Beth Henley's trio of the idiosyncratic MaGrath sisters guilty of Crimes of the Heart are now neurotically center stage at the James F. Dean Theatre in Summerville.The play won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. The 1986 film adaptation was directed by Bruce Beresford. It garnered three Academy Award nominations and Beth Henley was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 1986, the play was novelized and released as a book, written by Claudia Reilly. Originally a three act play, the Flowertown Players rendering is done in two acts.
The MaGrath family sisters have suffered tragedy in their young lives. Their father left them and their mother hung herself and their cat, leaving an unresolved question as to why.
Lenny is the oldest of the three. She is a responsible soul who has taken on the task of caring for their Old Granddaddy in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, who is presently in the hospital with "all those blood vessels popping in his brain." She has just turned 30 and believes she has gotten old and is unwanted by any man, "But I have this underdeveloped ovary and I can't have children and my hair is falling out in the comb. So what man can love me?" On top of this, her whimsical younger sister Babe has shot her husband because she didn't like his looks and her 20 year old horse, Billy Boy, was struck by lightning. Making matters even more worse, nobody has remembered it is her birthday. So, she sticks a candle on top of a cookie, lights it, and sings happy birthday to herself. Well, not everyone has forgotten. Her cousin, Chick Boyle, brings her a box of chocolates and a few unwelcome, distasteful tidbits of opinions.
Summoned by Lenny, the second oldest sister, Meg, arrives in Hazelhurst from Los Angeles where her singing career had stalled resulting in her suffering a nervous breakdown. Even though Lenny summoned her, Meg's presence is an annoyance. There are some unresolved, deep-seated hard feelings between them. Lenny ponders "why should Old Grandmama let her sew twelve golden jingle bells on her petticoats and us only three?" Meg has never had a problem attracting men. Chick Boyle describes her as a "low-class tramp." She went to Los Angeles after Hurricane Camille where she left her boyfriend, Doc, who got his leg crushed during the hurricane because she insisted on riding out the storm instead of seeking shelter. He now walks with a limp, is married, and has two kids. And so, the story and stage are set.
Director Allison Brower did an excellent job casting her three main characters. Taylor Fleming (Lenny MaGrath), Jana Weber (Meg MaGrath), and Maddie Latham (Babe Botrelle) are as different as the MaGrath sisters. Taylor looked the part, dressed the part, and portrayed the subdued and doleful personality of Lenny in fine detail, to the point where you were sympathetic to her undeserving lot in life. Quite the opposite, Meg's irresponsible, I don't care what you think swagger was smartly rendered by Jana as she strutted her stuff about the stage. Rounding out the trio, Maddie was captivating as the flighty and impulsive Babe who was one step behind reality. Her confectionery disposition was as compelling as Babe's sugar craving. Maddie craftily made sweet lemonade of some of the plays more humorous dialogue despite its dark overtones. The scene where Babe recounts the incident of her offering lemonade to her husband after shooting him is comedically priceless.
What would a good dark comedy be without an antagonist to make matters worse. Alex Shanko as the gossipy Chick Boyle fit the bill very nicely. And with an attempted murder as part of the story, a good lawyer is needed, especially when the person who was shot is a lawyer also. But there is a little more going on with Barnette Lloyd (Daniel Rich) other than just handling Babe's case. Finishing out the cast was Anthony Parenti as the jilted Doc Porter.
There is no change of scenery in Crimes of the Heart. The whole play takes place in the nicely rendered kitchen of Old Granddaddy's home in Hazelhurst. There are moments where the dialogue moves a little slow, but possibly it was intended that way.
The Flowertown Players presentation of Crimes of the Heart accomplishes what Beth Henley intended. It will leave you wondering whether you should shed a tear in the three sisters behalf or laugh at the sheer madness of it all, and that is due to the plays capable crew and talented cast.
Purchase tickets for Crimes of the Heart.
March 8, 9, 14, 15, and 16, 2019 at 8pm
March 10 and 17, 2019 at 3pm
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