Accompanying Gottlieb's wrenching piece about the search for a suitable partner by a generation of contemporary women is a cartoon illustration with a deliberately retro vibe: "So, you're not Mr. Perfect, Brad. . . . But marriage means more to me than love ever could!"
That contemporary cry is a perfect backdrop for rethinking the question of what compromises might lead to a good-enough marriage. That's one of the questions at the heart of "The Heiress," a play by Ruth and Augustus Goetz based on Henry James' classic novel Washington Square, which opens Friday at Pioneer Theatre Company and plays through March 29.
The play has been a theater classic since its 1947 Broadway run, which launched a 1949 movie starring Olivia de Havilland. A 1995 Lincoln Center revival reintroduced the play to contemporary audiences and made a star out of its lead, Cherry Jones; it was followed by a 1997 film starring Jennifer Jason Leigh.
"The Heiress" unravels the story of Catherine Sloper (Effie Johnson), a plain woman well on her way to old-maidenhood when she's courted by the handsome Morris Townsend (Alex Podulke). Everyone in the household is won over by Townsend's charms but Catherine's stubborn and wealthy father, Dr. Austin Sloper (Thomas Carson).
The drawing-room play is unusual in that it's set in a wealthy neighborhood in 1850s New York, rather than England. Also somewhat uncommon for a period piece is the not exactly happily-ever-after ending. Instead, the pyschologically weighted story suggests that nothing is perfect, and perhaps settling for good enough might be a worthwhile choice.
"It has a terrific plot and interesting characters," says PTC guest director John Going, who is directing his third production of the play. "This is an old-fashioned, linear story, and I say that in a good way, with a beginning, middle and ending. It's interesting even if you know the story."
Johnson, a New York-based actor, first created her portrayal of Catherine in 2006 under Going's direction at Maryland's Olney Theatre. "I've grown up a little bit since I did it the first time," she says. "Now I'm a little bit more specific in how I handle each word in the line."
She describes her character as painfully shy, after being denied affection by her father. "She's unsure of herself and very uncomfortable with people she doesn't know," Johnson says, "I think she has the ability to be a normal person, but she's been molded in a way that has distorted her."
She's so flattered by Morris' attention that the courtship changes her, eventually leading her to find her own voice. By the end of the play, maybe that's to a fault, Johnson says. "Her relationship is very real, whether or not it is to Morris," she says.
Podulke, who is returning to PTC after playing in 2006's "Enchanted April," describes his character as a man pursuing a bride with money, a suitable match, with the kind of clear-eyed view that seems more fitting for women of the time.
He claims his job as an actor is more basic: For the play to be effective, he just has to win over everyone as soon as he steps onstage. "Hopefully, the only person in the play - and in the room - who doubts him is the doctor," he says.
"I think it's a good play for our time, because it's not a story we get told a lot," Podulke says. "Certainly it's not what you get on television or movies. We get such simpler stories now. I really like that about this play, that it's multifaceted. And hopefully, if we do it right, you can really identify with both of them."
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* ELLEN FAGG can be contacted at ellenf@sltrib.com or 801-257-8621. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
Rich girl and a material boy
* "THE HEIRESS" opens Friday and plays through March 29 at Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. 1400 East, Salt Lake City. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays.
* TICKETS ARE $21-$39 (with half-price tickets for children on Mondays and Tuesdays), available by calling 801-581-6961, or visiting www.pioneer theatre.org.
