Crimes of the Heart
by Navasota Theatre Alliance
Jan. 21 - Jan. 22
The scene is Hazlehurst, Mississippi, where the three Magrath sisters have gathered to await news of the family patriarch, their grandfather, who is living out his last hours in the local hospital. Lenny, the oldest sister, is unmarried at thirty and facing diminishing marital prospects; Meg, the middle sister, who quickly outgrew Hazlehurst, is back after a failed singing career on the West Coast; while Babe, the youngest, is out on bail after having shot her husband in the stomach.
Their troubles, grave and yet, somehow, hilarious, are highlighted by their priggish cousin, Chick, and by the awkward young lawyer who tries to keep Babe out of jail while helpless not to fall in love with her. 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.
The play earned the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. It was also released as a film starring Sissy Spacek, Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange, and Sam Sheppard. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards.
Navasota Theatre Alliance,104 W Washington Ave, Navasota
Auditions will be January 21-22, 2025 [Facebook posting; text says January 20 - 22] with performances scheduled for three weekends, April 25 - May 11, 2025.We welcome and encourage all actors of all experiences to come out and audition!
Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.
Characters:
Margaret "Meg" Magrath (Female) - Meg is the middle sister. Meg had a traumatic experience as a child which changes Meg leading her to seek out a singing career on the West Coast. Now she is back after that failure.
Rebecca "Babe" Botrelle (Female) - Babe is the youngest sister. Babe recently became a widow who is very stressed due to the death of her husband.
Lenora "Lenny" Magrath (Female) - Lenny is the oldest Magrath sister. She is a thoughtful and responsible, yet frustrated and lonely lady. She has an unstable relationship with her sisters.
Chick Boyle (Female) - Chick is the Magrath sisters’ older cousin. Chick is overly concerned about her reputation in the community.
Barnette Lloyd (Male) - Barnette is a lawyer who Babe hires to fight her case around her deceased husband. He is a clever man and possesses a strong attraction to Babe.
Doc Porter (Male) - He is Meg’s old boyfriend. He is still called “Doc” even when his medical career died after he was seriously injured in hurricane Camille. His love for Meg makes him stay when other people leave.
