Town & Gown Theatre in Stillwater is proud to present the fourth play of its 74th season, Beth Henley’s “Crimes of the Heart.” The play made its stage debut in 1979 and its Broadway debut in 1981. It was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play and went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Many patrons may recall the 1986 film adaptation of the play starring Sissy Spacek, Diane Keeton, and Jessica Lange in leading roles as the Magrath sisters. The play is at times melancholy and poignant, but also hilarious and heartwarming, with brilliant dialogue and unforgettable characters throughout.
As the show opens, the sisters have gathered in Hazelhurt, Mississippi as their grandfather, “Old Grandaddy,” is living out his last hours in a local hospital. Lenny, the oldest sister, is unmarried at 30 and facing diminishing marital prospects; Meg, the middle sister, who quickly outgrew Hazlehurst, is back after a failed singing career on the West Coast; while Babe, the youngest, is out on bail after having shot her husband in the stomach. Their troubles, grave and yet, somehow, hilarious, are highlighted by their priggish cousin, Chick, and by the awkward young lawyer who tries to keep Babe out of jail and simultaneously avoid falling desperately in love with her. In the end, the play is the story of how its young characters escape the past to seize the future—but the telling is so true and touching and consistently hilarious that it will linger in the minds of audience members long after the last lines are spoken.
Town & Gown patrons will be familiar with the show’s director, Cindy Sheets, due to her many roles on its stage and multiple previous turns in the director’s chair. She most recently directed last season’s Agatha Christie adaptation, “And Then There Were None.” When asked about the thought process behind bringing this show to the Town & Gown stage, Sheets said, “Crimes of the Heart is a funny and heart-warming sister story with characters that everyone will recognize. While some of the situations in this play are a little out there, I think our audiences will be both charmed and amused with the story." The production was not without its challenges. Sheets relates that “We have had a very short rehearsal period for this production, which initially caused me a bit of anxiety; but I've been delighted to find that was an unfounded worry. These actors have all worked very hard on their characters, which has been a joy for me. Their fantastic chemistry adds so much to this production."
The cast of Crimes of the Heart features a list of veterans of the Town & Gown stage as well, including Renae Perry as Lenny Magrath, Sydney Wehmeyer as Meg Magrath, and Courtney Pilkington as Babe Botrelle. Elisha Lightangel returns to the stage as the sisters’ cousin Chick Boyle and Town & Gown veteran Aaron Carmichael plays Barnette Lloyd. Newcomer and OSU theater graduate Mason Zweiacker makes his Town & Gown debut in the role of Doc Porter.
Crimes of the Heart will run from April 3-6 and 10-13. Thursday through Saturday evening shows start at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Monday, March 31 and can be obtained by calling the Town & Gown box office at (405) 372-9122 or visiting the theatre’s Web site at www.townandgown.org. Tickets prices are $16 each for adults and $14 for military members, students,and seniors.
For more information on this and other fantastic events happening around the Stillwater community, check out our marketing partner, Visit Stillwater, at https://www.visitstillwater.org/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/VisitStillwater.
