October 17 - November 16, 2008 Segerstrom Stage THE HEIRESS by Ruth Goetz and     Augustus Goetz directed by Martin Benson   Barbara and Bill Roberts, Honorary Producers KOCE TV, Segerstrom Staage Season Media Partner Coast and KPCC, Media Partners Approximately two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission.

This adaptation of the Henry James novel, Washington Square, "alternately pierces the mind with its wit and shakes up the emotions with its brutality," according to The New York Times critic Vincent Canby. SCR Artistic Director Martin Benson, winner of an unprecedented seven Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, will stage a new production that promises to be a major theatrical event. In 1850s New York, a widower and his daughter go about their lives, craving love but powerless to express their needs. Into their home comes a charming suitor who awakens the daughter's spirit and brightens her world. As the subtle psychological drama unfolds, audiences experience great theatre at its most compelling.

Playwrights:
Ruth and Augustus Goetz collaborated on many Broadway plays, such as Franklin Street (1940); One Man Show (1945); The Heiress (1947), which was loosely suggested by Henry James’ novel Washington Square; The Immoralist (1954), an adaptation from the novel by Andre Gide and The Hidden River (1957), an adaptation of a novel by Storm Jameson. The Goetzes also collaborated on the following films: The Heiress (Academy Award, 1949); Sister Carrie (1950); Rhapsody; Trapeze and Stagestruck. Mrs. Goetz is the sole author of two plays: Sweet Love Remembered (1959), written after her husband’s death in 1957 and Madly in Love (1963). The daughter of theatrical producer Philip Goodman, her early training was in costume and set design.

Recommendation and Resources:
Great theatre can include everyone in its grasp but can also be too emotionally complex for younger audiences.  However, high school students (and even some middle schoolers) and above will be captivated by the complexity of this classic. For more detailed information, please call ticket services.

• OC Register - Fashion history comes alive at SCR in Costa Mesa
  Costumer Maggie Morgan recreates the look of 1850 in 'The Heiress.'

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*Post-show discussion led by SCR literary staff and artists from the show.
**ASL interpreted performance for the Deaf community.