Crimes of the Heart

Crimes of the Heart
Original Broadway poster
Written by	Beth Henley
Characters	Babe Botrelle Meg Magrath Lenny Magrath Barnette Lloyd Doc Porter Chick Boyle
Date premiered	1979
Place premiered	Actors Theatre of Louisville
Original language	English
Genre	Black comedy
Setting	Hazelhurst, Mississippi

Crimes of the Heart is a play by American playwright Beth Henley. It is set in Hazlehurst, Mississippi in the mid-20th century. The play won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. In 1986, the play was novelized and released as a book, written by Claudia Reilly.

The tragicomedy relates the story of the three Magrath sisters, Meg, Babe, and Lenny, who reunite at Old Granddaddy's home in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, after Babe shoots her abusive husband. The sisters were raised in a dysfunctional family with a penchant for ugly predicaments. Each has endured her share of hardship and misery. Past resentments bubble to the surface as the sisters are forced to deal with assorted relatives and past relationships while coping with Babe's latest incident. Each sister is forced to face the consequences of the "crimes of the heart" she has committed.

Henley completed her play in 1978 and submitted it to several regional theatres without success. Unknown to her, a friend entered it in the Great American Play Contest at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. The play was first performed in February 1979 at the Actors Theatre Louisville and it was named co-winner of the contest. The play continued to be developed, with productions in Los Gatos, California, St. Louis, and Baltimore at the Centre Stage Theatre.

The Manhattan Theatre Club produced the play Off-Broadway at Stage 73, from December 9, 1980, to January 11, 1981, for 35 sold-out performances,.

The play opened on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre on November 4, 1981, and closed on February 13, 1983, after 535 performances and 13 previews. Directed by Melvin Bernhardt, the set design was by John Lee Beatty, costumes by Patricia McGourty, and lighting by Dennis Parichy. The cast also featured Raymond Baker (Doc Porter) and Peter MacNicol (Barnette Lloyd).Holly Hunter made her Broadway debut as a replacement in the role of Meg. J. Smith-Cameron also made her debut later in the run as Babe. The Broadway cast also performed in a production at the Ahmanson Theatre in 1983.