A Critique on “the Heiress”

Kaitlin Waltrip

April 16, 2006

Thar 101

A Critique on “The Heiress”

On the evening of March 23, 2006 my boyfriend and I made a visit to Brenham, Texas to see a play entitled “The Heiress.” Playing the role of an audience member for the night, we dressed nicely (even though we were traveling to one of the smallest towns in Texas), went to a nice dinner at On the Border, and went to the show. We participated as an audience member in that we had to travel to the performance and were able to take part in the play from a visually entertaining side versus an actual performing side.

The production being performed on this particular evening was of no cost to anyone who viewed it. This particular evening, along with another a couple days later, was put aside strictly for rehearsal purposes, therefore many students from Blinn in Brenham and other areas attended. These rehearsals served not only for practice for the actors, but also somewhat as a form of advertising throughout the communities around Brenham. From hearing of the rehearsals and the upcoming “true” performance the surrounding areas were able to obtain an interest in seeing the actual production. From this, the production would be known about and the producer’s job was accomplished in that area.

Upon arriving to The Unity Theater in Brenham, Texas, my boyfriend, Trent Kahn and I honestly did not know what to expect. Traveling out to the middle of nowhere and arriving to a place that somewhat resembled a house in a horror film was not very appealing to us initially, but we were definitely in for a surprise. After viewing the actual rehearsal play, Trent and I both were stunned by the overall performance and class of entertainment that we had received. We were impressed with every aspect about it, particularly the phenomenal acting style of the character that played Dr. Sloper.

I personally was the most impressed with how well the intentions of the playwright were presented. A few days before seeing the play, I decided to buy an actual copy of the script to read over so that I could obtain the best understanding of the production. I found by reading the script that a woman’s growth to womanhood, the overprotectiveness of a father, naiveness, and the overall intensity of the closing scene were all aspects that the author felt needed to be