The Heiress is a 1947 play by American playwrights Ruth and Augustus Goetz adapted from the 1880 Henry James novel Washington Square.
The play then opened in London at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket on February 1, 1949; directed by John Gielgud, it starred Ralph Richardson and Peggy Ashcroft and ran for 644 performances, until August 19, 1950.
[2] The play has been revived four times on Broadway:[3] The 1995 production starred Cherry Jones as Catherine Sloper, Philip Bosco as Dr. Austin Sloper, Jon Tenney/Michael Cumpsty as Morris Townsend, and Frances Sternhagen as Lavinia Penniman and was directed by Gerald Gutierrez.
[6] A Broadway revival began previews in October 2012 at the Walter Kerr Theatre for a limited engagement, with direction by Moisés Kaufman and starring Jessica Chastain, David Strathairn, Dan Stevens, Judith Ivey, and Anneliese van der Pol .
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.
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.