The scene is Hazlehurst, Miss., where the three Magrath sisters have united to support Babe, the youngest, who is accused of shooting her husband.

Meanwhile, they await news of the family patriarch, their grandfather, who is living out his last hours in the local hospital. Warm-hearted, irreverent, eccentric and brilliantly imaginative, Beth Henley's award-winning "Crimes of the Heart" teems with humanity and humor as it examines the plight of three Mississippi sisters betrayed by their passions. The story tells how the characters escape the past to seize the future, but the telling is so true and touching and consistently hilarious that it will linger in the mind long after the lights have gone out.

The Newtowne Players (NTP) will perform "Crimes of the Heart" Thursdays through Sundays, May 22 to June 8, 2008. Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances start at 8 p.m.; Sunday shows are at 3:30 p.m. Performances are held at Three Notch Theatre on 21744 South Coral Drive in Lexington Park, Md. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and senior citizens, and $10 for children. Thursday general admission is also $10.

You can make reservations for the show by calling 301-737-5447 or online at www.newtowneplayers.org.