SOURCE: "Sisterhood is Beautiful," in New York Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 2, 12 January 1981, pp. 42, 44-6.

Crimes of the Heart was first produced in 1979 at the Actors Theater of Louisville. It was then presented at several regional theaters before being staged off-Broad-way at the Manhattan Theater Club in late 1980 and on Broadway a year later at the John Golden Theater. Simon's enthusiastic review of the off-Broadway production, reprinted below, was an influential early assessment of the play.

From time to time a play comes along that restores one's faith in our theater, that justifies endless evenings spent, like some unfortunate Beckett character, chin-deep in trash. This time it is the Manhattan Theatre Club's Crimes of the Heart, by Beth Henley, a new playwright of charm, warmth, style, unpretentiousness, and authentically individual vision.

We are dealing here with the reunion in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, of the three MaGrath sisters (note that even in...