Steel Magnolias

Steel Magnolias started as a short story by Robert Harling, written for his nephew and based on his experiences with the death of his sister. It is by turn outrageously funny and desperately sad, but ultimately it is a heart-warming tribute to the value of friendship. It evolved in just ten days into a play which began off-Broadway in 1987 and was later turned into a film starring Dolly Parton. A UK production opened in the West End in 1989. The play has an entirely female cast, and although many male characters are referenced, they are never seen.

The setting is Truvy Jones’ beauty salon in Louisiana – gossip central for the town of Chinquapin. This poses two problems for the Director: creating a realistic salon environment and maintaining those American deep south accents. As the curtains opened, we saw that the first problem had been solved – a great box set, realistically filled with all the accoutrements of a beauty salon (thanks to a local business). The programme also credited a voice coach, Sharon Bittner, whose hard work was evident in the effortless way that all the actors maintained their accents throughout.

Director Sue Smith has assembled a fine cast for this play. In the film, the lead, Truvy Jones was played by Dolly Parton, a hard act to follow, but Teresa Encke put her own stamp on the character, and we quickly forgot that association and relished the glee with which she soaked up all the available gossip as well as giving a kind hand to people who were struggling. She had a nicely lyrical way of speaking which fitted well with the accent and must by now be a whizz at primping up someone’s hair and putting in rollers as she speaks. Great respect!

Truvy’s new assistant, Annelle, was pitched perfectly by Lucy Darby, getting the right degree of innocence and shock at being abandoned by her husband at the start, and morphing into the self-righteous born-again Christian by the end. Anne MacCormack and Danielle Harvey sparked off each other well as the mother and daughter M’Lynn and Shelby. The mother reluctant to let the daughter live her own life and the daughter determined to live it the way she wants, regardless of the restrictions imposed by her diabetes. The sparring back and forth between the two was very realistic and M’Lynn’s sadness at Shelby’s death was heart-breaking.

Karen Curran made a very imposing and dignified Clairee Belcher, trying to find her place in society after the death of her husband. The character is blessed with some of the deadliest one-liners in the play, which she delivered well, often at the expense of Ouiser Boudreaux, the gun-toting, dungaree-wearing farmer, beautifully portrayed by Georgina Boase. She easily showed the character’s transformation as she was gradually absorbed into the salon “family”, becoming much less defensive and lonely.

Costumes throughout seemed totally fitting for the 1980s, thanks to Liz MacKellar. Amusing radio announcements (sadly, uncredited in the programme), tying in nicely with the plot, added to the interest. Lighting and sound were efficiently handled by Michael Rolfe and John MacCormack, while Stage Manager Paul Foster ensured that the scene changes were performed swiftly. Sadly, on the first night, the prompt was heard a little too often but, knowing this company, I’m sure that will go as confidence builds.

The suggestion of the title is that the women involved are as delicate as the flowers of a Magnolia, but underneath they are as hard as steel. After following their friendships and experiences over a period of two and a half years, the audience was left in no doubt that this was true and probably, like me, felt that they had experienced it all with them, emerging triumphant and laughing at the end!

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