By SARALEE HUNTSMAN
The Villa Playhouse Theatre's production of 'The Heiress' was captivating and kept the audience double guessing how it would end.
The cast created the serious mood of the play well. All of the leads were equally strong as they delivered a well-rehearsed production. The theme of verbal abuse was effectively presented by the entire cast.
Director Bill Brown said the show was such a powerful production when he saw it in New York that he strongly felt the play needed to come to Utah Valley.
'Every emotion is in this play -- you really have to sink deep into it,' Brown said.
'The Heiress' follows the story of a young woman, Catherine Sloper, who desires to be married some day but is extremely shy and timid. Her father is over-bearing and has high expectations of Catherine. He is constantly reminding her that she is not at all like her deceased, perfect mother.
One afternoon a young man, Morris Townsend, visits Catherine's house and is immediately drawn to her. Morris expresses his undying love for Catherine, however, her father believes Morris is a mercenary who is only after Catherine's $30,000 a year. Does Morris truly love Catherine or is he merely in love with her money?
'There is a lot of media where you don't have to think about it because it's all laid out for you, but I think this play is a good think piece where you actually leave with a reaction,' said Jasmine Walea, who plays the role of Catherine.
Walea played an excellent Catherine. She portrayed the shyness of her character by always looking down and speaking in a quiet voice. When Morris Townsend would try to move close to Catherine, Walea would back away as much as possible.
'I really felt for Catherine,' said audience member Lynette Anderson. 'When she was uncomfortable, I was uncomfortable. I was completely drawn into the character's situation.'
Walea said she is not at all like Catherine and during rehearsals she had to introvert herself as much as she could.
Cameron Sevy, who plays the role of Morris Townsend, also gave a strong performance. His character had a lot of charm but at times he was too much of a smooth talker. Sevy graduated from BYU in music dance theater.
Sevy said he wanted to try out for a good dramatic role, something that he could really sink his teeth into.
'In order to prepare for any role I need to discover what my character likes and what he is like. Morris is a nice guy. Manual labor is not his style, and he likes to live high on the hog, but he is honest,' Sevy said. 'Morris loved everything about Catherine and her money was part of her.'
The set of 'The Heiress' was extremely ornate and beautiful. The old furniture and carved wooden chairs were accurate of the 1850's time period. The parlor of the Sloper's home had many fine, rich items including crystal glasses and oriental rugs.
The costuming, designed by Marilyn Brown, was stunning and elegant. The men were dressed in nice tuxedos with neatly tied ascots. Catherine's dresses were rich in color and had full skirts. It was interesting to see how formal the dress was for a quiet evening at home in the Sloper residence.
The director also played the role of the father in 'The Heiress.' Brown said it was difficult to direct himself in the play because his nature is not like the abusive father.
'The other night when Catherine had tears coming down her face my inner-self felt bad, but I had to keep going and continue saying those horrible things,' Brown said.
Anderson said she enjoyed seeing something besides comedy.
'It was a nice change from the norm and I was left guessing what would happen up until the end,' Anderson said.
'The Heiress' is playing now through May 5 at the Villa Playhouse Theatre in Springville. Performances are Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $7 for general public and $6 for students. Call 489-3088 for tickets and more information.