Playwright Wendy Wasserstein dies in NY at 55 Tue Jan 31, 2006

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Playwright Wendy Wasserstein, who depicted love, motherhood and sibling relations against a backdrop of feminism in such award-winning works as "The Heidi Chronicles," died on Monday of cancer. She was 55. Wasserstein had suffered from lymphoma for months, according to Andre Bishop, director of Lincoln Centre Theatre. She died at a New York hospital. Generally considered to be the play that put her on the map, "The Heidi Chronicles" won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, a Tony Award and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. It was a commercial success and ran for more than 600 performances after its 1988 Broadway premiere. On its heels came "The Sisters Rosensweig" in 1993, which detailed the lives of three diverse siblings. Actress Glenn Close, who was in the cast of Wasserstein's first play to gain attention, "Uncommon Women and Others" in 1977, said she had vivid memories of the playwright. "She was very self-effacing and very smart and funny," Close told Reuters. "She had a wonderful take on feminist issues, and you just knew that she was someone who was going to make her mark." Click here for complete article