Steel Magnolias

'Steel Magnolias' is something of a hardy perennial in the theatrical repertoire and the preponderance of talented ladies on the amateur circuit goes some way to explaining why it is such a popular choice with dramatic societies. It's a piece which demands committed performances from the all female cast as the emotional highs and lows which characterise the drama in question need careful handling; fortunately, HAODS came up trumps with a uniformly excellent cast and insightful direction from Nick Angus. Without a weak link on stage, this was a polished and dedicated production which really brought the script to life in a thoughtful and engaging manner. This was my first visit to a production at HAODS and given the quality of the evening's entertainment, it is unlikely to be my last.

The curtain opened to reveal a generous performance space which had been well appointed to create the look of Truvy Jones' carport beauty parlour. Simple but effective staging really helped to concentrate the mind on the personalities populating the stage and made for a realistic arena in which the drama could play out. Our merry band of beauty parlour regulars were all suitably attired for a trip to the salon in the 1980s, costumes being subtle reminders of the era rather than gauche parodies of the '80s 'look' which was much appreciated as it didn't detract from the audience's engagement with the characterisations or the narrative.

Andrea Loasby was a very sympathetic Truvy, providing the much needed 'anchor' for the production. Truvy's role in the show is to be very much the facilitator and the friendly shoulder to cry on and in this, Andrea succeeded marvellously. Her new recruit, the rather befuddled Annelle, was a vivid creation from Elouise Drummond who brought her character to life with great understanding: hers was a fully-rounded and realistic character portrait which had a real depth of feeling. Clairee Belcher similarly came to life in a very confident portrayal by Sharon Drummond who really brought out the best in this warm hearted character. Leonie Picariello was a superb Shelby, really inhabiting the character and did a great job of making the audience respond to her emotional turmoils and expressed her multifaceted personality with some style. Mum M'Lynn was another winning portrait from Jo Weetman and her turbulent final scene was handled very well indeed. Completing the line-up, Diane Simmons did a marvellous job of bringing Ouiser Boudreaux to life. This comically cantankerous Ouiser was a fantastic creation and most definitely the audience's favourite: the heart of gold hiding behind the frosty facade was very well portrayed and was for me the most well rounded of all the characters on stage. A great performance.

All of the Southern belles were pitch perfect with the notoriously tricky Louisiana accent and it is a credit to the cast and the director that this potentially show-ruining obstacle was hurdled with such effortless panache. I've seen productions of this play which are holed below the waterline as the attempts at the accent become a mournful exercise in dirge-like mumbling, focusing the attention not on the play itself but on the droning, one-note accent which fills the air instead! Very well done.

The cast and the director had obviously worked well as a team to fashion this intelligent and thoughtful production into something which was very much appreciated by the audience. All the performers looked very much at home on the stage and the honest and natural way each character was portrayed really helped to bring the audience in to the narrative. If I had to make only one slight criticism, I could point at the slightly off-kilter sound effects: the telephone and the barking dog/gunshots effects were perhaps a little stagey (and a little loud!) but didn't have any particularly deleterious effect on the enjoyment of the production.

There were several moments to savour which, taken all together, added up to a very fine production indeed. M’Lynn’s moment of crisis in Act Two was very well handled with Jo Weetman - and the rest of the cast - giving this emotionally charged moment a very professional treatment. The humour of the whole play really came through too with everyone on stage really playing their part well, understanding the need for fully rounded characterisations. Clairee and Ouiser made for a great mis-matched duo in the hands of Sharon and Diane, Annelle really came to life in the hands of Elouise, with Andrea Loasby’s ever-present Truvy holding things together quite expertly.  Perhaps the most apposite way of summing up the show comes from the pages of the script itself: this really was a case of ‘laughter through the tears’.

This was a very strong production of a play which I'm afraid I don't find anywhere near as life-affirming, emotional, tear-jerking or humorous as it thinks it is: for Nick Angus and his team to provide a thoroughly engaging and entertaining evening nevertheless is quite an achievement and the whole society is to be congratulated for a polished and professional entertainment. My thanks go to HAODS for a warm welcome and a rewarding evening at the theatre. Both Stuart and myself wish you well with your future productions. 

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