Family secrets revealed in ‘Crimes of the Heart’
Published 8:56 pm Thursday, November 5, 2009
“Crimes of the Heart”: This story by Beth Henley with direction by David Bailey is one full of honor and sentiment and has been called by New York magazine a play that “restores our faith in theater.”
The play, winner of the 1981 Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Circle Award, tells the story of the Magrath sisters through a narrative of family secrets. The result is a show that teaches us how to truly love ourselves and those who have stood by us all along.
The show stars Heidi Weinrich, Kayti Barnett, Sara Trowbridge, Chris Baltrukovicz, David Bailey and Adam Brobach.
“Crimes of the Heart” opens at 8 tonight with shows at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 29 at the Phoenix Theatre, 9673 Firdale Ave., Edmonds. Tickets are $22.50 for adults, $18 for seniors and military. Call 206-533-2000 or go to www.brownpapertickets.com.
“My Three Angels”: Here’s a holiday comedy that serves up homicide alongside the yuletide ham.
But wait — not ham, chicken. This show does have a live chicken.
The Whidbey Playhouse presents this remake that was originally filmed as “We’re No Angels,” starring Humphrey Bogart, as the kind of comedy where the spirits would rather do away with Scrooge than convert him.
“My Three Angels” by Sam and Bella Spewack, takes place at Christmas Eve and it’s 1910 in French Guiana. Here, a helplessly naïve family is threatened by a rapacious landlord and his ruthless nephew. Fortunately, or at times not so fortunately, their rescuers are three convicts — two murderers and a swindler — who have been sent by the local penal colony to repair the roof.
“My Three Angels” opens at 7:30 tonight at the Whidbey Playhouse, 730 SE Midway Blvd., Oak Harbor. Shows are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 29. Tickets are $16. Call 360-679-2237 or go to www.whidbeyplayhouse.com.
“The Oedipal Duplex”: Here are two new adaptations of “Oedipus Rex” from the Ghost Light Theatricals to bring you mirth and merriment.
The first adaptation is written by Ghost Light Literary Manager Matt Lyman and is titled “Mother Phcker.”
As a second act, Ghost Light presents “Blinding Pains,” a sitcom style comedy written by company members David Van Wert and Ben Newton. “Blinding Pains” features Oedipus Rex as a restaurant owner in Phoenix, Ariz., as well as many other crazy characters in classical drama.
“The Oedipal Duplex” opens at 7:30 tonight and plays at 7:30 p.m. the first three weekends of the month through Nov. 22 at Center House, 305 Harrison St., Seattle. Tickets are from $12 to $15. Call 206-852-6743 or 800-838-3006 or go to brownpapertickets.com.
“Puscifer”: Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle) brings his latest incarnation to Seattle in a show the Las Vegas Review Journal dubbed “a performance art spectacle equal parts comedy cabaret show, guerilla theater, lysergic animation sequences, Krautrock-inspired metallic jams and leering lunacy of various stripes.”
Keenan added in a prepared statement: “Although authorities suggest you be prepared for any and all possibilities, we simply suggest you arrive happy and hungry.”
“Puscifer” is at 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at the Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave., Seattle. Tickets are $41.50, $49 and $75. Call 877-784-4849 or go to www.stgpresents.org.
“Lord of the Dance”: This show has been called “a showpiece extravaganza” by the L.A.Times for its mesmerizing blend of traditional and modern Celtic music and dance.
The show is based on a story of mythical Irish folklore as Don Dorcha, Lord of Darkness, challenges the ethereal lord of light, the Lord of the Dance. The action is played out over 21 scenes filled with precision dancing and dramatic music as battle lines are drawn and a love story ignited.
“Lord of the Dance” performs for two shows only at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday at the Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., Seattle. Ticket prices range from $20 to $57. Call 877-784-4849 or at www.stgpresents.org.
“Gumwall Rally”: This is a sampler of several styles of improv, all packed into one show, with all content based on audience suggestion. The actors of Unexpected Productions are making this promise: If you want us to make fun of someone, this is the show to bring them to.
“Gumwall Rally opens at 8:30 tonight with shows at various times through Nov. 15 at Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle. Tickets are $10. Call 206-587-2414 or go to unexpectedproductions.org.
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.
