s wit remains sharp, and the audience responds accordingly. The laughs come easily—academic satire, social posturing—but they rarely sit alone. This production understands the play’s rhythm: humor that pivots, almost immediately, into something more reflective.
Design choices are simple and unobtrusive. Scene transitions move quickly across decades without fuss, with costumes and lighting doing the quiet work of orientation. It’s a production that trusts the text—and benefits from that restraint.
More than 30 years on, The Heidi Chronicles still asks questions that haven’t been answered: what does fulfillment look like, and who defines it?
This production doesn’t attempt to resolve them. It simply presents them clearly and lets them linger.
THE HEIDI CHRONICLES runs now through May 3 at the Vagabond Players, located at 806 S. Broadway. For tickets and more information, visit vagabondplayers.org or call (410) 563-9135
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