The Heiress
It has been a long time since I have attended a play as enthusiastically embraced by the audience at SCR’s production of The Heiress. But the audible sighs, exclamations and mutters could not be wrong. SCR’s audience loved it! The melodrama by the long-gone Broadway team of Ruth and Augustus Goetz borrows its mesmerizing plot from a novel by Henry James. James had written a revolutionary book in 1880, laying out a story of the effects from an abusive childhood on an impressionable and helpless young girl. The Goetz’s, following the taste of their time (1947) for psychological thrillers, distilled the novel into a taut series of events surrounding the courtship by Morris Townsend (Michael A. Newcomer) of the heiress, Catherine Sloper (Kirsten Potter).
Having reached marriageable age, Catherine is kept a recluse in her home by her unbending father, Dr. Austin Sloper (Tony Amendola). Upon the engagement of her distant cousin, (Rebecca Mozo as Marian), she meets Morris, a dashing, if penniless young man who was previously briefed by Marion’s fiancé, Arthur (Brandon McDonald) of her impending fortune. Naturally, he takes a vociferous interest in the shy girl, exploiting her innocence to convince her of his love. When he urges her to run away with him, Dr. Sloper ships her off to Europe. But upon their return, Morris, who, if anything, is even more destitute, renews his claims. But this time, a trap has been laid. Morris heartlessly abandons Catherine on the evening of their elopement. Her subsequent transformation, as carefully played out through the Goetz’s meticulous plotting, is an unexpected twist that leaves the audience gasping.
The performance now smacks much more of its melodramatic underpinnings than was originally the case, and that adds to the enjoyment of watching uniformly invested actors relive the transformation of a plain and unworldly female into a ruthless spinster, all due to the heartlessness of the men around her. It is useless to point out any one performer, but of course, the principals, Tony Amenadola as the doctor, Kirsten Potter as Catherine and Michael Newcomer are superb. They are ably supported by Lynn Milgrim as the maiden aunt Lavinia, Karen Hensel as Mrs. Montgomery, and Amelia White as Elizabeth and others.
The production would not have the same well-made qualities, however, without an equally experienced production team: Martin Benson as director; Tom Buderwitz and Tom Ruzika for sets and lighting, respectively; realistic sound design by Vincent Olivieri and magnificent period costumes from Maggie Morgan.
At curtain, the audience wildly cheered the heroine, warmly applauded the supporting cast and booed the villains in high spirits. For it’s home constituency it was another home run from SCR.
The Heiress continues through November 17th at South Coast Repertory Theatre, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA. 92628, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays at 7:30 PM, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 PM, with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 PM. Tickets: $20.00 to $64.00, purchased by phone at (714) 708-5555 or online at www.scr.org