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 … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Sisterly Bonds are Put to the Test in Avon Players’ Heartwarming ‘Crimes of the Heart’
Sisterly Bonds Make for Laughter and Tears in Avon Players’ ‘Crimes of the Heart’
Pulitzer Prize-winning play proves you can indeed go home again From left to right: Kelly Miller as “Chick,” Lisa “Dee” Denomme as “Lenny,” and Maia Fetter as “Babe.” Photo Credit: Bryan Clifford. Avon Players’ season continues with a bittersweet story of three women coming home and reconciling the trajectory of their messy lives with their small-town upbringing in Crimes of the Heart, running November 8-23. In Hazelhurst, Mississippi, the three Magrath sisters have gathered to await news … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Avon Players’ ‘Marvin’s Room’ Embodies Hope and Healing
After ending 2018 on a high note with the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Avon Players Theatre kicks off the second half of their season with the emotional Marvin’s Room. Written by Scott McPherson and inspired by his own experiences as a caregiver, most people are probably more familiar with the 1996 film adaptation by John Guare starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Diane Keaton, and Meryl Streep. While I never saw the movie, I had a vague notion of what the story was about, and as I sat in the … [Read more...]
A Fractured Family Reunites in Avon Players’ ‘Marvin’s Room’
Heartwarming Play Proves it’s Never too Late to go Home Unexpected developments lead to an unlikely reconciliation for one family in Avon Players’ production of Marvin’s Room running January 18-February 2. Adult sisters Bessie (Deirdre Ward-Beck) and Lee (Lia DiFonzo) have not seen each other for many years. When Bessie is diagnosed with leukemia, Lee returns home to Florida, and the estranged siblings reunite. In tow are Lee’s two troubled sons: Hank (Bodi Johnson), who is in a mental … [Read more...]