Theater review

Tom Titus

Transporting a theater audience back to the latter 19th century for a

period costume production is a difficult, demanding task on the part of

all concerned: director, actors, set designer.

When all these elements are fully operational, even the mustiest old

chestnut can be a tasty, dramatic morsel. At the Newport Theater Arts

Center, the aforementioned ingredients are present in abundance, and “The

Heiress” is as fresh and engaging as it must have been more than a

half-century ago.

The adaptation, by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, of Henry James’ classic novel

“Washington Square” demands meticulous care.

We must be able to feel and empathize with the inner conflict experienced

by its heroine, but there is the ever-present danger of creating

understatement, inducing ennui or slipping over the edge into histrionic

melodrama.

Director Darlene Hunter-Chaffee has achieved the desired delicate balance

in her superior staging of this drama of a socially awkward and unlovely

young woman pursued by a dashing young man, who may be a fortune-hunting

cad. If you are viewing the play for the first time, you should not know

whether or not he is sincere -- and the Newport production deftly guards

this information until the last possible moment.

In the critical roles of the heiress, her suitor and her imposing

physician father, Newport has the stage equivalent of a pat hand.

Glorianne Jackson enacts the title role with a breathless,

deer-in-the-headlights persona, blossoming marvelously at the prospect of

unexpected romance. Her final transition is underscored with a glacial

frostiness that will chill her audiences.

Jack Messenger as her stern, unyielding father -- still embittered by his

daughter’s tragic birth that took her mother’s life and sorely

disappointed at her absence of social graces -- delivers a magnificent

performance. Messenger presents a most formidable opponent, all the while

keeping his grimly intense interpretation within bounds of credibility.

The brash young beau is glibly portrayed by Jason Schlatter, who endows

his character with a surfeit of charm and a surface sincerity that

captures the admiration of not only the heiress but her aunt as well.

Jeanne Nelson in the latter role presents a staunch and thoroughly

admirable ally, radiating a sunniness rarely glimpsed in the other

characters.

Valerie Speaks, in an extended cameo of the suitor’s widowed sister,

treads a careful path under the doctor’s inquisition.

Marie Nussle, Jacob Galasso and Maria O’Connor add depth as visiting

relatives, while Kathy Ashworth is an understated delight as the family

maid.

Lending a rich air of authenticity is the superbly “aged back” setting,

credited to 16th Street Design but probably a collaboration between

director Chaffee and producer Terry Miller Schmidt. Donna Fritsche’s

richly appointed 19th century costumes also lend a splendid note of

authenticity.

“The Heiress” is a difficult and demanding period play rendered

compelling and immediate by a talented and dedicated company. It may

steal your heart as well as its heroine’s.

WHAT: “The Heiress”WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2:30 p.m.

Sundays until April 30

WHERE: Newport Theater Arts Center, 2501 Cliff Drive, Newport Beach

HOW MUCH: $13

PHONE: (949) 631-0288

FO: Glorianne Jackson and Jason Schlatter discover unexpected romance in

“The Heiress” at the Newport Theater Arts Center.