Between the Lines Studio’s production of Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart is an excellent portrayal of the realities of life. Every actor in the show plays his or her character perfectly, and the audience will not forget the complexities of the show itself.
Kelly Herbert James as Lenny Magrath, the oldest sister, is convincing from the beginning as a dejected woman who has had many difficulties in her life. In contrast, Michelle Keller Rieder, as her cousin Chick Boyle, is rambunctious and hilarious. Before she even enters a scene, the audience hears her coming. It’s as if she wants everyone to know of her presence, like she thinks she’s the president of the United States! Chick clearly has no filter, evidenced every time she insults the sisters.
Troy Brokenshire as Doc Porter is charmingly awkward. When he has to deliver sad news to Lenny, he is very gentle in the way he breaks it. It is obvious through Brokenshire’s portrayal that Doc is a good man for whom life has also twisted and turned away from where he would have liked it to go.
Whitney Pirnik as Meg Magrath is strong and commanding. Her nervous tics are spot on, and make her character very believable. A funny moment occurs when she offers Lenny a coke, to comfort her because Lenny is relaying a said story to her, and Meg drinks the first two sips herself! Throughout the play, it is evident that Meg is the quintessential middle child: wild, free-spirited and outgoing. Pirnik keeps her energy up from beginning to end. There is a riveting scene when Doc Porter visits Meg. It is clear in that moment that they still have feelings for each other.
Margaret Wilson as Babe Botrelle, the youngest sister, seems sweet and innocent. It thus appears ironic at first that the plot centers on the fact that she just shot her husband! Babe brings out each female character’s personality even more: Chick’s animosity to her, as well as to Meg, Lenny’s “mothering” of her (and Babe’s annoyance of that is quite clear), and Meg’s exuberance in contrast to Babe’s melancholy. Just as Meg is the typical middle child, Babe (whose real name is Becky), is the quintessential youngest child, meaning everyone automatically either wants to take care of her, or feels annoyed by her.
Chris Egging as Babe’s lawyer Barnette Lloyd is very passionate in his vendetta against Zachary Botrelle. He shows Barnette’s nervousness throughout the play quite effectively.
The aforementioned complexities of this play manifest in the “skeletons in the closet” that each sister has. For example, it becomes clear that Babe had a reason to shoot Zachary, and the anger Meg has in hearing about it proves very well how much she loves her sister. However, as she recounts the story to Meg, we learn that Babe is not as innocent as she seems.
A funny part of the play occurs when Babe tells Lloyd what she did after she shot Zachary. The three sisters looking through a photo album and reminiscing was very touching, and then playing cards afterwards was a way for them to keep their minds off their troubles.
Accents can make or break a show, and in this case, they worked very well. It was easy to believe that all the actors were in fact from Mississippi, and to forget that we were at a theatre in Pennsylvania.
A production cannot be nearly as successful without the all-too-often unsung people who work behind the scenes, and this one is no exception. Eric Hersh’s set design of a Mississippi kitchen is very tasteful, and provides the backdrop for the show. Music from the sixties and seventies sets the mood before the show starts and during intermission. Jen Santos’s costumes are very apropos to the South in the 1970s.
Director Kathy Patterson, along with Stage Manager Rachel Williams, keep the show running fluidly.
It would be a crime of the heart for you to miss this show!
Crimes of the Heart runs through September 15 at Macungie Institute. For tickets and information, visit https://betweenthelinestheatre.com/