CRIMES OF THE HEART Opens at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts Tonight

They're funny, they're Southern, they're completely dysfunctional-and they're bound for Whidbey Island Center for the Arts stage this winter.

They are the MaGrath sisters of Hazlehurst, Mississippi, stars of Beth Henley's Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy drama Crimes of the Heart, coming to WICA tonight, February 8 through February 23, 2013 under the direction of Rose Woods. Life isn't easy for the sisters-Lenny's horse is dead, Meg's singing career is dead and Babe's husband is near-dead (because she shot him!). But nothing-not meddling cousins, nor past and present lovers, nor a touch of mental illness-can keep these women down.

"At one level this seems like a Southern family version of Sartre's No Exit, as each character seems to have created her own hell, made worse by complex and often humorous interactions with the others," Woods said. "However, a deeper, more focused perspective reveals a resilient and loving endurance as the sisters come together and overcome "bad days" through the lens of a dark, hilarious, and ultimately redemptive family history."

Melanie Lowey plays Lenny, Katie Woodzick plays Meg, and Ahna Dunn-Wilder plays Babe. Rounding out the cast are Gail Liston as Chick Boyle, Damien Cortez as Doc Porter, and Michael Morgen as Barnette Lloyd.

The Crimes of the Heart creative team includes Rose Woods (director), David Gignac (set design), Valerie Johnson (costume design), Tyler Raymond (sound design), and Michelle Durr (stage manager).

Tickets can be purchased online at www.wicaonline.com, by phone at (360) 221-8268, (800) 638-7631 or by visiting the box office at 565 Camano Ave, Langley, WA 98260. Performances begin tonight, February 8 and continue through February 23, 2013. Ticket prices range from $15 to $22.