Theatre 29 celebrates seasons of life and friendship with “Steel Magnolias”
I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of Theatre 29’s production of Steel Magnolias, directed by Lisa Hodgson.
The play by Robert Harling opened Off-Broadway in 1987, and productions have run around the world. It has been adapted several times for the screen, including a 1989 Academy Award-nominated production with an all-star cast. Set in a small Louisiana community in the 1980s, the storyline explores the bonds between six women as they navigate life’s seasons and trials. Described as a “dramedy,” the play eloquently blends humor with dramatic themes.
The entirety of the show is set inside Truvy’s beauty parlor, which serves as a home-away-from-home for the characters. Hooded hair dryers, vanities, and a plastic card table decked with magazines transport the audience to the 1980s in all its glory. The costumes reflected the many patterns and styles of the decade as well, from rocker-chic garb to terry bathrobes, smart skirt suits, leopard print, and, of course, big hair. The women answered phone calls on both a corded and a cordless plastic phone, and Patti Brown’s voice danced on the radio waves to announce hit tracks from the era, including Dolly Parton’s iconic “I Will Always Love You” in the final scene.
Hodgson’s production of Steel Magnolias was beautifully cast, with six local actors captivating the audience with their dynamic chemistry and twangy Southern accents. Truvy, portrayed by Laura Harwood, was vivacious, warm, and stylish as the beauty parlor owner. Sabrina Olsen was charming as the bubbly bride Shelby, whose wit and zest for life were endearing. She and Amy Miranda, who played Shelby’s mother M’Lynn, fostered a credible familial bond, and Miranda’s range of emotion from the first to the final scene aptly reflected the evolution of a mother’s love. Heather Clisby’s expertise with comedic timing was on full display in her role as Clairee. She traded barbs with Virginia Sulick’s Ouiser skillfully, and Sulick endeared the audience with the soft spot that showed beneath her wisecracking character’s sarcasm. Gabriela Garcia mastered the character arc of stylist Annelle, from a sweet, nervous newcomer to a woman sure of her path — an arc she traveled with the support of her friends.
The skillful portrayal of the characters makes them recognizable to the audience; it becomes easy to identify elements of a mother, a sister, or a friend in one of the six women onstage. The production prompted full-throated, genuine laughs from the beginning, and had my eyes brimming with tears by the end. Hodgson’s production of Steel Magnolias is a testament to the scope of emotion, the trials of the human experience, and the bonds of friendship that make the journey not only bearable, but joyful.
Steel Magnolias continues its run at Theatre 29 through May 24. Performances run at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evening, and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are available for purchase online at theatre29.org or by calling the Theatre 29 Box Office at 760-361-4151.
