Crimes Of The Heart
by Beth Henley

Broadway
Crimes Of The Heart Book Cover
Crimes Of The Heart Cover

Highlights

120 mins 1970s Ensemble Cast Interior Set Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes American Comedy

Awards & Recognition

Drama Critics Circle Pulitzer Prize Tony Award

Winner! 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Winner! 1981 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best American Play Nominee: Four 1982 Tony Awards, including Best Play

Synopsis

In Hazlehurst, Mississippi, the three Magrath sisters gather to await news of their grandfather, who is living out his last hours in the local hospital.

Lenny, the oldest sister, is unmarried at 30 and facing diminishing marital prospects; Meg, the middle sister, who quickly outgrew Hazlehurst, is back after a failed singing career on the West Coast, and Babe, the youngest, is out on bail after having shot her husband in the stomach.

Their troubles, grave yet somehow hilarious, are highlighted by their priggish cousin, Chick, and by Babe’s awkward young lawyer, who has clearly fallen in love with her.

Honest, touching and consistently hilarious, Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play teems with humanity and humor.

Press Reviews

"It has heart, wit and a surprisingly zany passion that must carry all before it… it would certainly be a crime for anyone interested in the theatre not to see this play."

— New York Post

"From time to time a play comes along that restores one’s faith in our theatre."

— New York Magazine

Characters

Character
Chick Boyle

29, the sisters’ first cousin.

Doc Porter

30, Meg’s old boyfriend.

Meg Magrath

27, the middle sister.

Babe Botrelle

24, the youngest sister.

Barnette Lloyd

26, Babe’s lawyer.

Lenny Magrath

30, the oldest sister.

Videos

Crimes of the Heart – Film Clip

Publication

Year 1998
Binding Paperback
Pages 84
Place New York, N.Y
Language English
ISBN-13 9780822202509
ISBN-10 0822202506
LCC PS3558.E4962 C7 1982
DCC 812.54

Crimes Of The Heart is a American comedy play written by Beth Henley and published by Dramatists Play Service in New York, N.Y (1998).

Community Reviews

No community reviews yet

Rating

3.8

7k ratings · 11k reviews

Review

Buy Play

Performance Rights

Available for Licensing
Amateur & Professional
Fee: Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

Restrictions: Major Markets Plus (US) / Standard Plus Add'l Postcodes (UK)

Apply for Rights

Similar Plays

Plays with similar themes, style, and content.

More from Beth Henley

More plays from Beth Henley that we think you'll enjoy.