By Julie Tate
Entering the intimate Black Box Theatre at Provo’s Covey Center for the Arts was a new experience for me, and I immediately was transported back in time to a Louisiana beauty shop in 1983. This is the setting for Steel Magnolias, a play by Robert Harling, which was written as a tribute to his sister who had passed away from kidney failure, and is based upon a true story. The play, which originally opened Off-Broadway in the WPA Theatre in 1987, centers around five Southern women of different generations and temperaments and highlights the relationships of these women and the unique support they lend each other through joyous occasions and heartbreak as well at the local hair salon. Harling craftily captures the different types of women who frequent the hair salon with clever dialogue and characterization.
Lynne D. Bronson directs this impeccable cast, who, aside from a few tiny stumbles in dialogue, would have had me convinced I was truly sitting in a Southern beauty parlor in 1983 and not watching events and dialogue that were previously rehearsed. Each of the five women in the cast embodies her character perfectly, and the dynamics between the five women are both loving and hilarious. Their comedic timing is spot-on and line delivery is flawless. I may have entered the room with character expectations from my having seen the movie from 1989, but these actors are so superb, they quickly discarded any preconceived notions I may have had the minute they took the stage.
The entire play takes place in Truvy Jones’ (M. Brooke Wilkins) hair salon, and in this theater the seats are so close to the stage that the imaginary mirrors that the women gaze into glance right into our faces. Wilkins plays a perky Truvy, complete with bright blue eyeshadow and tight curly hair. Her demeanor is syrupy sweet, yet she often delivers a line that makes the entire audience howl, such as “There’s no such thing as natural beauty,” or “smile…it increases your face value” so smoothly and sweetly that no one could ever accuse her of insulting them. Her comedic timing and charm could not have been more spot-on.
Annelle DuPuy-Desoto (Emily Burns) also helps open the play as she sets up her mysterious character, who has just moved into town under questionable circumstances. Burns’ presentation of Annelle is comedic in its own right as we watch her switch from jilted woman to born-again Christian, complete with judgmental eye rolls and horrified glances at the mention of anything inappropriate by the other women.
Clairee Belcher (Melany Wilkins) fills the niche of the town matriarch of sorts. Clairee seems to know all of the gossip of everyone in the town, but is classy enough to get away with it. She has her own arsenal of one-liners that are fall-out-of-your-chair-funny, such as “If you can’t say anything nice about anybody, come sit by me,” and she successfully delivers the laughs. Wilkins’ portrayal of Clairee is heartwarming, even while delivering abrupt lines that insult people, and we all can’t help but love her for her honesty.
Shelby Eaton-Latcherie (Mikah Vaclaw) embodies the iconic young, Southern belle alongside her mother, M’Lynn Eatenton (Kelly Beck), who is the doting Southern matriarch. Throughout the course of the play, we watch their relationship dynamics grow and develop and see the strain caused by Shelby’s complications from diabetes and the toll it takes on her mother. M’lynn must let go of the control of being Shelby’s caregiver and turn responsibility over to Shelby’s new husband, Jackson. Vaclaw and Beck are flawless at creating a mother-daughter dynamic and show the alternating adoration and frustration that affects many mothers and daughters. Vaclaw does a stellar job of portraying Shelby as a sweet young woman who wants the world at her feet without limitations, and Beck captures the feelings of every mother in the audience with her facial expressions of worry and heartbreak as her limitless love fails to sustain Shelby’s life. Her monologue in the final scene, as she grieves her daughter, grabs the heart of every member of the audience, mother or otherwise.
The final character to make an entrance is Ouiser Boudreaux (Catherine Bohman), but her presence is felt far and wide once she enters. Bohman perfectly portrays the grouchy, outspoken, rude, and boisterous Ouiser. From her wide-eyed surprised stares to her nasty glares, we always know where she stands, and as her character begins to unfold and we begin to see the various sides of her, we find her lovable not only because she is funny but especially because the other women in her life find her lovable, despite her flaws. Every entrance she makes rivals a tornado, and her presence adds an additional branch of humor that rounds out the already hilarious atmosphere happening in the beauty shop.
Together, this cast convinces us that relationships are what make life sweet and that the small, seemingly insignificant weekly interactions we have with those around us can add up to significant relationships that sustain us when the tragedies of life strike. We also leave convinced that there is no substitute for friendship, no matter how spunky or grouchy that friend may be. The inference in the show to “magnolias” and their delicate beauty is no doubt symbolic of these women, who turn out to be the “steel” support in each others’ times of trouble. One of the greatest successes of this cast is how they portray the distinct differences in temperament, personality, and even virtue (or lack thereof) of the women in the beauty shop. Those differences are not a deterrent in their love and support for each other. Several times during the show I had to resist the urge to jump out of my own seat and take my place in the beauty chair because I had grown to feel bonded to them. From their accents to their apparel to their spunky interactions with each other, they made the audience feel right at home and as trusted as family.
The production team creates a room that successfully transports the audience back to 1983, with Production Design by Pam Davis and John Cluff, costume design complete with mom jeans, floral dresses, and cowboy boots by Nancy Cannon, and with Finn Nottingham as the Stage Manager. The set is simple, yet just right, with a few chairs serving as salon stations, a blue velvet sofa, a desk, a corded telephone on the wall, and a few posters. There are a few props, such as a lit Christmas tree, that are brought in an out to show the passage of time.
The theatre invites the audience to linger after the show on select evenings for a post-show discussion every Thursday evening, which is another nice touch. The show is suitable for audiences over age 8 and runs a little over 2 hours, plus a 10-minute intermission.
The Covey’s Steel Magnolias gives us a great dose of 1980 girl power that is as sweet as a mint julep and as tart as a lemon before it’s made into a lemon meringue pie. Head on down to the Covey Black Box and get yo-self a heap o’ laughs and few tears, too.
Covey Center for the Arts presents Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling
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Covey Center for the Arts, 425 W. Center Street, Provo, UT 84601
May 3-23, 2018, 7:30 PM
Contact: 801-852-7007
Tickets: $14-16
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