CRIMES OF THE HEART run dates: 7/11/2008 - 7/20/2008 Playcrafters Barn Theatre, Moline, Illinois ____________________________________________________________________________
by Briana Byrd
A story of three sisters, struggling to come to terms with their mother’s suicide and their unsuccessful lives, the drama CRIMES OF THE HEART points out the importance of family, love, and self-reliance.
Directed by Jeri Benson, the Playcrafters Barn Theatre production of Beth Henley’s well-known Southern drama showcases three very different actors in the major roles. Lenny Magrath (Karrie McLaughlin), Meg Magrath (Jessica Nicol) and Babe Botrelle (Ashley Hoskins) are at the center of this show, and they command the stage quite well.
McLaughlin’s Lenny was easily my favorite character, almost from the first lines she spoke. McLaughlin does an excellent job lending emotional depth to an insecure woman who is scared of doing things for herself – even as she is walked all over by everyone. Nicol plays Meg, the wayward sister whose contemporary attire marks her as someone who now lives in Hollywood. Nicol’s natural stage presence makes her the most realistic of the sisters.
Babe is the youngest of the three Magrath sisters, and is being tried for shooting her husband. While Hoskins’ Babe adds good comic relief, she seems to act far too young for her age. Babe is supposedly a grown woman, yet in Hoskins’ portrayal she talked and behaved as though she were a small child – to the point that I began to wonder if she were intentionally being represented as developmentally challenged. Despite this issue, Babe still remains lovable and commands the stage.
Some of the scenes seem to not follow the dramatic pacing of the subject material, breaking out into arguing or yelling without any (outer, and – it seems – any inner seething as) buildup to an explosion. What works best are some of the scenes with all three sisters. McLaughlin, Nicol and Hoskins work well together and their varying styles compliment each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Whether expressing happiness, sadness, or anger, all their scenes were powerful and emotionally resonant.
As CRIMES OF THE HEART is the first show I’ve seen on a thrust stage, where the audience nearly surrounds the action at all times, I was impressed by how successful the layout of the set was. Comfortable creating a working set in this environment, Mary Jean Sedlock did a fantastic job. Additionally, there are no sight line problems and everyone in the audience can see the scenes as they occur, so it is clear that Benson and the actors also do an excellent job using the space.
Overall, the show is a success with most audience members – based on the enjoyment of those around me – and will likely keep you entertained. Although I wouldn’t describe it as a show worth paying to see it twice, this is still a pretty good CRIMES OF THE HEART.
