Ilkley Players’ production ‘The Heiress’ at Ilkley Playhouse until July 19.

10:03am Thursday 10th July 2008

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The Heiress', which is written by Ruth and Augustus Goetz and based on the Henry James novel Washington Square', is set in the 19th Century, which the play captures in all its glory with perfect sets and the most stunning costumes.

It tells the story of a shy, awkward girl, Catherine Sloper, who falls in love with a man named Morris Townsend, whom her father suspects is after her large inheritance rather than her love. What is explored is betrayal and the complications of love, relationships and loyalty.

It is a compelling and moving story that is brought to life through Robin Green's direction and is filled with strong performances. One performance I was particularly impressed with was Lee Russell's Morris. He graced the stage with such ease and charm and even managed to evoke sympathy for such a manipulative character - he really was a pleasure to watch.

Indeed, they were all fantastic. Andrew Leggott, as the domineering father, embodied his role perfectly and there was a spirited supporting cast, especially Jean Garbutt as Catherine's frivolous Aunt Lavinia, and even the smallest roles (some only had a handful of lines) were memorable. Praise has to go to Lucy Matheson who had the huge task of playing Catherine. She effortlessly captured her social awkwardness and the development of her character.

But despite these strong points, I do have one question - was it a comedy or a tragedy? This seems to be a point on which the play could not decide. The story is definitely of dramatic origin, but there were a lot of laughs from the audience and I'm not entirely sure if they were all intended, so it did add an air of uncertainty to the play.

The set changes were distracting and messy but under the circumstances this could not be helped and lighting and sound were used to make the transition from scene to scene as smooth as possible. They were infrequent though, so they do not take away too much from this charming play.

If you are a fan of the period dramas, this is definitely one to watch, as you will be transported back to the time of crinolines, candles and horse-drawn carriages!