By Larisa Hicken
Steel Magnolias, written by Robert Harling, is a charming story of six southern women who gather together in the local beauty shop to gossip and laugh. The story spans several years with each scene moving time forward several months. The audience gets to laugh and cry along with these women as they support each other through personal heartaches and triumphs.
The story begins on the wedding day of Shelby, the youngest woman of the group. Shelby, played by Joni Newman, is a type 1 diabetic and has a hypoglycemic episode in the opening scene. I have a son who has type 1 diabetes and Joni did a masterful job of portraying a person suffering from severe low blood sugar.
The ladies quickly handle the emergency situation and as the issue is resolving, we find out from Shelby’s mother M’Lynn, played by Robinne Dutson Booth, that Shelby’s doctor has told her she shouldn’t have children. I enjoyed the relationship between Booth and Newman and felt like their mother-daughter character relationship was dynamic and interesting. The final scene is where Booth really shines and I appreciated her polished and professional performance.
My favorite actress of the night was Kaye Fugal-Arnold who played the owner of the salon, Truvy. Although she was reaching for her lines a bit in the beginning, she quickly found her pacing and had the most well-developed character and a great southern accent. She even showed off her miming skills in the beginning where she established that the “invisible wall” that the audience is looking through is really a large mirror. I was really impressed with how the cast members used the mirror to look at the “reflection” of each other which allowed us to see their expressions clearly.
The other stand-out performer of the night was Karen Davis who played the newest member of the group, Annelle. Her hair alone is worth the price of the ticket! Her character had a really quirky personality and her excellent comedic timing created a lot of laughs. She also created an astonishing number of crazy hair styles throughout the show.
Vicki Wheeler plays Clairee and she did a really nice job showing her character’s evolution over the course of the show. Although she occasionally seemed to forget a line, she quickly recovered and I really enjoyed her facial expressions and physical humor.
The grump of the group, Ouiser, was played by Arlene McGregor. I felt like she created a refreshingly unique Ouiser and I enjoyed her antics.
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Director Kathy Llewellyn obviously knows how to create an atmosphere where her artists can truly shine and the relationship between the actors was clearly a close one. There were a few times during the second act where I felt like some of the action was lost in the back of the stage, but overall the blocking was nicely done and told a really nice story.
I have to give props to the prop master, Dawn Douglass. There were truly an astonishing number of authentic 80s props on a spectacular set designed by Kathy Llewellyn and Mark Taggart. I felt like I could step on up and get a manicure if I really wanted to. The Christmas scene in act 1 was the only place where the props and set were actually a little distracting as the “business” of the scene was more captivating than the character interactions, but overall I loved the realistic setting. The sound and lights, by Technical Director Greg Duffin, were virtually flawless.
If you’re looking for the perfect ladies night out, plan a trip to Merit Academy to see Springville Playhouse’s Steel Magnolias. You’ll laugh and cry and find yourself with a strange desire to eat chocolate afterward. This show is a great celebration of what it means to be a woman at every stage of life.
Steel Magnolias by Springville Playhouse
Showing from September 12th to October 6th on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays
Merit Academy in Springville
1440 West Center Street
Shows start at 7:30, tickets are $8 at the door.
http://www.springvilleplayhouse.org/
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