Longwood’s theater production’s rendition of the comedic tragedy “Crimes of the Heart” was both a joy to watch and a significant improvement from their last performance “Much Ado about Nothing.” With spectacular performances from the six actors, wonderful staging from the production crew, and a beautiful set design, that not only took my breath away, but really places you in this 1970’s era home in the Mississippi countryside. The production should be considered a remarkable success and should bring pride to those who contributed to its creation.
Praise must be given to all the performers for putting on such a fantastic show, but especially to the main trio of women who performed the lead roles of the production: Katy Mulligan as Lenny, Isabelle O’Keefe as Meg, and Lily Close as Babe. Katy Mulligan played the eldest sister Lenny perfectly, being able to show her shy demeanor and inability to put herself first in the beginning and then slowly being able to conquer her anxieties and put herself first. Isabelle O’Keefe plays the brash and self-centered middle child Meg excellently, making it so that her self-centeredness was not off putting but comical and at times heart-warming due to her tragic past and inability to connect with others. Lastly Lily Close was able to play the youngest and seemingly most careless sister Babe perfectly also. Lily was able to perform the contrasting emotions the character had throughout the play from clueless to scared, giddy and downright traumatized wonderfully. Praise must also be given to the other performers Alex Vlasto as wounded Doc Porter, Maddie Anderson as the annoying Chick Boyle, and Josh Ware as the loveable attorney Barnette Lloyd.
Praise must also be given out to the production crew for lighting, sound, costumes, choreography, and set design. The costumes, which were designed and managed by Leslie Cook, were fantastic and really expressed the personalities of each character. The scenic design was managed by Scott C. Chapman and the set for this year's performance was amazing. The lighting and sound, managed by Scott C. Chapman and Brandon Cobb were fantastic, especially with the window light used for transitions. Lastly, the director of the production, Joyce Sweet, and assistant director Natalie Masaitis, where without them, none of the wonderful performances would have been possible. Thank you for your hard work.
The only real criticism one could have of the performance were some timing issues near the beginning of the production and some nitpicking one could have about the costume design. For example, near the beginning of the performance two of the characters, Lenny and Meg, are having a conversation and Meg offers Lenny a Coca-cola, Lenny agrees, and Meg goes over to the fridge to get it and then drinks it for herself, a funny bit but there was a noticeable silence during that scene that could have been avoided. As for the costume design, one could argue were bland and could have been more colorful or unique to make each character both recognizable and interesting to look at. Now these are only nitpicking, and are not incumbent of the entire show, merely small suggestions to make something that is already great greater.
Except for the small imperfections that can easily be fixed, The Longwood Production of “Crimes of the Heart” is a fantastic performance and a vast improvement from their last performance. Praise should be given to all performers and staff who worked on the production and allowed such an experience to flourish. It is completely reasonable to say that this show truly stole hearts. Longwood’s next theater production, “Songs For A New World,” will be from April 12 to 18.
