Beth Henley did not initially have success finding a theatre willing to produce Crimes of the Heart, until the play's acceptance by the Actors' Theatre of Louisville. From that point onward, however, the public and critical reception was overwhelmingly positive. Few playwrights achieve such popular success, especially for their first full-length play: a Pulitzer Prize, a Broadway run of more than five hundred performances, a New York Drama Critics Award for best play, a one million dollar Hollywood contract for the screen rights. John Simon's tone is representative of many of the early reviews: writing in the New York Times of the off-Broadway production he stated that Crimes of the Heart "restores one's faith in our theatre." Simon was, however, wary of being too hopeful about Henley's future success, expressing the fear "that this clearly autobiographical play may be stocked with the riches of youthful memories...