KINGSTON, RI — February 14, 2014 – The University of Rhode Island Theatre Department will present Crimes of the Heart, Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama that is described as a darkly comic family feud.
The show will be staged Feb. 20 through 22 and Feb. 27 to March 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays, Feb. 23 and Mar. 2, at 3 p.m. in the Robert E. Will Theatre in the URI Fine Arts Center on the Kingston Campus. General admission is $20, $15 for seniors, URI faculty/staff, and $12 for students. Tickets can be purchased by calling 401.874.5843 or online at web.uri.edu/theatre.
“Crimes of the Heart” tells the tale of the three MacGrath sisters from Hazelhurst, Miss., who are at a crossroads in their lives. The play takes us on a journey in which Lenny, the eldest sister who is about to turn 30, Meg, the middle sister who is home after an unsuccessful try at a singing career, and Babe, the youngest who just shot her husband, must overcome the legacy of self-destruction stemming from their mother’s earlier suicide. With the help of the men who love them and their own better natures, the sisters reunite with love in this quirky, laugh-out-loud comedy.
The URI production is directed by Bryna Wortman, associate professor, (Much Ado About Nothing, Marvin’s Room, The Sea Gull, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie), costume design is by Marilyn Salvatore, guest artist, set design is by Steven V. Wilson, senior design major, lighting is by Christian Wittwer, associate professor, and sound design is by Mike Hyde, guest artist.
Cast
Julia Bartoletti of Charton, Mass. as Meg
Daren DeFrank of West Hartford, Conn., as Lenny
Benjamin Miller of Barrington, R.I., as Doc Porter
Stephen Peterson of Torrington, Conn., as Barnette Lloyd
Catherine Poirier of Woodstock, Conn., as Chick
Devin Vietri of Narragansett, R.I., as Babe
Understudies:
Randi Lynn Budlong of Middletown, R.I., as Babe
Ben Church of East Providence, R.I., as Doc
Amaris J. Gagnon of Agawam, Mass., as Meg
Philip Ryng of North Kingstown, R.I., as Barnette Lloyd
Emma Sacchetti of Norwalk, Conn., as Chick
Lauren Ashley Thiele of North Muskegon, Mich., as Lenny
Pictured above
Meet the MacGrath sisters: Lenny (Daren DeFrank of West Hartford, Conn.) who shows little patience with Meg (Julia Bartlett of Charton, Mass.)
Hot Stuff: Lenny (Daren DeFrank of West Hartford, Conn.) pours coffee for Doc Porter (Benjamin Miller of Barrington, R.I.) who is politely waiting for her younger sister.
A Healthy Visit? Julia Bartoletti of Charton, Mass. as Meg with Benjamin Miller of Barrington, R.I., as Doc Porter.
URI Theatre photos by Randy Osga. More images are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/uritoday/sets/72157640891490593/