The unfortunate fate of an unmarriageable woman

The Heiress

Gate Theatre, Dublin

Until January 7

Rating: ***

David Grindley’s production of The Heiress at The Gate, a Ruth and Augustus Goetz adaptation of Henry James’s novel Washington Square, does a remarkable job in confounding audience expectations.

Anyone hoping for a period romance – classic Christmas fare at the august theatre – will soon be disabused.

The Heiress is a spectacular exhibition of Victorian pragmatism. It charts the coming of age ...