When I left the theater on Wednesday night, all I could think was…WOW!  I loved reading Washington Square, and so I was a little apprehensive towards seeing it played out.  After all, movies generally seem to ruin the books that they are based on.  The Harry Potter movies took all the goodness of the series and twisted it beyond recognition (um in my opinion…), and I was scared that this play would do the same. However, I was pleasantly surprised; instead of spoiling the novel, The Heiress seemed to even improve the book and fix what it was lacking.  The surprise ending of the play demonstrated Catherine’s growth better than the book; instead of merely kicking Townsend out of the house, Catherine plays a nasty revenge and allows Townsend to feel the pain and desperation that she endured those years back.

I also thought the set of the house parlor was incredible.  Though that was the only setting in the play, the front room of the house where the story took place was rich and life-like.  I almost couldn’t blame Morris for obsessing over the quality and wanting to move in!  The actors and actresses couldn’t have done better, the script was laugh-out-loud funny, and even the detailed costumed contributed largely to the play.  Even though I read the book, I was never bored and had a great time.  The show was absolutely amazing.