Stage

Stage versions of major novels ordinarily have a short shelf life. A rare exception is Ruth and Augustus Goetz's The Heiress, a 1947 adaptation of Henry James' Washington Square. Although an old-fashioned "well-made play" (the curtain rises on a servant dusting the set), The Heiress' emotions are so heartfelt and moving that it is frequently revived these days. Indeed, Appleseed Productions director Jay Berry says the company's current effort is the fruition of a long-held dream.

Production values signal the importance of this show, with top hats, silk vests, chamois gloves and many changes of period hoop skirts. Four people worked on the set concept and design, including community theater maven Dan Tursi, a man with substantial out-of-town professional credits.

Wealthy Dr. Sloper of Manhattan, still in mourning for his late wife, fears his daughter Catherine is prey to a charming fortune hunter, Morris Townsend. He thinks Catherine is too plain and dull to lure any gentlemen, and, for her own good, tells her so. The doctor's sister, garrulous Lavinia Penniman, tries to console Catherine, not always giving the best advice. We're not always sure about Morris' intentions, but Catherine comes to terms with her own expectations for herself.

In this battle of the sexes, the women gain the upper hand early and retain it. Sarah Davies, although too attractive to meet her father's description, writhes with shyness and self-doubt. We feel the pathos at her too-quick assent to Morris' proposal, a signal of further disappointments to follow. The major downfall, which she hopes might have been only a misunderstanding, brings a tear-filled, heartrending monologue, The Heiress' centerpiece.

There's a comparable rightness about all the women in supporting roles, especially Cathy Greer-English's solacing Lavinia, warmhearted despite her misperceptions. Kathleen Kogel puts great spin on the lower-station Mrs. Montgomery, who reveals many of Morris' ambiguities. The mother-daughter duo of Nora O'Dea as Elizabeth and Amanda Raymond as Marian shines with the glossy class that befits their station. Even Heather J. Roach as the maid Maria implies that 1850 Washington Square was the home of elegance and order.

The actors have a tougher time, unfortunately. Bernard A. Kaplan's Sloper has the right self-pity but lacks the steely manner of an authoritarian patriarch. Kaplan, an actor who once made an excellent Santa Claus, is too nice most of the time, apparently reluctant to call his daughter the wallflower the character thinks she is.

Far more disappointing is Joe Reddick as Morris, who tends to recite his lines rather than express them. His memorized but not felt portrayal does have the advantage of implying Morris' ambiguity, whether heel or victim. But if Catherine falls for such an affectless line, she was more desperate than the Goetzes or Henry James implied.

Director Jay Berry and artistic director Jon Wilson, the latter taking a small role in The Heiress, still drive an artistically ambitious company. With Eugene O'Neill's Hughie last season and their affecting Heiress, their reach is still ahead of the crowd.

This production runs through March 4. See Times Table for information.

--James MacKillop