Dan Stevens: Perez Reviews: The Heiress (PEREZ HILTON)

The Heiress is playing a limited engagement on Broadway and we were lucky enough to catch this production with an all-star cast that includes Jessica Chastain, David Strathairn, Dan Stevens and Judith Ivey.

Jessica Chastain can do no wrong! We love her even more now than before! She is well on her way to becoming one of the greatest actresses of her generation!

And we are now completely smitten with Dan Stevens! We've never seen Downton Abbey before, but this talented blonde Brit - yum! - got a very warm reception from the audience. He had a lot of fans in attendance, and rightfully so - Stevens quite expertly played a despicable character with so much charm, that you couldn't help but fall in love with him!


READ MORE: http://perezhilton.com/2012-11-02-perez-reviews-the-heiress-broadway-jessica-chastain#.UJUrYMXA-RY

Dan Stevens, Jessica Chastain: The Heiress Opening Night party

The after-effects of Hurricane Sandy didn't stop the Broadway opening night of Ruth & Augustus Goetz's The Heiress, which went on as scheduled on Thursday, November 1. Following the 6pm performance at the Walter Kerr Theatre, the cast, creative team, and guests headed to the swanky after party at the Edison Ballroom.

Jessica Chastain, Dan Stevens, David Strathairn, and Judith Ivey lead the cast of the revival, which is directed by Moises Kaufman. The company also includes Molly Camp, Kieran Campion, Virginia Kull, Ben Livingston, Dee Nelson, and Caitlin O'Connell.

READ MORE: http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/11-2012/matt-bomer-jessica-chastain-dan-stevens-and-more-m_63631.html#17

DAN STEVENS: The Heiress: Theater Review 6:00 PM PDT 11/1/2012 by David Rooney (THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

NEW YORK – The gasps of pleasure that accompanied the stage entrance of Dan Stevens in The Heiress on press night indicated a large contingent of Downton Abbey fans in the audience. And the actor is a savvy casting choice in a part that requires beguiling charm and sufficient sincerity to keep us wondering about his character’s motives. But the good news doesn’t extend to the actress in the title role of this plush Broadway revival. An underpowered Jessica Chastain, hampered by questionable directorial choices, dilutes the emotional impact of this nonetheless compelling melodrama.


Adapted by Ruth & Augustus Goetz from Henry James’ novel Washington Square, the 1947 play won a Tony Award for Cherry Jones in the celebrated 1995 revival, and an Oscar for Olivia de Havilland in William Wyler’s 1949 screen version.

Making her Broadway debut, Chastain is not a natural fit for Catherine, the socially awkward, plain-Jane daughter of wealthy widowed medic Dr. Austin Sloper (David Strathairn) in mid-19th century New York. In her prolific burst of film work over the past two years, the lovely Juilliard-trained actress has impressed with her poise and delicacy, balancing fragility with quiet inner fortitude. But playing against type is less a problem in Chastain’s frustrating performance here than inconsistency of characterization.

As Morris Townsend, the cash-strapped gentleman whose ardent interest in Catherine causes her to blossom in a dizzying two-week courtship, Stevens is ideal. While Dr. Sloper pegs him as a gold-digging wastrel and is determined to open his daughter’s eyes to that view, Stevens brings such unsullied earnestness to the role that we want to believe in his honest intentions, just as he appears to want the same. Morris is so bewitched by the material comforts of the Slopers’ swanky home on fashionable Washington Square that he seems as much a victim of his desires as the architect of any calculated scheme.

Strathairn is also superb as Dr. Sloper, who takes his behavioral cues from his clinical profession. The insensitivity with which he treats his daughter makes it a challenge to find a glimmer of sympathy in this joyless man – as starchy and severe as his tall hat and topcoat. But Strathairn deftly reveals the pathos of the doctor, who has never been able to forgive Catherine for the death of his beloved wife in childbirth. It’s his tragedy as much as Catherine’s that his chilliness has caused her to grow up into the exact opposite of her vivacious mother.

Ivey, as always, is a consummate pro. Without any undue scene-stealing, she is a constant delight to watch. Her good-hearted Lavinia is a giggling, frivolous woman, slightly dim and a shameless flirt; even her widow’s weeds are covered in silly flounces and ruffles. But her girlish swooning over the romance in the air between Catherine and Morris masks a touching vein of melancholy. “Life can be very long for a woman alone,” she warns her niece.

READ MORE: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/theater-review-jessica-chastain-heiress-385300

Dan Stevens: For Love or Money: How The Heiress Charmed Audiences From Washington Square to Broadway FEATURES By Lindsay Champion October 18, 2012 - 6:04PM (BROADWAY BUZZ)

The Heiress is bringing a taste of 19th-century New York charm to Broadway, starring Academy Award-nominee Jessica Chastain as Catherine Sloper and Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens as her suitor, Morris Townsend. Read on below to chart the history of The Heiress from Henry James’ 1880 novella to the 2012 Broadway revival.

This Brilliant Stranger
Like many great artistic works, The Heiress was originally inspired by a piece of juicy gossip. In 1879, actress Fanny Kemble met with her novelist pal Henry James to spill the story of her younger brother, a fortune hunter. Kemble's sibling had proposed to a very rich but plain-looking woman, but he wasn’t in love with her. The woman (dubbed “Miss T.” in James' journal entry) fell head over heels for her suitor, but “her father disapproved strongly (and justly) of the engagement.” Eventually, the greedy beau got discouraged and disappeared. When Miss T.’s father died, he returned, but it was too late—the heiress refused to take him back.

READ MORE:  http://www.broadway.com/buzz/164848/for-love-or-money-how-the-heiress-charmed-audiences-from-washington-square-to-broadway/

Jessica Chastain, Dan Stevens, and Cast of Broadway's The Heiress Meet the Press By David Gordon (THEATER MANIA)

Jessica Chastain, Dan Stevens, David Strathairn, Judith Ivey, and additional cast members of the Broadway revival of Ruth & Augustus Goetz's The Heiress met the press Thursday, September 13 at the Empire Hotel. The production, directed by Moises Kaufman, begins previews October 6 at the Walter Kerr Theatre in advance of a November 1 opening.

The cast also includes Molly Camp, Kieran Campion, Virginia Kull, Ben Livingston, Dee Nelson, and Caitlin O'Connell.

The play centers on Chastain's character, who is caught between her steely, controlling father (played by Strathairn) and a mysterious, handsome suitor (Stevens).

READ MORE: http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/09-2012/jessica-chastain-dan-stevens-and-cast-of-broadways_61328.html#3

Dan Stevens: Judith Ivey joins Broadway cast of 'The Heiress' Share By MARK KENNEDY AP Drama Writer (SACRAMENTO BEE)

FILE - This Sept. 22, 2009 file photo shows actress Judith Ivey posing for a portrait in New York. Ivey will join the cast of "The Heiress," opening Nov. 1, 2012 through Feb. 10 at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York.

NEW YORK -- Two-time Tony Award winner Judith Ivey is returning to two familiar places - she's back on Broadway and revisiting an old work.

Producers said Monday that former "Designing Women" star Ivey will join the cast of "The Heiress," a play based on the Henry James novel "Washington Square," which was made into a 1997 movie starring Ivey and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

The play also stars Jessica Chastain, who was nominated for an Oscar for "The Help"; David Strathairn, who was in the film "Good Night, and Good Luck" and earned an Emmy for "Temple Grandin"; and "Downton Abbey" star Dan Stevens. It will be directed by playwright and director Moises Kaufman.


READ MORE: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/09/4618986/judith-ivey-joins-broadway-cast.html