Crimes of the Heart

Crimes of the Heart (1981), a play by Beth Henley. [ John Golden Theatre, 535 perf.; Pulitzer Prize, NYDCC Award.] The story depicts a day in the life of three unhappy Mississippi sisters. Babe (Mia Dillon) is out on bail after shooting her husband because she “didn't like his looks.” Meg (Mary Beth Hurt) is a failed singer who has spent more time in psychiatric wards than in performing. Spinsterish Lenny (Lizbeth Mackay) is unloved and frustrated. The sisters are not alone in their troubles; their family history is dismal, including a mother who hung herself and her cat. They are helped by Babe's lawyer, Barnette Lloyd (Peter MacNicol) but must rely on their strong family loyalty to see them through. Another in the sort of Chekovian‐style plays that have long been popular and which Max Beerbohm once classified as “adramatic,” it nevertheless was written with great warmth and wit. The tragicomedy originated at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, was presented Off Broadway by the Manhattan Theatre Club, and then reopened on Broadway. Frank Rich wrote in the Times, “Be grateful that we have a new writer from hurricane country who gives her characters room to spin and spin and spin.” Beth HENLEY (b. 1952) was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and attended Southern Methodist University and the University of Illinois. Her other plays, including The Wake of Jamie Foster (1982), The Miss Firecracker Contest (1984), The Lucky Spot (1986), Abundance (1990), and Impossible Marriage (1998), have been less successful.

Beth Henley 1979

Beth Henley completed Crimes of the Heart, her tragic comedy about three sisters surviving crisis after crisis in a small Mississippi town, in 1978. She submitted it to several regional theatres for consideration without success. Unknown to her, however, a friend had entered it in the well-known Great American Play Contest of the Actors’ Theatre of Louisville. The play was chosen as co-winner for 1977-78 and performed in February, 1979, at the company’s annual festival of New American Plays. The production was extremely well-received, and the play was picked up by numerous regional theatres for their 1979-81 seasons.

At the end of 1980, Crimes of the Heart was produced off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club for a limited, sold-out, engagement of thirty-two performances. By the time the play transferred to Broadway in November, 1981, Crimes of the Heart had received the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. Henley was the first woman to win the Pulitzer for Drama in twenty-three years, and her play was the first ever to win before opening on Broadway. Crimes of the Heart went on to garner the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best New American Play, a Gugenheim Award, and a Tony nomination. The tremendously successful Broadway production ran for 535 performances, spawning regional productions in London, Chicago, Washington, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Houston. The success of the play — and especially the prestige of the Pulitzer award — assured Henley’s place among the elite of the American theatre for years to come. As Henley herself put it, with typically wry humor, “winning the Pulitzer Prize means I’ll never have to work in a dog-food factory again” (Haller 44).

Often compared to the work of other “Southern Gothic” writers like Eudora Welty and Flannery O’Connor, Henley’s play is widely appreciated for its compassionate look at good country people whose lives have gone wrong. Henley explores the pain of life by piling up tragedies on her characters in a manner some critics have found excessive, but she does so with a dark and penetrating sense of humor which audiences — as the play’s success has demonstrated — found to be a fresh perspective in the American theatre.

For the film, see Crimes of the Heart (film).

Crimes of the Heart
Original Broadway poster
Written by	Beth Henley
Characters	Babe Botrelle Meg MaGrath Lenny MaGrath Barnette Lloyd Doc Porter Chick Boyle
Date premiered	December 9, 1980 (1980-12-09)
Place premiered	Manhattan Theater Club New York City, New York
Original language	English
Genre	Black comedy
Setting	Hazelhurst, Mississippi
IBDB profile
IOBDB profile

Crimes of the Heart is a play by Beth Henley.

Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Productions 3 Adaptation 4 Awards and nominations 5 References 6 External links

Synopsis

At the core of the tragic comedy are the three Magrath sisters, Meg, Babe, consequences of the "crimes of the heart" she has committed.

Productions

Henley completed her play in 1978 and submitted it to several regional theatres without success. Unknown to her, a friend entered it in the Great American Play Contest at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, and it was named co-winner and performed in February 1979 at the company's annual festival of New American Plays. The production was extremely well-received, and the play was selected by numerous regional theatres for their 1979-80 season.

At the end of 1980, the Manhattan Theatre Club staged the play's New York City premiere for a limited, sold-out engagement of thirty-two performances. After thirteen previews, the Broadway production, directed by Melvin Bernhardt, opened on November 4, 1981 at the John Golden Theatre, where it ran for 535 performances. The opening night cast included Mia Dillon, Mary Beth Hurt, Lizbeth MacKay, and Peter MacNicol. The play's success spawned productions in London's West End, Chicago, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Houston, and it continues to be a popular choice for community theatre and summer stock productions.

A production at off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre ran from April 16, 2001 to May 14, 2001. It was directed by Garry Hynes, and featured Julia Murney (Chick), Enid Graham (Lenny), and Mary Catherine Garrison (Babe). The play was nominated for the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Revival of the season.

A Roundabout Theatre Company off-Broadway production, based on a 2007 Williamstown Theatre Festival production, was directed by Kathleen Turner. It ran February 14, 2008 to April 20 and featured Lily Rabe (Babe), Jennifer Dundas (Lenny), Sara Paulson (Meg) and Jessica Stone (Chick).^[1]

Adaptation

Main article: Crimes of the Heart (film)

The 1986 film adaptation was directed by Bruce Beresford and garnered three Academy Award nominations, including one for Henley for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Awards and nominations

Awards

• 1981 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play
• 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
• 1982 Theatre World Award

Lizbeth MacKay

Peter MacNicol

Nominations

• 1982 Tony Award for Best Play
• 1982 Tony Award, Best Featured Actress in a Play

Mia Dillon

Mary Beth Hurt

• 1982 Tony Award, Best Direction of a Play (Melvin Bernhardt)
• 1981 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play
• 1981 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Play (Mary Beth Hurt)
• 1981 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Play

References

1. ^ Ernio Hernandez (January 29, 2008). "Roundabout Shifts Crimes of the Heart Opening to Valentine's Day". Playbill. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/114689.html. Retrieved 2008-08-05. 

External links

• Crimes of the Heart at the Internet Broadway Database
• Crimes of the Heart at the Internet off-Broadway Database for 1980
• Internet Off- Broadway Database listing, 2001
• Curtain Up review, February 13, 2008

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