Reviewed by Karen Schwartzkopf
Over the course of the summer, before late August when Steel Magnolias closes at Hanover Tavern, three sisters, two very dear friends, and one mother will visit me in Richmond. About twelve minutes into the latest play from Virginia Rep’s Barksdale Season at Hanover Season, I lost track of the action onstage (and probably missed a few laughs and a sigh), and instead attempted to figure out how much it would cost for me to treat every single one of these women to this thoroughly delightful and entertaining production.
Robert Harling’s story comes from the family annals of this Lousiana-born author. His expertly crafted script captures the wit and wisdom of six close friends and regulars at a small-town beauty parlor in a Lousiana parish. Having seen the film version nearly twenty years ago, I thought the movie came first, but was surprised to read that Steel Magnolias started out as a short story, and later was adapted for the stage and blossomed into one of the most recognized plays in America. I was also surprised to discover it was written by a man. That’s not to say men won’t enjoy it. Because they will. In fact, everyone will—thanks to some superb ensemble acting.
Because Steel Magnolias takes place in a small town in the South, you might feel like you recognize some of these characters: Trudy the hairdresser (Joy Williams), who owns the shop where everyone who’s anyone has her hair done; wealthy sports-lover, entrepreneur, and widow Clairee (Jacqueline Jones); curmudgeonly, but lovable Ouiser (pronounced Weezer and played impeccably by Catherine Shaffner) who delivers lines like, “Don’t try to get on my good side, Truvy. I no longer have one!’; and Annelle (Maggie Roop), the overly devout rookie in the beauty parlor, who is semi-adopted later by Truvy.
Directed by Steve Perigard, Steel Magnolias is alternately hilarious and touching. All the action is set in Truvy’s beauty parlor where the one-liners and zingers zip across the intimate stage at Hanover Tavern like used perm rods. The plot revolves around Shelby (played by Ally Wepplo), an endearing young women who has struggled with diabetes all her life who would “rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special” and her practical and ever-vigilant mother, M’Lynn, played by Kelly Kennedy. Kennedy expertly rises to the challenge of playing who I believe to be the most authentic character – or the woman most likely to be a real friend and not a stereotype.
When we first meet Shelby, she’s having her hair done for her wedding day at Truvy’s, of course. Throughout the play, the all-female cast works its magic on the same finely crafted set, designed by Terrie Powers, two-stepping here and there and in and out of beauty salon chairs and stools. There are men in these women’s lives and they’re important, but we don’t get to meet any of them face-to-face during the course of Steel Magnolias. It’s the mark of a good script and great acting, however, when you feel like you know people you haven’t even met.
As this story of human drama unfolds in two acts with an expertly executed scene change in each, not once will you find yourself wondering when the play ends. As you laugh out loud or engage in Truvy’s favorite emotion – “laughter through tears” – what you might find yourself thinking about is whom you can bring along the next time.
Part of Virginia Rep’s Barksdale Season at Hanover Tavern, Steel Magnolias runs through August 25. Visit Virginia Repertory Theatre: Steel Magnolias, 2013 or call (804) 282-2620 for showtimes and ticket information.
(Ask about same-day Rush tickets and U-Tix for university and high school students. I’ll be taking advantage of these deals when I see it again!)
