The tragicomedy relates the story of the three Magrath sisters, Meg, Babe, and Lenny, who reunite at Old Granddaddy's home in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, after Babe shoots her abusive husband. The sisters were 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 the sisters are forced to deal with assorted relatives and past relationships while coping with Babe's latest incident. Each sister is forced to face the consequences of the "crimes of the heart" she has committed.
Summary
In Act One, Lenny and Chick walk into the scene talking about the news that is in the paper. They start talking about what is happening with the sisters. Chick mentions that Doc is crippled with a limp due to Meg's actions and does not want her to come home. Chick then gives Lenny a birthday present; a box of chocolates. Doc enters with a bag of pecans for Lenny, and Chick leaves. Doc gave her the pecans because it is her birthday and her horse has died. Doc leaves shortly after to go pick up his son from the dentist. Meg then arrives home and hears the news about what Babe has done; she has shot her husband. Meg tells Lenny about her failed singing career. They then talk about Doc and his family. Babe then arrives and excited to see her sister, but promptly leaves after being scolded by Chick. The scene continues with more exposition about the case and what is happening with the sisters.
In Act Two, Babe's lawyer is going over her case with her as she tells him what happened. They receive a phone call telling Barnette that there is new evidence he needs to pick up at the hospital. He leaves to go pick up the evidence. Lenny arrives home and tells Babe that she is frustrated with Meg because she lied to their grandfather about her success. Meg arrives home with alcohol and a newspaper for Babe. Meg apologizes for lying to her grandfather and it starts an argument. This leads Meg to make Lenny cry, and Babe follows her to comfort her. Doc arrives and shares a drink with Meg. Meg and Doc reconnect about the hurricane and why they separated due to Meg leaving town. Meg explains that she went to the psych ward and her life had gone downhill. After a pause, Doc offers to go for a ride and look at the Moon, and they leave. Babe comes to look for her sister but finds her lawyer, Barnette with photos of her and her lover, Willie Jay. She starts to panic, but Lenny comes downstairs to tell them that Old Granddaddy had another stroke.
In Act Three, Chick asks how Old Granddaddy is. Lenny tells her that he will more than likely die soon. Chick goes home to make some phone calls. Lenny tells Babe that she wished that Old Granddaddy would pass and that they didn't all fight so much. Meg comes home happy and tells her sisters that she realized she had empathy for others. The sisters told Meg that their grandfather will more than likely die soon, and they start laughing. Lenny tells them that she doesn't want to be alone, and Meg tells her that she should call an old lover. Lenny goes upstairs, and Babe shows Meg the photos. Barnette shows up to collect the photos and tells Babe that he had a plan for her case. Meg leaves with Barnette to go buy Lenny a birthday cake. Lenny comes back downstairs and Chick arrives to tell the sisters that it is awful Meg is their sister. Lenny stands up for Meg, chasing Chick out of the house. She then calls her old lover and they make a date. She goes outside to find Meg, and while she is gone Babe tries to kill herself. Meg comes home to find Babe, and Babe reveals she knows why their mother killed the cat when she killed herself. When Lenny arrives back, they sing Happy Birthday to her and she wishes that they were happy and smiling. Once they cut the cake, they are all laughing and smiling, finally happy.
Production history
Henley completed her play in 1978 and submitted it to several regional theatres without success. Unknown to her, a friend entered it in the Great American Play Contest at the Actors Theatre of Louisville.[2]
The play was first performed in February 1979 at the Actors Theatre Louisville and it was named co-winner of the contest. The play continued to be developed, with productions in Los Gatos, California, St. Louis, and Baltimore at the Centre Stage Theatre.[3]
The play opened on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre on November 4, 1981, and closed on February 13, 1983, after 535 performances and 13 previews with cast replacements Raymond Baker (Doc Porter) and Sharon Ullrick (Chick Boyle).[5]Holly Hunter made her Broadway debut later in the run as a replacement in the role of Meg. J. Smith-Cameron also made her debut later in the run as Babe. The Broadway cast also performed in a production at the Ahmanson Theatre in 1983.[6]
Charles Isherwood, in his review of the 2008 revival for The New York Times called the production "a touching revival", and wrote: "Was another romp through Ms. Henley’s playfully Gothic imagination entirely necessary? Perhaps not. Might regular theatergoers eventually tire of these adorable eccentrics, laughing through their tears and crying themselves back to laughter again? Possibly... Interesting roles for women, on screen or behind it, are hard to come by. The quick return of 'Crimes of the Heart,'... gives another handful of talented women a chance to exercise — and, in the case of Ms. Turner, deepen — their gifts onstage."[11]
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