MCT set for ‘Crimes of the Heart’
Milam Community Theater announces it’s first play of the 2023 Main Series season, “Crimes of the Heart” by American playwright Beth Henley.
It is set in Hazlehurst, Miss., in the mid-20th century. The play won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. In 1986, the play was novelized and released as a book, written by Claudia Reilly. The play is produced by Brittany Tucker and directed by Mona Butala.
The three MaGrath sisters are back together in their hometown of Hazelhurst, Mississippi for the first time in a decade. Lenny (played by Kelita Thomas), the eldest, never left Hazelhurst - she is the caretaker of the sisters’ cantankerous Old Granddaddy. Meg (played by Jessica Garcia), the middle sister, left home to pursue stardom as a singer in Los Angeles, but has, so far, only found happiness at the bottom of a bottle. And Babe (played by Breanna Ameish), the youngest, has just been arrested for the murder of her abusive husband. Under the scorching heat of the Mississippi sun, past resentments bubble to the surface and each sister must come to terms with the consequences of her own “crimes of the heart”.
Their troubles, grave and yet, somehow, hilarious, are highlighted by their priggish cousin, Chick (played by Susan Angely) and by the awkward young lawyer Barnett Lloyd (played by Kalib Teetz) who tries to keep Babe out of jail while helpless not to fall in love with her. The cast is rounded up with Brock Wright portraying Doc Porter, the 30-year-old former boyfriend of Meg. Doc remains infatuated with Meg, even after his marriage to another woman and the birth of his two children. 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 mind long after the curtain has descended.
Performances are slated for Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m.; Saturday, March 4 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, March 5 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 25’s “Night on the Town” performance is for members of MCT only and include a prime rib dinner. Tickets for Feb. 25 date are not available online. However, memberships are available online and at the door. Price for Feb. 25 “Night on the Town” performance for new members not having previously joined (including MCT Membership, the prime rib dinner and three Main Stsge performances) is $125 per person. Admission is free for current members.
Prices for Feb. 26, March 4 and March 5 shows are $18 per person and are available online at mct.ticketleap.com or at the door. All performances will be held at The Williams Event Center, home of Milam Community Theater, located at 408 South Columbus Ave. in Cameron.