Crimes of the Heart 1980

Opened: December 9, 1980

Crimes of the Heart - 1980 - Off-Broadway History , Info & More

Stage 73
Address Unknown New York, NY

Winner of the 1981 Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best American Play. The scene is Hazlehurst, Mississippi, where the three Magrath sisters have gathered to await news of the family patriarch, their grandfather, who is living out his last hours in the local hospital. Lenny, the oldest sister, is unmarried at thirty and facing diminishing marital prospects; Meg, the middle sister, who quickly outgrew Hazlehurst, is back after a failed singing career on the West Coast; while Babe, the youngest, is out on bail after having shot her husband in the stomach. Their troubles, grave and yet, somehow, hilarious, are highlighted by their priggish cousin, Chick, and by the awkward young lawyer who tries to keep Babe out of jail while helpless not to fall in love with her. In the end the play is the story of how its young characters escape the past to seize the future—but the telling is so true and touching and consistently hilarious that it will linger in the mind long after the curtain has descended.

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BWW Q&A: Marisela Barrera & Rick Frederick on CRIMES OF THE HEART at 100A Productions
by Joshua Wright - Feb 21, 2024


100A Production will present Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley, a heartfelt and witty drama that brings to life the eccentricities and challenges of the MaGrath sisters. We spoke with the creative team about bringing the show to the Tobin Center.

London Theatre Week - See over 50 Award-Winning Musicals and Plays with Tickets from £15, £25 or £35
by Team BWW - Feb 20, 2024


London Theatre Week is the West End’s biggest promotion, giving you the chance to see over 50 amazing award-winning musicals and stunning plays with tickets from £15, £25 or £35

Video: Who Will Win the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Drama? Watch Live at 3pm!
by Nicole Rosky - May 8, 2023


The Pulitzer Prize Board will present the 2023 award winners for Prizes in Journalism, Books, Drama and Music. Who will win this year? Tune in right here at 3pm to watch the announcement live!

Sanaz Toossi's ENGLISH Wins 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
by Nicole Rosky - May 8, 2023


The Pulitzer Prize Board has just announced that English, by Sanaz Toossi has won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Other finalists included: On Sugarland by Aleshea Harris and The Far Country by Lloyd Suh.

Good Theater Presents CRIMES OF THE HEART This January
by A.A. Cristi - Dec 21, 2022


Good Theater welcomes the new year and continues its 20th anniversary season with Crimes of the Heart, running January 11th through January 29th.

Tennessee Shakespeare Company Stages World Premiere Of I DWELL IN POSSIBILITY: EMILY DICKINSON EMERGES
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 15, 2022


Tennessee Shakespeare Company hosts the “Belle of Amherst” on its Owen and Margaret Wellford Tabor Stage as she shares her poetic relationship to isolation, nature, literature, and love, in the world premiere of I Dwell in Possibility: Emily Dickinson Emerges. 

Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Announces Lineup for 31st Edition
by Michael Major - Sep 20, 2022


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THE MISS FIRECRACKER CONTEST Comes to Laurel Little Theatre Next Year
by Stephi Wild - Aug 18, 2022


Happy Fourth of July! The burgers are prepped, the brownies are out of the oven, and the Miss Firecracker Contest is about to begin!

Review: A Fine Production of CRIMES OF THE HEART is Playing at Desert Rose Playhouse
by Audrey Liebross - Jun 28, 2022


CRIMES OF THE HEART, the 1981 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama and a Tony nominee for best play, is currently playing at Desert Rose Playhouse. The production is well-directed and well-acted, and the play itself is absorbing, with both shallow and deep moments. Desert Rose’s take on Beth Henley’s play is very much worth seeing.

FAT HAM Wins 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
by Team BWW - May 9, 2022


The Pulitzer Prize Board has just announced that Fat Ham has won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Other finalists included: Selling Kabul, and Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord.

VIDEO: Who Will Win the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama? Live at 3pm!
by Nicole Rosky - May 9, 2022


The Pulitzer Prize Board today will present the 2022 award winners for Prizes in Journalism, Books, Drama and Music. Who will win this year? Tune in right here at 3pm to watch the announcement live!

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by Stephi Wild - Mar 28, 2022


The cast and creative team for the Broadway-bound limited engagement of The Kite Runner at The Hayes Theater (240 West 44th Street) this summer.

THE GATEWAY Shifts to Year-Round Theatre
by Marissa Tomeo - Mar 4, 2022


The Gateway has announced its shift to year-round programming for 2022 - 2023! The Gateway’s new season features dazzling Broadway hits that include Head Over Heels Disney’s The Little Mermaid, The Cher Show, A Christmas Carol the Musical, The Wedding Singer, and Clue.

Legendary Broadway Producer Liz McCann Dies at 90
by Robert Diamond - Sep 9, 2021


ELIZABETH IRELAND McCANN, the iconoclastic Broadway producer who won nine Tony Awards during a 60-year career in theater, died after a bout with cancer on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021 at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, according to her longtime associate and friend, Kristen Luciani.  She was 90 years old. 

THE HOT WING KING Wins the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
by Taylor Brethauer-Hamling - Jun 11, 2021


It was just announced by the Pulitzer Prize organization that Katori Hall's The Hot Wing King has officially won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This year's finalists included Circle Jerk by Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley and Stew by Zora Howard.

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by Alan Henry - Apr 24, 2021


We've rounded up some of the top productions on stage this summer! Find something near you to see using our comprehensive guide below!

Breaking: A STRANGE LOOP Wins the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
by Nicole Rosky - May 4, 2020


It was just announced by Pulitzer Prize Administrator Dana Canedy that Michael R. Jackson's A Strange Loop has officially won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This year's finalists included: Will Arbery's Heroes of the Fourth Turning and David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori's Soft Power.

VIDEO: Who Will Win the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama? Watch Live at 3pm!
by Nicole Rosky - May 4, 2020


The Pulitzer Prize Board today will present the 2020 award winners' (originally scheduled for Monday, April 20) for Prizes in Journalism, Books, Drama and Music. Who will win this year? Tune in right here at 3pm to watch the announcement live!

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Investigation Discovery Announces All-New Original Series TIL DEATH DO US PART
by Tori Hartshorn - Jun 25, 2019


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VIDEO: Who Will Win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama? Watch Live at 3pm!
by Nicole Rosky - Apr 15, 2019


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Breaking: Jackie Sibblies Drury's FAIRVIEW Wins the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
by Nicole Rosky - Apr 15, 2019


It was just announced by Pulitzer Prize Administrator Dana Canedy that Jackie Sibblies Drury's Fairview has officially won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Throwing Out My CDs by Ben Rimalower: EVITA
by Ben Rimalower - Feb 22, 2019


Woof. This week is the biggest decluttering task I've attempted yet-throwing out my Evita CDs. I got 99 problems and Evita CDs are all of them. And that's not including the vinyl and the bootlegs on audio cassette. And the strange flash drives people handed me in dark bars muttering something about Elaine Paige and 'A New Argentina.'

Single Tickets Now On Sale For The Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre's 2019 Season
by Julie Musbach - Feb 1, 2019


The Lyceum Theatre will open its exciting new 8 show season on June 6, 2019 with the Lyceum premiere of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, followed by All Shook Up, 9 to 5 The Musical, Murder For Two, Fully Committed, Crimes of the Heart, Swingtime Canteen, and the sixth annual production of the Lyceum's unique adaptation of the Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol, closing on December 22, 2019.

VIDEO: TRUE DETECTIVE Returns on January 13
by Kaitlin Milligan - Dec 12, 2018


1980: Will and Julie Purcell, the children of feuding parents Tom and Lucy Purcell, go missing a week after Halloween in West Finger, Ark.

Crimes of the Heart FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What productions of Crimes of the Heart have there been?
Crimes of the Heart has had 6 productions including Off-Broadway which opened in 1980, Broadway which opened in 1981, Broadway which opened in 1981, Off-Broadway which opened in 2001, Off-Broadway which opened in 2008 and Off-Broadway which opened in 2008.
What awards has Crimes of the Heart been nominated for?
Crimes of the Heart has been nominated for several awards. Melvin Bernhardt was nominated for Direction at the Obie Awards, and Mary Beth Hurt was nominated for Performance at the Obie Awards.
What awards has Crimes of the Heart won?
Crimes of the Heart has won several awards. Melvin Bernhardt won the Direction award at the Obie Awards, while Mary Beth Hurt won the Performance award at the Obie Awards.

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