Broadway's The Heiress Will Begin Performances Earlier Than Expected

By Andrew Gans
17 Sep 2012

Dan Stevens and Jessica Chastain
Dan Stevens and Jessica Chastain
Photo by Monica Simoes

The producers of the upcoming Broadway production of the Tony Award-winning play The Heiress announced Sept. 17 that previews will begin one day earlier than originally announced; performances will now commence Oct. 6 at 8 PM at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 W. 48th St.).

Opening night remains Nov. 1. Performances will continue through Feb. 10, 2013.

The cast is led by Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain as Catherine Sloper, Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner David Strathairn as Dr. Austin Sloper, “Downton Abbey” star Dan Stevens as Morris Townsend and Tony Award winner Judith Ivey as Lavinia Penniman with Molly Camp, Kieran Campion, Virginia Kull, Mairin Lee, Ben Livingston, Dee Nelson and Caitlin O’Connell.

Written by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, the production is directed by two-time Tony Award-nominated playwright and director Moisés Kaufman.

The Heiress, according to press notes, is the story of "Catherine Sloper (Chastain), the shy and sheltered daughter of a prominent New Yorker. Caught between the demands of an emotionally distant father (Strathairn) and the attentions of a passionate young suitor (Stevens), Catherine must navigate the terrain of love and regret, desire and duty, a chance for happiness and the burden of fortune…as only an heiress can."

The design team includes Tony Award winner Derek McLane (sets), Academy Award winner Albert Wolsky (costumes), Tony Award nominee David Lander (lighting), Tony Award nominee Leon Rothenberg (sound) and Peter Golub (original music).

The Heiress will be produced by Paula Wagner, Roy Furman, Stephanie P. McClelland, Luigi Caiola/Rose Caiola, Jim Herbert, Ted Liebowitz, Stacey Mindich, Jill Furman, Ricardo Hornos, Jon B. Platt, Eric Schmidt, Margo Lion/Rachel Weinstein and Jujamcyn Theaters.

In 1995, Lincoln Center Theater had a major hit with a revival of the 1850-set play. It won Tony Awards for Best Revival, Best Actress (Cherry Jones), Best Featured Actress in a Play (Frances Sternhagen) and Best Direction of a Play (Gerald Gutierrez). It was the third Broadway revival for the play, and was celebrated for adding depth and psychological heft to a work that could be lazily sold as melodrama.

The property was a famous 1949 Hollywood film starring Olivia de Havilland (who won the Best Actress Oscar for her work) and Montgomery Clift. It was nominated for Best Picture.

Tickets are now available by visiting Telecharge.com, calling (212) 239-6200 and at the box office of the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 W. 48th St.). Ticket prices range from $50.00-$135.