A slate of area stage veterans comprise the six-member cast of The Tyrone Community Players (TCP) upcoming production, “Crimes of the Heart.”
The Pulitzer Prize-winning tragic comedy is to be performed in the social hall of the Wesley United Methodist Church, located on the corner of Logan Avenue and 12th Street, Tyrone. Dates for the play are Friday and Saturday, March 16 and 17. Show time is 8 p.m. both nights.
Call the TCP office at 684-ART2 (2782) to reserve tickets. Although children’s tickets are $8 and are available, the show is NOT suitable for children. Adult Tickets are $10 and again, TCP stresses this play is not really suitable for children. Although it is not a scandalous show, it does have a mature theme and would not be appropriate for children.
Beth Henley’s award-winning tragic comedy is set five years after Hurricane Camille in Hazelhurst, Mississippi and is the story of how three slightly eccentric sisters escape their past to seek their futures. Veteran TCP director Cindy Bennett will lead the group of talented actors that includes Cathy Anastasi, Rhiannon McClintock, Julie Settle, Kathy Fink, Bill Markley and Tom Coy.
“I’m thrilled to have such an outstanding cast for this show,” Bennett said. “‘Crimes of the Heart’ is a wonderful show that deserves a quality cast – and that’s what we’ve got here.”
Mrs. Anastasi has performed with TCP in several Pennsylvania State Theatre festival entries where she garnered Outstanding Performance Awards. Additionally she received an Outstanding Ensemble Award for her work during the festival. During TCP’s 1997-98 season, she played singer/songwriter Carole Bayer Sager in “They’re Playing Our Song.” This Hollidaysburg native plays Lenny Magrath, the eldest Magrath sister who has sacrificed her dreams of love and romance to stay at home and take care of family responsibilities.
Rhiannon McClintock of State College plays Meg Magrath. Although this is Rhiannon’s first TCP stage appearance, she just wrapped up the Altoona Community Theatre’s production of “Dracula.”
Meg is the middle Magrath child who has a personality, as she sees it, carefree, creative and unburdened. Her sisters and others, however, see her as self absorbed, divorced from real life responsibilities and irreverent.
Altoona’s Julie Settle has her plate full with her upcoming characterization of the youngest Magrath sister, Babe. Babe is bouncy, irrepressible and lives in a cotton candy world she has created for herself. Her bubble bursts when she awakes one morning, looks at her husband (the town’s most successful attorney), and shoots him in the stomach because she doesn’t like the way he looks.
Julie is a graduate of IUP where she appeared in “Steel Magnolias” and “Minor Demons.” Tyrone audiences last saw her during the 1998-99 season in the classic musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”
Kathy Fink, who most recently appeared in “A Christmas Caroled” plays Chick Boyle, a first cousin to the Magrath sisters. Chick is a sardonic, extremely haughty persona and also the only responsible member of an embarrassing and eccentric family – or so she feels! Mrs. Fink of Tyrone has made time from her job as a Post Master to previously direct “GI Juke Box” and perform in “The Taffettas.”
Bill Markley of Tyrone finds time from his job at New Pig to perform with TCP. He first appeared in TCP’s 2003-04 production of the musical “Pippin” and has been seen last year in “Seussical the Musical” and before that in “Annie Get Your Gun.” He plays Doc Porter who has a long history with Meg. Doc has recently returned to the town of Hazelhurst with his wife and two small children and is caught in a moral struggle.
Another newcomer to TCP is Tom Coy who plays Barnette Lloyd, a young attorney who has recently hung his shingle and is the only lawyer in town not belonging to the law firm of Babe\’s husband, the shooting victim. Tom, who works at Penn State Altoona, has past experience with Altoona Community Theatre, having been in “The Mousetrap” and “The Man Who Came To Dinner.”
This Southern story of the Magrath sisters, their lives, their loves and their losses is told in such a compelling way that the lessons these women learn and teach will stay with audiences long after they leave the show. Because of the adult story lines throughout the show, it is not suitable for children. Adults, however, will find the show funny, tender, and touching. Tickets for either performance are now on sale at the Tyrone Community Players office, 1019 Logan Avenue.
Call 684-ART2 to reserve your seats for “Crimes of the Heart.”
