By Regina Hinkley
Crimes of the Heart, Theatrix, December 5, 2024
“Because it’s a human need. To talk about our lives. It’s an important human need.”
Sitting in the front row of the opening night of Crimes of the Heart, a few things immediately stood out to me. One, the set in front of me was gorgeous with its striking blue tile and rustic wooden cabinets (all the more impressive considering that the set was built entirely by students). Two, the music playing made me feel right at home in the world of the play, Hazelhurst, Mississippi. Three, the energy and the crowd was electric to the point where everyone could feel it. And we were all excited.
Crimes of the Heart featured a small cast that filled the black box theater with passion, strife, and deep human connection. The three Magrath sisters, Lenny, Meg, and Babe (played by Dani Gibson, Sofia Drelicharz, and Hattie Chavanu respectively) captured the state and the audience’s hearts with every moment that they were together. Despite the fact that many of their scenes were fights or arguments, they felt real and raw, much to the credit of both the author, Beth Henley, and the director, Hannah Shelby. This shines the most when the sisters must deal with their first cousin, Chick, played by Jordan Gabrielson. Despite her limited stage time, she holds her own against the other actors and does it well. Gibson’s portrayal of the worn-down older sister hits close to home for many of us with siblings old and young, while Drelicharz’s performance of the middle sister wracked with guilt that takes what she wants when she wants was very impressive. Chavanu’s performance, however, of the beaten-down yet (perhaps naively) optimistic youngest sister has the claim of making me cry. All three of them worked exceedingly well together, which is a testament to their abilities and the casting.
That’s not to say that the two men in the script aren’t worthy of paying attention to. Doc Porter (played by Luka Benjamin) and Barnette Llyod (played by Stephen Thomas) may not be on the stage for long, but that doesn’t stop either of them from giving stellar performances. Benjamin’s portrayal of Doc, Meg’s ex-boyfriend, is both painfully human and quite heart-wrenching, and Thomas’s embodiment of Barnette, Babe’s scrappy and young lawyer, is endearing and often hilarious, reminiscent of a young man who has just put on a three piece suit for the first time. Props to all the actors as well for their southern accents. With the show’s long run-time, it can be difficult to maintain an accent, and they did to great effectiveness.
Overall, Crimes of the Heart is a celebration of student-run theater that overflows with talent from all sides. Despite its heavy subject matter, you’ll walk away feeling satisfied and hopeful, because everything will turn out alright in the end. And in the meantime, you can have a glass of lemonade, a slice of cake, and maybe go hug your family.
If you go: Crimes of the Heart runs from December 5th – 8th in the UNL Temple Building Lab Theatre and has ¾ thrust seating. Sit anywhere you like; there really is no bad view. Tickets are $7 ($5 students) and can be purchased at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/unltheatreandfilm/7104.
Regina Hinkley is a theatre student at the Johnny Carson School of Theater and Film at UNL. She is a playwright, performer, and avid enjoyer of theater of all kinds.
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