In seminar on Monday, we discussed the various aspects of Washington Square in preparation for seeing “The Heiress” on Wednesday night. As a segue, we talked about Felix Mendelssohn, a famous composer. He was born in 1809 and was very affluent. He was extremely well educated, spoke several languages and had taken the “Grand Tour,” just as most affluent children did back in those times. The “Grand Tour” allowed children to venture outside of the local town and see all that the world has to offer. Mendelssohn took this time to compose several symphonies, including “The Scottish Symphony,” which we heard at the concert on Sunday afternoon. He then went on to write incidental music for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which has been infused into American Culture as the “Wedding March.”

Washington Square was originally written by Henry James in 1880, but was set in 1850. This was primarily because any time after that, there would have to be mention of the Civil War breakout, and that could have possibly had an adverse effect on the characters and the society in which they lived. Throughout the novel, the point of views switched back and forth. The narrator never stayed neutral on his opinion of the characters. For example, Austin was portrayed nicer in Europe, yet, back home, he was a sour Grinch. In addition, the character of Catherine was looked down upon because she was a “romp,” or as we say today, a “tomboy.” This was very unexpected of a young lady in the Victorian Era.

To further familiarize ourselves with Wednesday night’s play, we watched two renditions of the Washington Square novel. The first was the 1949 film “The Heiress,” staring Olivia de Havilland as Catherine, and Montgomery Clift as Morris. The second was the 1997 drama “Washington Square,” featuring Jennifer Leigh as Catherine and Ben Chaplin as Morris. While these two movies follow the same plot, the stories are interpreted two completely different ways.

In “The Heiress,” Catherine is portrayed as a very plain and quiet girl who is introduced to a random man, Morris, at a family gathering. In contrast, Washington Square depicted Catherine as a lively, active, tomboyish, young woman. Her mannerisms and actions reflected those of a seven year old child, rather than a grown woman. In this rendition, Catherine is introduced to Morris by her cousin Marian, rather than her aunt.

Another major difference in the two pieces was the interpretation of Mr. Sloper. According to the novel, Austin is a gentleman that is very astute and opinionated, often seeming a bit snide and conceited at times. He is portrayed similarly in the 1997 movie. In contrast, the 1949 film portrayed Austin as a witty and comical man, in the sense that he is chipper and less uptight. Both movies have me curious to see how the characters unravel in The Heiress on Broadway.