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Castaways Repertory Theatre Crimes of the Heart

By • May 14th, 2007 • Category: Reviews

Listen to our review of Castaways Repertory Theatre’s production of Crimes of the Heart [MP3 4:21 1.2MB].

Laura: Friday evening I saw Castaways Repertory Theare‘s production of Crimes of the Heart in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Mike: Crimes of the Heart is a Pulitzer Prize winning play by Beth Henley. At the core of the black comedy are the three Magrath sisters who reunite in old grandaddy’s home in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, when the youngest shoots her husband. The trio is raised in a dysfunctional family with a penchant for ugly predicaments. Each has endured her share of hardship and misery. Past resentments bubble to the surface as they’re forced to deal with assorted relatives and past relationships while coping with the latest incident to disrupt their lives.

Laura: This was a pretty good show. A lot of talking heads, not a lot of action until the third act. Overall I enjoyed it. There was a wide range of acting talent. Overall I think everybody did well. The three Magrath sisters, Lenny, Meg, and the youngest, Babe, all did a good job.

Lenny Magrath was played by Brit Fucito. She was basically neurotic, with low self esteem. She was very hyper and very nervous. She did come out of her shell in the third act with a scene between the nosy next door neighbor (who was also a cousin). I think she finally came out of her shell and expressed herself. That was a really funny scene.

The middle sister, Meg Magrath, was played by Jen Durham. She was the free spirit. She was the one that left to seek her fortune in a singing career that unfortunately did not go so well. She was out on the West Coast when she heard about their grandfather who was in the hospital. She came home to deal with that and also maybe try to start over again. She had a good scene with the youngest sister, Babe, played by Katie Moore. The two of them had some really good talks together and really opened up to each other. She was kind of ditzy. She was the baby of the family so she was protected. She was the one at the end who had some things to deal with about her mother’s death. All three of them did a good job.

Laura: The set for Crimes of the Heart was simple. All of the action took place in the kitchen of the Magrath family home. It doesn’t list a time period, but I’m thinking probably modern day, although the refrigerator did look old. There was a roll away bed on one side so Lenny could hear her grandfather if he needed her. Over all it was good. It was a static set. It had a nice background of the city behind it. I thought it was interesting the set was all kind of black and white. The only color was what was brought into the kitchen table.

Laura: The costumes were interesting. They reflected the attitudes of the sister. Costume Design was done by Ellen Hart Mikinstrie. Lenny Magrath was in the long pants and drab colors. Meg Magrath was in skin tight jeans with high heels. Babe Magrath was also in the little cotton dress. I think it reflected their attitudes and outlooks of life.

Laura: Overall I enjoyed it. I recommend seeing it.

Mike: Crimes of the Heart is playing at the A. J. Ferlazzo Building in Woodbridge Virginia through Saturday May 19th. Shows are Friday and Saturday nights at 8 with a Saturday Matinee on the 12th at 1 PM. The show does contain adult language and adult themes and runs approximately 2 hours and fiften minutes with two intermissions.

Laura: And now, on with the show.

Cast

  • Lenny Magrath: Brit Fucito
  • Chick Boyle: Rachel Morrissey
  • Doc Porter: Dan Bellotte
  • Meg Magrath: Jen Durham
  • Babe Magrath: Katie Moore
  • Barnette Lloyd: Robert Perkins

Crew

  • Producer/Director: Terri L. Caretti
  • Stage Manager/Lights: Jan Dylewski
  • Set Design/Master Carpenter: Tom Hannon
  • Set Construction/Painting: Tom Hannon, Gavin Tameris
  • Costume Design: Ellen Hart McKinstrie
  • Stage Crew: Katherine Biscula
  • Cover Art: Jan Dylewski
  • Photography: Jan Dylewski
  • Publicity: Don Wilson
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