Arizona Theatre Company & Berkeley Repertory Theatre's The Heiress at Herberger Theatre
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 2/7/98
(out of )Henry James is a master novelist. Attempts to make theatrical and film adaptations of his dark, deeply psychological works has tended to be a hit-or-miss proposition. The Heiress, a 1947 adaptation of his dark, nearly malicious work Washington Square proved to be successful. This tale of a plain woman living under the tyrannical eye of her bitter Doctor father and trying to find a life of love and happiness for herself without buying it is rich and tragic when performed perfectly. In this cooperative production between Arizona Theatre Company and the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, some directorial and acting choices are made which throw this visually stunning and generally polished production a bit out of balance, making for an enjoyable, though somewhat cold, evening of theatre.
At the center of this play are Dr. Augustus Sloper and plain, gawky daughter Catherine. The good doctor starts out pleasant enough, but his constant goading of his daughter for her lack of grace and wit creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. Dr. Sloper blames his daughter for "killing" the mother during childbirth, and she has some unbelivable high-top boots to fill. When a handsome suitor suddenly announces his interest in Catherine, everyone, save for the smitten girl, automatically assumes the worst, and declares him a mercenary. The couple is made by the father to jump through a series of hoops until they can marry, but even these are not enough. The second act grows dark and depressing, as daughter slowly becomes what is expected by the father.
Arizona Theatre Company and Berkeley Repertory Theatre combine forces to create a beautiful production, but director David Wheeler miscasts the handsome suitor Morris, played by Robert Parsons, and his foppish cousin, played by Bryan Close, with actors that lack the overwhelming charms required for their roles. Worse, he directs Anne Torsiglieri to portray the plain Catherine as a bumbling, gawky ninny for the first act with great comedic results, but they feel like the wrong choices when faced with the dire consequences of the emotional and intellectual tanglings of father, daughter and suitor that occur in the second act. Depsite these problems, the production does feature some wonderful performances, and sumptuous visuals.
The strongest of the cast is Ken Ruta as the impossible-to-please Dr. Sloper. He is so powerful an actor, in fact, that his very presence threatens to overwhelm the other characters, and sets him up for a certain amount of sympathy that his character does not textually deserve. Also strong are Katherine Conklin as the silly widowed Aunt Lavinia and Linda Hoy as the more grounded Aunt Elizabeth. These two actresses play their smaller roles with much earnestness. Solid performances also come from Yumi Ann Sumida as the ever-present maid Maria, Kristin Ketterer as the silly cousin Marian, and the cameo of Lucinda Hitchcock Cone as the suitor's sister, Mrs. Mongtomery.
Solid performances come from the abovementioned others, even for the men's miscasting. Mr. Parsons is tall and lanky, better suited for pensive cowboy than mercenary fop, but he does a commendable job within the situation. When the drama kicks in fully, Ms. Torsiglieri does a wonderful job of portraying the torn Catherine, though by this time, the audience may lack a certain amount of the sympathy necessary to feel for her predicament as the fates turn against her.
Major congratulations go to the technical crew, who present a splendid stage picture. Kate Edmunds' scenic design is breathtakingly beautiful and perfectly suited for the production, and York Kennedy's lighting sets moods wonderfully. Laura Crow's costumes are all dead-on period and fit the characterizations wordlessly, and Matthew Spiro's sound design worked flawlessly.
My companion for the evening and I heatedly discussed the production
for nearly two hours after, and she felt that I was being too
critical of the direction and performance by Ms. Torsiglieri.
She felt a definite connection with the character of Catherine
that I did not, and would have given this production a full star
more than I did. Discussions with others who saw the show that
evening proved to be equally split between my point of view and
hers, not surprisingly the men agreeing with me, and women with
her. Take this knowledge as you will. However you feel, there
is no denying that this is a dark, intriguing tale told in a lavish
way, and you may either come away with the impression of a cold
gem or a warm tragedy. Either way, the production is a delightful
evening of theatre.
Production Details:
The Heiress adapted by Ruth and Augustus Goetz from Washington
Square by Henry James
Herberger Theatre, Phoenix
252-8497
February 6-21, 1998