Family trauma brings three sisters together to face their messy past and present in the emotional Crimes of the Heart, which runs through November 23, 2024, at Avon Players Theatre in Rochester Hills, MI.
After opening their season with the devilishly fun musical Sweeney Todd, Avon Players’ second production, is smaller in scale, but equally rich in material.
Crimes of the Heart is a 1979 play written by Beth Henley and is the first play to win the Pulitzer Prize before being produced on Broadway. It debuted on Broadway in 1981 and Henley later adapted her play for the 1986 film of the same name starring Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange, and Sissy Spacek.
Set in the small town of Hazelhurst, Mississippi, Crimes of the Heart focuses on the Magrath sisters who have gathered to wait for the passing of their ornery granddaddy who raised them.
Lenny (Lisa “D” Denomme) is the oldest and the obligatory caretaker who feels her chance to live is slipping away. In the middle is Meg (Tara Makar), the free spirit back after an unsuccessful attempt at fame out west. Rounding out the trio is beautiful and naïve Babe (Maia Fetter) who married young and appears largely unbothered by the messy state of her life. Director Angel Maclean says, “The ‘crimes’ of the title are actually emotional wounds that each woman carries with her and if these crimes carry punishments, they are largely self-imposed.” The exception to this is Babe, who does commit a crime when she shoots her abusive husband Zachary in the stomach. Thankfully, Barnette (Luigi Murri) the lawyer retained to represent her not only has a personal vendetta against Zachary, but he also develops a crush on Babe.
Most of the sisters’ interactions are passive-aggressive exchanges punctuated by pockets of humor. This highlights the complexities of sisterhood. A sister can be your best friend and your worst enemy, but at the end of the day, she is still your family. Only the sisters are allowed to pick at each other’s personality flaws. When their judgmental cousin Chick (Kelly Miller) tries to do the same, Lenny quickly sets her straight. Miller is stellar as a meddlesome bitty who thinks she is better than her cousins.
Once the sisters are together, they fall into old habits and patterns. Lenny feels underappreciated because Meg has always gotten what she wants with minimal effort and with a lack of regard for other people’s feelings. This is evidenced as Meg nibbles every chocolate in a box of Lenny’s birthday candy. And even though Meg runs off and leaves her beau Doc Porter (Jeffrey Monterosso) behind, she happily stays out all night with him drinking despite the fact he’s now married with a family. While Babe can be immature and impulsive, surprisingly she is the one who helps her sisters see each other in a different light.
What begins as a forced reunion, evolves into a cathartic and fresh start for each of the sisters. This is an intimate story filled with raw emotions that shows it is possible to reconcile and change the trajectory of your life. But none of this would have been remotely believable without such a strong cast. Denomme, Makar, and Fetter made me fully accept they were the characters they portrayed. So much so, that I felt as if I was watching a movie. They were perfectly cast and their performances gave the production a level of authenticity that made everything happening on stage work seamlessly. You believe they are sisters and can identify with their emotions.
Crimes of the Heart is a beautiful mess filled with grit and does an exceptional job portraying three very different women trying to find a way to break out of their self-made prison so they can step into a better future both as individuals and as sisters.
So, grab your sisters or anyone who is like a sister to you and see this play. It brings a brilliant balance of humor and believability that we can all relate to.
This performance runs over two hours with a 15-minute intermission.
Crimes of the Heart is directed by Angel Maclean with Aaron Barnes as the associate director. Mark Palmer serves as producer. Costumes by Kelly Miller and lighting design is by John (JD) Deierlein with Caitlin O’Brien on properties and Kevin Miller as set designer/master carpenter. Hair, makeup, and wig design is by Lana Brusokas-Hastings. Mark Palmer serves as sound designer and set design is by Jeff Stillman and the set dress is by Patty Hagel.
Tickets for all shows are $28. Call 248-608-9077 for tickets or order online at www.AvonPlayers.org. Discounts on group rates are available by calling the box office. “Like” Avon Players Theatre on Facebook for special offers on tickets. All major credit cards are accepted. All seats are reserved. Show dates and times follow:
- Saturday, November 9, 8:00 p.m.
- Sunday, November 10, 2:00 p.m.
- Friday, November 15, 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday, November 16, 8:00 p.m.
- Sunday, November 17, 2:00 p.m.
- Friday, November 22, 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday, November 23, 8:00 p.m.
About Sarah Hovis