From left -- Carolyn Kashner (Meg) , Anna Fagan (Lenny), and Rebecca Pearl Hausman (Babe) in “Crimes of the Heart” at NextStop Theatre, Herndon. Photo courtesy of NextStop Theatre
The relationship between sisters can be so powerful. NextStop Theatre’s upcoming production of “Crimes of the Heart” by Pulitzer Prize winner Beth Henley will delve deeply into the relationships of three sisters, including their rivalries.
“Where else can you suddenly become that pouty and overly dramatic teenager again after twenty or thirty years except when getting together with the people you grew up with?” said Suzanne Maloney director of the NextStop production.
“‘Crimes of the Heart’ is a favorite kind of play to direct; one about family relationship,” said Maloney. “Henley captures the dynamics of siblings so well.” In casting the production, Maloney found actors who were aware of sisterhood from their own real lives.
The storyline of “Crimes of the Heart” follows three sisters who unearth past events when they are together because of their father’s illness. There is Lenny, the oldest, who is unmarried and thirty; Meg, the middle sister, who has returned to town after an unsuccessful singing career, and the youngest, Babe, out on bail after wounding her husband in an altercation.
The actors playing the sisters are Anna Fagan (Lenny), Carolyn Kashner (Meg) and Rebecca Pearl Hausman (Babe). Each grew up in their respective character’s birth order. Fagan is the oldest girl in her family, Kashner, the middle child and Hausman the youngest in her family.
Audiences including “younger audiences not familiar with Beth Henley’s plays can relate to the show,” said Kashner. “The characters reveal so many layers of themselves. The play and its characters are not dated for family fights, reconciliations and moments of intimacy will be familiar to everyone.”
Kashner’s character Meg “tries to put up a good front appearing tough and brash especially when challenged. She doesn’t want others to see her emotional softness.”
“I adore Beth Henley’s ‘Crimes of the Heart’ script,” said Hausman. “The dynamics of sisterhood and family remain constant whether the Baby Boomer generation or Millennial. This is a very honest portrayal of a family. It is a non-stop trip and adventure.” The Meg character is considered the sister with “the coveted easy life, though she can be un-thoughtful at times.”
As the sisters appear and struggle before the audience, the universality of the value of love and the support of family will become clear. “The real crime would be to miss ‘Crimes of the Heart,’” said NextStop producing artistic director Evan Hoffmann.