‘Crimes of the Heart’ @ Garland Civic Theatre
—Hannah Kneen
At Garland Civic Theatre, Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Crimes of the Heart explores the lives of three sisters reuniting in their Old Granddaddy’s home in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. Set in 1974, five years after Hurricane Camille hit the Gulf Coast, the play delves into the various tragedies haunting the lives of each sister. Despite some heavy subject matter, Crimes is both funny and heartwarming.
The show opens with Lenny MaGrath (played by Savannah Lloyd) making birthday wishes all on her lonesome. Don’t worry, she doesn’t stay on her lonesome for long, and her birthday is about to liven up. We soon get to meet other characters—abrasive Chick Boyle (Janae Hatchett) and the amiable Doc Porter (David Kolis)—and discover that the big news in town is about Lenny’s sister Babe Botrelle (Katherine Macune), who has just shot her husband in the stomach. Needless to say, she’s hired a local lawyer, Barnette Lloyd (Jed Carr).
Lenny discusses it all with her other sister Meg MaGrath (Rachel Jay), who has arrived home just in time to hear about Babe’s predicament. They don’t know why their sister did what she did, though Meg points out that there are “plenty of good, sane reasons to shoot another person, and I’m sure that Babe had one.” Over the course of the play we learn about the trials and tribulations of the sisters. Though Babe is the only one who’s recently shot anyone, that does not mean the others have not committed “crimes of the heart.” The examination of these “crimes” is the focus of the play.
The three sisters are very distinct personalities. The relationships between them are sweet but not without conflict, and the trio of actresses (under the able direction of Carol M. Rice) have clearly done a lot of work to bring their characters to life. Lloyd’s Lenny is downtrodden and sympathetic for the most part, but the moment she finally stands up for herself and her sisters is eminently satisfying. Macune’s Babe, incongruously cheerful for having just shot her husband, is fascinating to watch as she mingles guileless optimism and tragic hopelessness. An odd combination, I know, but with the emotional rollercoaster of a day she’s had I think it’s understandable. Jay’s Meg is charismatic and confident, though that doesn’t limit her emotional depth. It is intriguing to watch how these very different characters interact and care for each other.
As far as technical elements go, this production is relatively simple. Set in Grandpappy’s kitchen (he’s in the hospital) with some very ‘70’s costumes from designer Heather York and nice jazz for pre- and post-show music, the tech situates us nicely but does not try to overshadow the work of the performers.
In her Director’s Note, Carol Rice mentions working with this play before (she played Meg once), but notes that as time passes the pathos of the story hits harder. She writes, “While the show is still extremely funny to me and still makes me laugh, it’s also a lot sadder than I remember. Yes, it’s a dark comedy, but I’m able to read between the lines more and really delve into the backstories. These characters are SO multi-layered…”
GCT’s Crimes of the Heart has hit upon a good balance of depth and comedy—delving deep into the hearts of the characters, but never forgetting to seek out the humor in adversity–something we often need more of.
WHEN: Sept. 8-24, 2023
WHERE: Granville Arts Center, 300 N 5th St, Garland, TX
WEB: https://www.garlandcivic.org/events/directed-by-carol-m-rice
