Last night we had the privilege to see Triad Stage's current production of "Crimes of the Heart", Beth Henley's comedy drama about three sisters in 1974 Mississippi. It was an entertaining evening, breathing fresh life into a play that could easily hide behind stereotypes and its 1970's design elements. If you don't know the show, I will do my best not to give away too many plot points. The three Magrath sisters, Meg, Lenny and Babe, portrayed respectively by Karis Danish, Eliza Gilbert and Katya Stepanov, have reunited at Old Granddaddy's house shortly after a family "tragedy". What comes next over the following hours is a wonderful study of relationships, in particular the ups and downs of relationships between sisters. Even if you do not have a sister, as I do not, the play is easily relatable. We all have or have had these kinds of sister like relationships in our lives. The ones you love and hate in the same breath. The ones you can tell to go to hell and then turn around and protect them from the bullies. "Crimes of the Heart" illustrates these relationships beautifully, especially in this production. They aren't just sisters. They aren't just family. They are best friends.
Across the board, the cast is consistently good. Everyone has good moments. Some just have more moments than others. Ms. Danish has brought a wonderful dimension to Meg that I have not really seen in past productions. Normally, Meg is the character that I like the least. She is selfish and is often portrayed as the cliche' "bad girl from high school" that never grew up. And yes, in some ways that's what she is but it is not all she is. Ms. Danish really gave me the sense that Meg is a lost soul who is longing for the normalcy that no one expects her to have. She hides behind the image others have of her. So when she falls back into the traps of her selfishness, I felt both anger and sympathy for her. By the end of the show, I truly believed that Meg was on a new path and she would stick to it. Also armed with a subtle sense of humor, Ms. Danish pulled a few funny moments out of Meg that I did not know were there. There were times when all she had to do was shift her eyes and I was laughing out loud.
Lenny is the emotional center of the show. She is the sister that holds, or at least tries to hold, everyone and everything together. Ms. Gilbert gives us a sympathetic, yet better than she thinks she is, Lenny. From the moment the lights go up, Ms. Gilbert welcomes us into this world, into her world, as we watch her celebrate her birthday alone by attempting to attach a candle to her birthday cookie. She is also equipped with keen comic timing. She made things funny because she made them human. I am not sure I have ever laughed at self deprecating ovary references before, but I sure did last night! Ms. Gilbert's Lenny tends to be emotional. Sometimes for comic effect, sometimes for pain and sadness, but every time she gets emotional it is realistic and true to the situation at hand. Lenny has always been the underdog in her family. She's not the favorite and she's not the baby, but she's quietly accepted her place for her entire life. Ms. Gilbert definitely has an undercurrent of human bitterness and anger that is boiling just below the surface. When she finally lets go and begins to believe in her self worth, Ms. Gilbert has us cheering in her corner.
Babe is the quirkiest of the three Magrath sisters. It is her tragedy that brings them all together. Ms. Stepanov has given us a finely tuned balance of quirks, depth of feeling and temporary insanity. One minute, Babe behaves completely normal then in a split second everything goes to hell. Ms. Stepanov easily guides us through Babe's journey in and out of reality. She makes us empathize with Babe and want to protect her. Even though the current predicament the family is in is Babe's doing, Ms. Stepanov makes us understand her motives without playing her as an overwrought, crazy victim. She also gives Babe a good, strong backbone in a role that could potentially just limp along and be eccentric. Babe is protective of those she loves, both family and others, and that comes through loud and clear in Ms. Stepanov's performance without being overstated.
The supporting cast is more hit and miss as a whole. Amy Bodnar's Chick, first cousin to the Magrath sisters, was a little too two-dimensional for me. Having said that, I think that Chick is the hardest role in this show because she is the easiest to caricature. If you are from the South, you know this woman: the spoiled, only child that married money. Yet, these people have often lived the loneliest lives and you can see it in their eyes. That was what was missing for me, the sense that Chick resents her cousins because of their sisterly bond that she will never experience. In her opening scene with Lenny, I could see her trying to reach out to Lenny in as sisterly a fashion as she knows and I wanted her to build on that more. However, Ms. Bodnar definitely knows how to deliver a zinger and her pantyhose scene was one of the funniest things I have seen on stage in years. Dustin Charles' Doc does not have all that much to do in the show and Mr. Charles handles his material with ease. Mr. Charles plays Doc quietly without self pity and that comes through much better in Act Two than Act One, in which his scene almost doesn't seem necessary. He has great chemistry with Ms. Danish and even though I know the script, I still enjoyed the wonderful sense of "Will they or won't they" after their scene. Lee Wilson as Barnette Loyd fared best of the supporting cast. As the young lawyer, he was eager without being too eager. Mr. Wilson gave us a combination of caring, vindictiveness, authority and school boy crush without over playing any of these qualities. His scene work with Ms. Stepanov was especially a joy to watch. They play off of each other very well and I left feeling that these two characters would be in each other's lives in some capacity for a long time to come.
Jane Unger's direction, luckily, is not heavy handed. She has created an environment where her cast find many moments of joy and humor amidst the drama of their lives. The pace of the show is slow, but it does not drag. When the lights came up for intermission, I really felt that it had been longer than an hour. Not because the cast was dragging their heels, but because they packed so much into that first act without rushing anything, I was sure more time had passed. Ms. Unger lets them take their time and do what they need to do. The show moves very naturally and, given that there is audience seating on three sides of the stage, I never felt like I was missing any of the action by the blocking. Kristeen Crosser's lighting was subtle and unobtrusive yet added wonderful atmosphere. I have always thought that light coming in an old house looks different than light coming in a new house and that's what I got. Both Robin Vest's scenic design and Jen Gillete's costumes were spot on. I felt like someone lived in this house and it just wasn't a set. Someone had lived there for a long time. The clothes all looked like they actually came out of someone's closet and was not simply a costume. Both of these design elements could have easily been over done with the 70's style but all was realistic. Chick's hair, though, that needs to be fixed. And I did have problems with one prop, but that is my own personal problem.
All in all, Triad Stage's "Crimes of the Heart" is an enjoyable evening. Its themes are timeless and they are presented with care and dignity by a talented cast and team of artists. A fun evening that should not be missed!
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