An American exile in America

Vivian Gornick

pp. 57-64

in: Scott T. Cummings, Erica Stevens Abbitt (eds), The theatre of Naomi Wallace, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013

Abstract

Naomi Wallace is an American playwright whose work has gone largely unproduced in America, her plays routinely described as 'strong but political," whereas in England she has had four major productions in as many years, with a striking amount of critical attention awarded each of them. Last year, however, her newest play, One Flea Spare, was the consensus hit at the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky. Now, having won a raft of awards, it is set to open next Sunday at the Joseph Papp Public Theater in New York, with Dianne Wiest in the lead role. Wallace is finally about to be discovered by her compatriots—although some of them have known for years that recognition at home was foregone conclusion.