newjerseynewsroom.com

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

BROADWAY REVIEW

Playing the socially awkward Catherine Sloper in the new Broadway revival of “The Heiress,” Jessica Chastain shrinks very well – all too well, actually – as her shy heroine contends with a critical father and the unexpected advent of a handsome suitor for her trembling hand.

Making her Broadway debut in the drama that opened on Thursday, Chastain nicely sounds most of the emotional notes that compose Catherine’s touching Victorian character, but she is playing with a disappointingly soft pedal. Although Chastain has stage experience, her understated acting as a Henry James wallflower here seems suited more for the screen than Broadway, especially in the somewhat overwhelming circumstances of director Moises Kaufman’s elaborate production at the Walter Kerr Theatre.

A miniature cameo within too large a setting, Chastain’s flickering performance tends to get lost amid designer Derek McLane’s awfully imposing realization of the Sloper parlor in Washington Square.

These dark, looming, coffered ceilings, lofty Corinthian columns, flocked maroon wallpaper and heavy, carved woodwork makes the place look more like a Vanderbilt abode than the circa 1850 drawing room of a well-to-do physician.

Fortunately, the old-fashioned dynamics of James’  classic story, as rendered for the stage in 1948 by Ruth & Augustus Goetz, remain potent and the featured performances are terrific. It hardly is necessary to detail the well-known plot regarding a plain Jane of an heiress who is pursued by a fortune hunter, much to the dismay of her father, except to note that its worm-turning climax still satisfies.

“Downton Abbey” star Dan Stevens ingenuously portrays the calculating Morris Townsend with an earnest manner that seems as charming as his blond, boyish looks. Looking like a member of Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet in his high collar and black frock coat as Dr. Sloper, David Strathairn is more austere than forbidding and he evinces a true concern for his daughter.  Archly bustling about in her widow’s weeds as the match-making Aunt Penniman, Judith Ivey giggles and flutters with much exuberance.

Kaufman’s direction derives a surprising amount of comedy from the story, while the supporting players handle their roles circumspectly. Designer Albert Wolsky’s antebellum New York fashions appear more like costumes than clothes, which lends an artificial quality to the period milieu.  Between Chastain’s subdued performance and the miscalculated visuals, one wonders whether Kaufman – who does very ably by contemporary works – was the correct director for this revival of an entertaining chestnut.

“The Heiress” continues through Feb. 10 at the Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 W. 48th St., New York. Call (212) 239-6200 or visit www.theheiressonbroadway.com.