The Concord University Theatre department has done it again with their spring production of Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize winning drama, Crimes of the Heart.
Set in the small southern town of Hazelhurst, Mississippi, the play documents the series of unfortunate events that have plagued the MaGrath sisters all their lives. Tragedy and plain bad luck have plagued them since their father left them and their mother committed suicide, casting the remaining family into nationwide infamy.
The scars of their unwanted fame have barely healed when they are suddenly at risk of a repeat performance when Babe shoots her husband for no initially apparent reason. Confusion and tragedy acts as the gravitational force that jerks the sisters back together after they’d gone their separate ways.
What at first appears to be a severely dysfunctional family slowly grows on the viewer, who eventually comes to the heartwarming conclusion that the MaGrath sisters aren’t a warped, twisted version of the prototypical American family, but rather broken individuals crippled by misfortune, clinging to any semblance of normalcy and trying desperately to pull themselves out of the darkness they’ve been drowning in for as long as they can remember.
The performance was spearheaded by University Theatre Director Dr. Thomas Gambill and starred Kayla Jordan as Lenny, the oldest of the sisters who is quickly becoming a nervous homebody, Hanna Wood as Meg, the rebellious sister who has just returned from chasing a music career in California, and Brooklyn Clemons as Babe, the youngest sister that is currently in trouble for shooting her husband. More showcased university talents include Christin Walker as the sisters’ overbearing, nosy cousin “Chick the Stick” Boyle and Jordan Tuck as Babe’s well-meaning lawyer, Barnette Lloyd.
Although the play did feature conflict, it was considerably lighter than some of the department’s previous performances choices, like last fall’s production of Oleanna. This stray from the norm was intentional, and Gambill explained that he had wanted to perform something more “family friendly” while at the same time paying homage to successful female playwrights like Beth Henley. Crimes of the Heart fit all these criteria, and it is clear that a better selection couldn’t have been made to fit these goals while still delivering an engaging piece that would fully exhibit the talent and dedication of the cast and crew.
Although directors and casts are usually revered as the stars of a production, it would be a disservice to not give immense amounts of credit to the crew that worked on Crimes of the Heart as well. Besides set construction and sound effects, they experienced problems of the same magnitude that large professional theatres would have, minus the funds and professionals to correct the problems. After experiencing technical difficulties with lighting, the crew was charged with the task of delicately rigging the system to hold out over the course of the week of performances. The H.C. Paul Theatre does not offer much in the way of natural light, so the fact that students were able to not only fix the lighting situation but also to rehearse the play without missing a beat even when they had to be guided by flashlights is to be heavily commended.
The Theatre Department always works hard to put on a great show, spending countless hours rehearsing, designing sets, and in some cases, doing minor electrical repairs. Regardless of the obstacles, the show must go on, and the talented group of students lead by Dr. Thomas Gambill never fail to deliver.