By Erin Philips
SAN DIEGO – Poor boy. Rich girl. Controlling parent. Boy pursues girl and a biting exploration of money, love, and happiness ensues. This is the plot of the West Coast premiere of Rich Girl (running at The Old Globe through June 21), Victoria Stewart’s modern take on the Henry James novel Washington Square, which was adapted for the stage and screen as The Heiress.
As every Jewish mother knows, finding a suitable match for one’s daughter is key. And Claudine’s rich, self-made-financial-guru mother Eve is not going to let just anyone woo her daughter (and her fortune). Henry, a penniless artist looking for funding definitely doesn’t qualify, even if he is handsome. Especially if he’s handsome.
Claudine is painfully awkward, angular and googly-eyed as embodied by actress Lauren Blumenfeld, trying to fulfill her mother’s expectations and take the reins of Eve’s charitable foundation. Meg Gibson as Eve is formidable, cruel and detached under the guise of honesty and acting in her daughter’s best interests. With a daughter who, in Eve’s eyes, is so inadequate, how could Henry possibly be interested in anything except their money?
And thus the central questions of the narrative are revealed. If Claudine is happy, does Henry’s motive really matter? What bearing does love have on relationships, be they mother-daughter, employer-employee, friends or spouses? And what is love anyway? If two people act like they love each other, is that any different from actually being in love?
JD Taylor is appropriately charming and untrustworthy as Henry, and Carolyn Michelle Smith provides welcome warmth and comic relief as Eve’s assistant Maggie. As the play’s resident optimist and romantic, she provides a beating heart to a story full of doubt and calculation, rooting for the young couple even as she goes about Eve’s bidding.
Directed by James Vásquez, the production takes full advantage of The Old Globe’s intimate Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre. Clever staging, a few key props, and audio and video elements transform the set from the diner where Claudine and Henry first meet, to Eve’s Manhattan penthouse, to the studio of Eve’s TV show.
In the end, Claudine must decide for herself whether or not to take a chance on love, having been heartbroken by both her mother and Henry before, leaving the audience unsettled by and unresolved about each character’s choices.
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Philips is a freelance writer who specializes in coverage of the arts. You may comment to her at erin.philips@sdjewishworld.com, or post your comment on this website provided that the rules below are observed.
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