If you haven’t seen Limelight Theatre’s latest production, “Crimes of the Heart,” there may still be time — but you’ll need to act quickly. The show closes on Sunday, Feb. 2.
And this is a show you won’t want to miss.
It’s the story of three sisters who are back together in their hometown of Hazlehurst, Mississippi, for the first time in years. The catalyst for this reunion is the youngest sister’s shooting of her husband, but over a two-day period, a whole backstory of the sisters’ complicated relationship comes to light.
The sister behind the gun is Babe Botrelle, played by Eliza Kiss in her Limelight debut. As the play evolves, we learn that her reasons for attempting to kill her husband are very complex and that she’s found herself in an extremely difficult position to defend herself.
The other sisters are Lenny Magrath, played by Jessica Racaniello, a lonely homebody whose birthday nearly gets lost in all of the drama, and Meg Magrath, played by Mary Elizabeth Schubert, who returns from California after failing to make it big as a singer.
The dynamics between the sisters take the audience on a kind of roller coaster ride of emotions, revelations and shifting allegiances. The sisters care deeply about one another but are often thrown into conflict as the plot plays out. And there’s one heart-stopping moment that seals the audience’s emotional investment in the characters.
“Crimes of the Heart” was written by Beth Henley and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1981. It was made into a movie starring Sissy Spacek, Diane Keaton and Jessica Lange. It goes without saying that the play is well written — no one wins a Pulitzer by accident — but “Crimes of the Heart” succeeds best when staged with a very good cast.
And the Limelight’s cast is absolutely top notch. Every word spoken, every action taken is believable. Never once does the audience catch a performer performing. Never once does one realize that an actor has moved to a mark pre-determined in the blocking.
The result is a strong sense of authenticity. The characters are really speaking to one another. They react to what is said without seeming to have heard the lines before. One can read their unspoken thoughts just by looking at their faces.
The sisters go from squeals of joy reminiscent of the days when they were young girls to resentment, embarrassment, tears and anger.
In an interview prior to the show, director David Buchman praised the professionalism of his cast, particularly the three women in the lead roles.
“They’re just amazing,” he said. “I would work with all of them again in a heartbeat.”
He also had praise for the other members of the cast: Katie Timoney, who plays the resentful cousin Chick Boyle; Chad Boyd, who plays awkward attorney Barnette Lloyd; and Kyle Geary, who plays Doc Porter.
Each is completely believable and further enhances the authenticity of the play. Indeed, every performance is strong. Even when Boyd and Timoney are called upon to gin up the drama or comic elements, they never become caricatures.
The audience will feel that they know these characters from their own lives.
“I stand at the back of the theater every night,” said Buchman. “I listen to what people are saying: ‘Oh, that’s like me and my sisters,’ ‘That’s like me and my brothers.’ People are seeing themselves in this.”
“Crimes of the Heart” is a dramedy — a mingling of drama and comedy. And some of that comedy may surprise the audience.
“You’re going to find yourself laughing at things that you couldn’t believe you’d laugh at,” said Buchman. “Those are my favorite kinds of shows to do.”
This isn’t about comedians rattling off jokes. It’s about real life and the often-comic elements that arise from real life — even in its darkest moments.
To prepare, the cast put a lot of effort into character development.
“We worked really hard on the accents,” Buchman said. “We didn’t want to come across as ‘Mama’s Family.’”
A great effort was made to enhance the verisimilitude of the production. Buchman and the others went so far as to research the weather in Hazlehurst on Oct. 23-24, 1974, when the play takes place. (If you’re curious, it was 73 degrees during the day and a high in the 50s at night.)
The set is so realistic, the audience may feel as though they are inside someone’s home. Much of the credit goes to the late Dom Grasso, who unfortunately passed away as the show was in rehearsal. Grasso designed Limelight sets for about 17 years, and his work on this show is critical to the audience’s buy-in.
And each prop adds to the authenticity of the set. Even the rarely glimpsed snack cakes in the cupboard are turned so that no UPC symbol or bar code can be seen; those things didn’t exist in 1974.
Even though the audience cannot see them, kitchen items fill the cabinet drawers. That way they make realistic sounds when someone roots through them.
Costumes, too, play a role in the play’s authenticity. One character even wears a wig styled to resemble the Farrah Fawcett look that was so prevalent at that time.
“I’m so proud of this show,” Buchman said. “I’m proud of these performers and the work that everybody has done.”
It’s worth noting that the show’s ending packs an emotional punch, both uplifting and in some ways poignant. It would be a crime to divulge more other than to say the idea was genius.
“Crimes of the Heart” deals with some adult themes and may not be appropriate for audiences younger than 17.
Tickets are $35. There are also senior, military and group rates. For tickets or more information, go to limelight-theatre.org. Phone: 904-825-1164.
Limelight Theatre is located at 11 Old Mission Ave., St. Augustine.