Holly Gibbs as Lenny, Sarah Burton as Babe, and Valerie Dowdle as Meg in "Crimes of the Heart," a play about friendship and female fortitude, now at Vagabond Players. Photo by Bruce F. Press Photography

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In the late 80s and into the 90s, America was treated to a number of films, some based on successful stage plays, that introduced us to a new genre that might be called “the tough Southern ladies movie.”

These included Steel Magnolias, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, to name a few. Imagine a combination of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and television’s Designing Women — female empowerment dramedies served with a side of grits and freshly squeezed lemonade.

Before this genre became a cliché (cue “Mama’s Family”), it found a voice in American playwright, screenwriter and actress Beth Henley’s play, Crimes of the Heart, winner of the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best American Play in the same year.

But there is nothing clichéd in director Anne Hammontree’s Vagabond Players’ production of this three-act play, set in the Magrath sisters’ kitchen in Hazelhurst, Miss. From the detailed set, to the costumes, to use of lighting, to the powerful performances of the entire ensemble, Crimes of the Heart is truly a treat for the audience.

The play opens with the eldest Magrath sister, Lenny (Holly Gibbs) attempting to affix a candle to a cookie so she might sing “Happy Birthday” to herself. The scene sets the tone for the entire play — there’s much that’s comic (Lenny finds one chorus of “Happy Birthday” just won’t do), sweet (Gibbs’ joy at blowing out her lone candle), and sad (as celebrating one’s birthday alone can only be).

Valerie Dowdle plays Meg Magrath, the would-be torch-singing lady of fame who ditched Hazelhurst for Hollywood, only to find herself working for a dog food company.

Sarah Burton is “Babe” Botrelle, the youngest of the Magraths, but the only one who is married, to the never-seen Zackery Botrelle, a villain like Henry F. Potter in It’s A Wonderful Life who earns a bullet in the stomach from Babe for his abuse and, evidently, bad “looks.”

Inhabiting their roles

Together, the sisters are the three-headed protagonist of Henley’s play, and kudos to Hammontree for casting three women so superbly in synch with their roles and each other.

There’s a strong chemistry between the actresses. One could believe they were real sisters as they muse over a family photo album or take turns getting on each other’s nerves, poking at each other’s weak spots but also fighting fiercely for each other.

Rounding out the cast are Laura Malkus as the priggish, more-Southern-belle-than-thou cousin Chick Boyle, who bravely dons a pair of nylon-poor pantyhose in the middle of the Magrath’s kitchen while simultaneously passing judgement on everyone and everything in her path.

Gabe Fremuth plays Doc Porter, Meg’s “one that got away,” who, though married with children, still holds a bit of a candle for Meg and spends evenings pondering the moon.

Christian O’Neill plays lawyer Barnette Lloyd, Babe’s would-be savior, who has his own axe to grind with Zackery. O’Neill plays Barnette with Boy Scout-on-a-mission enthusiasm, eager to please his client in more ways than one.

The politically correct might be forewarned that there are a few elements of Henley’s play that may not pass the test of time: For instance, Babe has an affair with a 15-year-old; there’s some age-shaming (birthday girl Lenny is called “old” at age 30); and others might assert that none of the women are exactly strong female role models. But it is the characters’ flaws that make them interesting, and provide each with challenges to overcome.

Crimes of the Heart continues its run at the Vagabond Players theater, located at 806 South Broadway in downtown Baltimore, through March 24. For details and ticket information, visit vagabondplayers.org or call (410) 563-9135.