Tyler Civic Theatre presents dramatic comedy, “Crimes of the Heart”

Published 4:48 pm Sunday, May 2, 2021

Audiences coming to the Tyler Civic Theatre’s latest production will likely laugh and cry as the actors present “Crimes of the Heart” — a both comedic and dramatic story of a dysfunctional family coping with tragedies.

For two weeks, Director Sean Holliday along with the cast and crew will tell the story of the Magrath sisters in Mississippi in the 1970s from playwright Beth Henley on the Tyler Civic Theatre stage.

The play tells the story of Meg, Babe and Lenny Magrath, who reunite in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, after Babe shoots her abusive husband. The sisters, who were raised in a dysfunctional family, each have their own struggles and as the story progresses they learn to move on from the past and each face the consequences of their actions.

“Crimes of the Heart” won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The play was adapted into a film starring East Texas native Sissy Spacek, Diane Keaton and Jessica Lange.

For Holliday, directing this play is somewhat a revival as he directed the same show 10 years ago at the Tyler Civic Theatre. He’s been involved in the theater for 20 years, and in that time, he’s directed 10 shows and acted in 35 to 40 productions.

“This is kind of a revival of the same show, just different actors, different actresses. The set’s different in terms of how it’s made, but it’s still the same set I used before and the same conventions that I used before,” Holliday said. “I just felt the first time I did it was very successful in terms of how it was received and how my vision was for it. So I continued that same thought.”

While the show is set in the 1970s, Holliday said themes mentioned in the play remain relevant, such as spousal abuse, suicide, racism, child abuse and sexual abuse.

“The themes and issues that it deals with like spousal abuse, racism, sexual abuse are all still just as prevalent today as they were then. Back then, nobody talked about it. Now, everybody talks about it but it’s still a problem,” he said.

Through the art, audiences will be able to see and take away real-life lessons. He said serious issues are addressed with subtlety, and he hopes people can relate to what the characters are going through.

“For example, suicide is one of the things that’s very prevalent in the show and the only time somebody talks about it is when they’re trying to condemn somebody,” Holliday said. “It’s an attitude that has changed at that time, but not completely. I think people will be able to identify with one or more of the characters or somebody in their family that’s very similar to these characters. These are real people and they feel like real people going through real problems in extreme circumstances.”

“Crimes of the Heart” is often called a dark comedy, and Holliday said the label comes from the comedy that can be within real-life situations.

“(The play) gives you an opportunity to laugh rather than cry, and if we do our job right then people will be laughing during this show and also be brought to tears,” he said.

CC Weatherly, who portrays Babe, said the play is heartfelt and people will relate to the issues and dysfunctional family presented in the show.

“When it comes to the audience, I think a lot of people will relate to the show, especially during the time of COVID because some people haven’t been able to see their families,” Weatherly said. “I relate to the show so much because I just lost my dad in January. My character has this internal struggle of her mother committed suicide and why, but she gets to surround herself with her family.”

Weatherly loves bringing Babe to life on stage because the character has both deep and sporadic moments.

“I get to be loud and soft, cry and laugh, and it’s just really fun like I’m all over the stage,” she said.

She explained that by being a part of the production, she learned why the play is entitled “Crimes of the Heart.”

“Each character is doing a great injustice to themselves. They’re not going after the things that they want,” Weatherly said. “They’re doing the opposite of that; they’re hiding it. They’re hindering it and I feel like we all do that. We all mask what we’re really feeling.”

Caitlin Pierson portrays Meg in this production and she enjoys bringing the relationships between the Magrath sisters to the stage.

“I think for me Meg is very real,” Pierson said. “She’s the outspoken sister. She’s the sarcastic sister. She’s the one that loves fiercely, but doesn’t always show it except to her sisters.”

Pierson believes every audience member can relate to a dysfunctional family in some way, and that’s what the Magrath sisters are.

The play can help people escape from their problems and also get them thinking about serious issues, Pierson added.

“There’s a lot of issues that went on back then that are relevant in many ways today and I think there are moments in the play that I hope will make people kind of stop and think,” she said. “Because the characters go through these situations, but they portray the repercussions of it.”

The cast also features Jessica Fite as Lenny, Katie Weatherly as Chick and Caleb Hutchings as Barnette Lloyd.

The civic theatre has done four shows, including “Crimes of the Heart,” since returning from the COVID-19 related cancellations. Holliday said this play is his first since the theater had to shut a production down last year due to COVID-19.

Early on during rehearsals, Holliday said the cast used face shields to reduce the risk of coronavirus spread.

The cast will not be performing with masks or face shields during the play to show expressions and reactions for the actors and audience, he said. Based on the theater policy, those attending the show will be requested to wear the masks.

Tyler Civic Theatre’s “Crimes of the Heart” runs Thursdays through Sundays, April 29 to May 16.

Tickets are available online at tylercivictheatre.com or by calling the box office at 903-592-0561. Shows on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays start at 7:30 p.m., while Sunday showings are at 2:30 p.m.