SEQUIM — “Crimes of the Heart,” a tale of three Mississippi sisters and their bewildered men, arrives on the Olympic Theatre Arts stage for a preview at 7:30 tonight (Wednesday, July 3).
Written by Beth Henley, “Crimes” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981 and was made into a movie starring Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek in 1986.
The Sequim production, directed by Roger and Sharon Briggs, opens this Friday (July 5) and runs through Sunday, July 21.
Curtain times are at 7:30 each Friday and Saturday night and 2 p.m. Sundays at OTA, 414 N. Sequim Ave.
“These sisters have a way with men,” said Lily Carignan, who plays Lenny, the eldest.
Melissa Murray and Jessica Campbell portray Lenny’s siblings Babe and Meg, respectively, while Alexandria Edouart is their prissy cousin Chick.
As for the men, Carignan summarizes the interactions: “Meg wants a married one, Lenny can’t get one and Babe just shot one.”
“Crimes” is about how the sisters deal with the fact that Babe shot her husband Zachary — not fatally — and how they navigate a whole other array of shenanigans.
The upshot of this tragicomedy, Carignan mused, might be that “through it all, family will stick with you, even if they drive you nuts.”
Admission to tonight’s preview is $8 at the door only — and free for Olympic Theatre Arts members.
Once the show opens Friday, tickets will go for $16 for adults, $14 for OTA members and active military and $11 for youth 16 and younger.
There’s one exception, though: Admission will be by donation to one 7:30 p.m. performance Wednesday, July 10.
For more information about “Crimes” and other OTA presentations, visit www.OlympicTheatreArts.org or phone the office, open weekdays between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., at 360-683-7326.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
