Imperial Artistry in association with Red Line Productions is thrilled to present the award-winning masterpiece Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley for a limited season at the Old Fitz Theatre from 15 March 2017.
It would be easy to simply describe Beth Henley’s witty and character-driven play Crimes of the Heart as a wistful tragicomedy about the lives and loves of three sisters brought back together by an horrific act of violence. However, by setting the play five years after Hurricane Camille – a catastrophic category five disaster that fell on Mississippi in 1969, Henley has also allowed classic Southern Gothic tropes to permeate the story of these funny, frightened and brave women.
Babe has shot her husband and, whether they’re prepared for it or not, her sisters Lenny and Meg find themselves standing right beside her in the eye of the storm. They must confront head-on the grief, abandonment and botched attempts at stardom that have wrenched them apart. Old loves return, relationships are tested and society is unforgiving. In the end it all comes down to how hard they’re willing to fight for each other.
Winner of the prestigious 2016 Sandra Bates Directors Award, Janine Watson (Dolores, Three Sisters), directs a cast of talented and experienced actors including Caleb Alloway (The History Boys, Home and Away), Rowan Davie (Infinity Taster, Angels in America), Amanda McGregor (The Crucible, Bambert’s Book of Lost Stories), Laura Pike (Holding the Man, Hoges), Renae Small (Mary: The Making of a Princess, When the Rain Stops Falling) and Amy Usherwood (Away, Shortland Street).
Beth Henley is an award-winning American playwright, screenwriter, and actress. Her credits include: The Miss Firecracker Contest, The Wake of Jamey Foster, The Lucky Spot, Abundance, Control Freaks, The Jacksonian, Ridiculous Fraud, and Family Week.
Winning the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Crimes of the Heart was also nominated in the same year for the Tony Award for Best Play and in 1986 was adapted into a multi-Academy Award nominated film starring Sissy Spacek, Diane Keaton and Jessica Lange.
“From time to time a play comes along that restores one’s faith in our theatre…” – NY Magazine
Director: Janine Watson Featuring: Caleb Alloway, Rowan Davie, Amanda McGregor, Laura Pike, Renae Small, Amy Usherwood Set and Costume Design: Jonathan Hindmarsh Lighting Design: Alexander Berlage Sound Design: Thomas Moore Production Manager: Maria Spataro Stage Manager: Lachlan McNab Writer: Beth Henley
Crimes of the Heart
Old Fitz Theatre, 129 Dowling Street (Cnr Cathedral Street), Woolloomooloo
Season: 15 March – 8 April 2017
Information and Bookings: www.redlineproductions.com.au
Image: Crimes of the Heart (supplied)