The Heiress

by Ruth Goetz and Augustus Goetz

Book Overview

THE STORY: The background of the play is New York in the 1850s and the basic story tells of a shy and plain young girl, Catherine Sloper, who falls desperately in love with a delightful young fortune hunter. Catherine's lack of worldliness prevents

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0822205114
• ISBN13: 9780822205111
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Dramatists Play Service
• Length: 93 Pages
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.

Customer Reviews

I love the numerous layers James uses to stimulate thought.

I am in the play presently and I play the main part Catherine, a girl of many personalities. The painfully shy insecure one around her father, the lover with her doting admirer, Morris, and the friend with her dear, sweet and hopelessly romantic Aunt Penniman. The various emotions and hidden meanings create a fascinating play with little bit of everything skillfully arranged in a captivating story.

A lovely play

James' "Washington Square" provides the basis for this adaptation of his novella. The story of Catherine Sloper and her romance with Morris Townsend provides not only good drama and well-crafted theatricality, but also paints a picture of a romantic love that is virtually unattainable in reality. Such notable actresses as Wendy Hiller, Beatrice Straight, Jane Alexander, Olivia de Havilland, and Cherry Jones have all played the role of Catherine. This is a marvelous example of the type of well-made made play that graced the Broadway stage fifty years ago.