(ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ) -- Magnolia Productions presents Beth Henley's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Crimes of the Heart across two weekends from April 17-25, 2026 at The Theater at the Navesink Library. The story follows the three MaGrath sisters as they reunite in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, following the shooting of Babe's husband.
As local gossip surfaces regarding the family's tumultuous past, practical Lenny finds her life upended by the return of her spitfire sister, Meg. The production has been described as heartbreaking, hilarious, and "a whole lot of fun."
The cast includes: Anne Kaufman, Rachel Hamilton, Julia James, Matt Gochman, Jennifer Hyman-Zimmerman, and Bruce Hamilton.
Performances take place Friday, April 17 at 7:30pm; Saturday, April 18 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Friday, April 24 at 7:30pm; and Saturday, April 25 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm. Tickets are available for purchase online.The Theater at the Navesink Library is located at 149 Monmouth Avenue in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey.
Crimes of the Heart was first performed in February 1979 at the Actors Theatre Louisville in Kentucky. On December 9, 1980, after numerous productions throughout the US, the play premiered off-Broadway at Stage 73.
Crimes of the Heart made its Broadway premiere at the John Golden Theatre on November 4, 1981. Directed by Melvin Bernhardt, the Broadway production featured Mia Dillon, Mary Beth Hurt, Lizbeth MacKay, Peter MacNicol, Raymond Baker and Sharon Ullrick. It won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize and 1981 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best American Play. It was nominated for four 1982 Tony Awards, including Best Play.
Magnolia Productions is a woman-run non-profit based in Monmouth County, focusing on stories by, about, and for women.They believe in female empowerment. They believe we all have a voice. We all have a story worth telling and hearing.
Magnolia Productions was founded on the belief that art binds us all together. They believe that live theater has the power to heal. Through stories, foreign and familiar, we laugh, love, and grieve. We enter a room as strangers, but soon find ourselves transported to a simple, universal truth: we are all in it together.
At Magnolia Productions, they believe in giving back because they believe community theater should benefit the community, as well as create and shape new communities.
