Overview
Synopsis
Matthew Lopez’ epic play, The Inheritance reimagines E.M. Forster’s Howard’s End as a contemporary portrait of New York’s gay community. A generation after the height of the AIDS crisis, the play explores what it is like to be a young gay man in New York. What does the current generation owe to its forebears? At the center of the play stands Eric Glass, around whom characters swirl in and out of love, apartments, and arguments. The Inheritance addresses serious questions about sexual identity as well as asking what the gay community has lost, and also gained, in the last twenty years.
The Inheritance is written in two parts, designed to be seen sequentially. Part Two runs at just over 3 hours. It contains nudity and explicit content.
Show Information
- Book
- Matthew Lopez
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- E.M. Forster's Howards End (1910)
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Mature Audiences (M)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 2018
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Contemporary, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- New York, 2017-2018
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- Dramatists Play Service
- Ideal For
- College/University, Mostly Male Cast, Regional Theatre, Professional Theatre, Includes Mature Adult, Adult, Young Adult, Elderly Characters, Medium Cast
Context
The Inheritance is based upon E.M. Forster’s 1910 novel Howards End. It was commissioned by Hartford Stage, Connecticut and first premiered at London’s Young Vic Theatre in March 2018. It then transferred to the Noel Coward Theatre in the West End in September 2018. Directed by Stephen Daldry, the play featured Kyle Soller as Eric Glass, John Benjamin Hickey as Henry Wilcox, and Vanessa Redgrave as Margaret. Soller won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a play and the production won 4
to read the context for The Inheritance (Part Two) and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Prologue
At a country house, two young men (later revealed as the young ghosts of Henry Wilcox and Walter Poole) come to view the property and decide to buy it. In their midst, comes present day Henry, who determinedly ignores the ghosts of his past
Act One
Picking up where Part One left off, Walter comes to find Eric Glass at the house belonging to his late partner, Walter. Eric is sure that he has seen a ghost, but Henry reassures him that ghosts don’t exist. Moving the
to read the plot for The Inheritance (Part Two) and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
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|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Non-singer |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher