"Crimes of the Heart" woos ENMU audiences
By: Jonathan Miller
Issue date: 10/26/09 Section: Entertainment
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If theatergoers this past weekend had a say in the matter, they'd probably say she chose wisely.
Beck, who directed ENMU's version of the play, said she was "emboldened and excited to do it." Apparently the audience was equally excited.
"I walked into the theater a bit skeptical" admitted Clovis Community College student Alyssa Sapp. A stage actor herself in high school, Sapp said she thought it might be difficult to turn such a highly regarded play into a quality production. "I was extremely impressed with (the play)," Sapp said. "I was impressed with the high quality of the acting, the set design … pretty much the whole thing overall."
The play, which could be considered somewhat of a tragic comedy, centers around three sisters from Hazlehurst, Mississippi who reunite in their home town when the youngest sister is accused of shooting her wealthy and prominent lawyer husband. While less than one full day elapses during the play, the trio boasts a diverse array of personalities and emotions, something the actresses portraying the sisters were charged with relaying to the audience.
"It was an emotional roller-coaster," Brianna Pilon said, who played the oldest and most unpredictable sister, Lenny Magrath.
"It was interesting. The ups and downs were hard," she added.
Pilon's hard work paid off, at the very least, to one ENMU student.
"I thought the acting was pretty good across the board," ENMU senior Gil Shackelford said, "but the girl (Pilon) who played Lenny brought an energy to the stage that made her character fun to watch."
Perhaps part of the reason the cast meshed well with one another on stage is because there are only six characters in the play, which meant they were forced to work closely together on a daily basis.
"We got really close," Samantha Graham said, who played the second eldest sibling Meg. "You get to know everyone really well" she added. Graham was also childhood friends with the actress who played the youngest sister Babe, Mackenzie Kennedy.
"I get really maternal around Mackenzie because she's like a little sister," Graham said.
"Crimes of the Heart" hadn't been a stage production at ENMU since 1992, but if this past weekend's performances were any indicator, Portales audiences probably won't want to wait another 18 years to see it on the main stage.
"If the cast was as good as this one, I'd definitely go see the play again in a few years," Sapp said. "It was well-done this time around, so it would probably be well-done the next time around."