''The Heiress'' is a 1947

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by American playwrights Ruth and Augustus Goetz adapted from the 1880

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

novel '' Washington Square''. Two years later, the play was adapted into the film '' The Heiress'' starring

Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British and American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her tim ...

Productions

The play opened on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre on September 29, 1947, and closed on September 18, 1948, after 410 performances. Directed by Jed Harris, the cast included Wendy Hiller and Basil Rathbone. The play then opened in London at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket on February 1, 1949; directed by

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...

, it starred Ralph Richardson and Peggy Ashcroft and ran for 644 performances, until August 19, 1950. In January 1950, Richardson and Ashcroft were replaced by

Godfrey Tearle Sir Godfrey Seymour Tearle (12 October 1884 – 9 June 1953) was a British actor who portrayed the quintessential British gentleman on stage and in both British and US films. Biography Born in New York City and brought up in United Kingdom of ...

and Wendy Hiller. The play has been revived four times on Broadway: * February 8, 1950, to February 19, 1950, at the

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– 16 performances * April 20, 1976, to May 9, 1976, at the

Broadhurst Theatre The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street (Manhattan), 44th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1917, the thea ...

– 23 performances * March 9, 1995, to December 31, 1995, at the

Cort Theatre The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 48th Street (Manhattan), West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater ...

– 340 performances and 33 previews * November 1, 2012, to February 9, 2013, at the

Walter Kerr Theatre The Walter Kerr Theatre, previously the Ritz Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 219 West 48th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. The theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was constructe ...

– 117 performances The 1995 production starred Cherry Jones as Catherine Sloper, Philip Bosco as Dr. Austin Sloper,

Jon Tenney Jonathan Frederick Tenney (born December 16, 1961) is an American actor. He played Special Agent Fritz Howard in TNT's '' The Closer'' and continued in its spin-off '' Major Crimes''. Early life Tenney was born in Princeton, New Jersey. His mot ...

/ Michael Cumpsty as Morris Townsend, and Frances Sternhagen as Lavinia Penniman and was directed by Gerald Gutierrez.Canby, Vincent
"Theater Review: The Heiress; Is She Loved For Her Money? Well, of Course!"
'The New York Times'', March 10, 1995 The play won the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Revival of a Play, with Jones, Sternhagen and director Gerald Gutierrez winning Tonys as well. The 2012 production began previews in October 2012 at the

for a limited engagement, with direction by Moisés Kaufman and starring

Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in projects with Feminism, feminist themes, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Jessica Chastain, various ...

, David Strathairn, Dan Stevens, Judith Ivey, and Anneliese van der Pol .

Plot

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, sometime in the 1850s, Catherine Sloper is a plain, painfully shy woman whose father, Dr. Austin Sloper, makes no secret of his disappointment in her. Catherine, as her father painfully reminds her, has limited talent and cannot "hold a candle" to her deceased mother. Catherine's gregarious Aunt Lavinia Penniman moves into the household after becoming widowed and attempts to prod Catherine into being more social and finding a husband. When she meets the handsome Morris Townsend at a

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, Catherine is taken by the attention he lavishes upon her. Catherine falls madly in love with Morris and they plan to marry. Dr. Sloper believes Morris, being far more attractive and charming than Catherine, but poor and with few prospects after he wasted his own

inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

, is courting Catherine only to get her sizable income. Aunt Lavinia favors the match regardless, being both romantic and pragmatic enough to view this as Catherine's chance at a happy married life. Morris is genuinely fond of Catherine's honesty and kindness despite his largely monetary motivations, and treats her with respect, unlike her father. A frank discussion with Morris's sister confirms Dr. Sloper's opinion of Morris as a

gold digger A gold digger is a person, typically a woman, who engages in a type of transactional sexual relationship for money rather than love. If it turns into marriage, it is a type of marriage of convenience. Etymology and usage The term "gold di ...

. The doctor takes his daughter to

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for an extended time to separate them. When they return to New York, Dr. Sloper threatens to disinherit his daughter if she marries Morris and they have a bitter argument in which Catherine realizes how poorly he views her. Catherine and Morris make plans to elope with the help of Aunt Lavinia. Catherine packs her bags and waits all night for Morris to come and take her away, but he never does. Catherine is heartbroken and grows cold. Soon afterward, Dr. Sloper reveals he is dying. He tells Catherine that he is proud she resisted Morris, but Catherine tells her father she still loves Morris and dares him to change his will if he is afraid they will waste his money after he dies. He does not alter the will and dies, leaving her his entire estate. Catherine refuses to see him on his deathbed. A few years later, Morris returns from

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

having made nothing of himself and having even fewer prospects. Aunt Lavinia arranges for Morris to visit Catherine, thinking this is Catherine's last chance. Catherine gives Morris a gift of ruby buttons that she had bought for him in Paris. Morris eagerly promises to come back for her that night and she tells him she will start packing her bags. After Morris leaves, Catherine informs her aunt that she has no intention of offering her love to him. Her aunt asks her if she can be so cruel, and Catherine coldly responds "Yes, I can be very cruel. I have been taught by masters." When Morris arrives later that night with the promised carriage, he rings the bell, and Catherine orders the maid to bolt the door, leaving Morris locked outside, shouting her name and banging on the door.

Characters

* Catherine Sloper * Dr Austin Sloper * Morris Townsend * Lavinia Penniman, Catherine's widowed aunt * Maria, the Slopers' maid * Mrs Montgomery, Morris Townsend's widowed sister * Marian Almond, Catherine's cousin * Elizabeth Almond, Catherine's aunt * Arthur Townsend, Marian's fiancé and Morris' distant cousin

Awards and nominations

;Original 1947 * Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play – Basil Rathbone (winner) * Tony Award for Best Costume Design – Mary Percy Schenck (winner) ;1976 revival * Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play – Richard Kiley (nominee) * Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play –

Toni Darnay Toni Darnay (born Mercy Mustell, April 11, 1921 – January 5, 1983) was an American actress and dancer. Early years Darnay was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her father, Robert R. Mustell, was a doctor, and her mother had acted in silent films ...

(nominee) ;1995 revival * Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play (winner) * Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play (winner) * Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play – Gerald Gutierrez (winner) * Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play – Cherry Jones (winner) *

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play The Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actresses for quality supporting roles in a Broadway theatre, ...

– Frances Sternhagen (winner) ;2012 revival *

– Judith Ivey (nominee)

References

;Citations ;Works cited * ;Further reading *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Heiress, The (1947 play) 1947 plays Plays by Augustus and Ruth Goetz Broadway plays Drama Desk Award–winning plays Tony Award–winning plays West End plays Plays based on novels American plays adapted into films Plays based on works by Henry James