No wallflowers here: Lotte Beckett, Debra Lawrance, Mandy Bishop, Jessica Redmayne and Belinda Giblin. Photo: Brett Boardman
Steel Magnolias, with its whip-smart wit and female camaraderie, is the sort of play that will have you leaving the theatre smiling, and that is certainly the case with this production. It is set entirely within Truvy’s home-based beauty salon in the fictional town of Chinquapin, Louisiana, and takes us into the lives of a group of Truvy’s regulars. More than a place to have their hair done, this salon is a place to meet, share news and gossip and strengthen the bonds that tie them.
I remember loving the 1989 film (which starred Dolly Parton as Truvy) and was surprised to hear that Steel Magnolias started life as a play, written in 1987 by Robert Harling. Lee Lewis directs this production for the Theatre Royal and her cast is a rollcall of Australian theatre stars – and is a delight from start to finish.
Here we have Mandy Bishop as the inestimable Trudy, coiffed and lacquered to the ceiling, who very soon informs us – in a broad Southern drawl, of course – that ‘there is no such thing as natural beauty’. At the play’s outset she is interviewing a nervous Anelle (Lotte Beckett), a newcomer to the Chinquapin, for a job in the salon.
That accomplished, it’s down to beauty business. Shelby (Jessica Redmayne) is getting married, and she and her mother M’Lynn (Lisa McCune) need to look perfect for the big day. The amusingly acerbic Clairee (Debra Lawrance), widow of the town’s former mayor, turns up, as does grouchy Ouiser (Belinda Giblin), who immediately starts interrogating Anelle as to her background. There’s comedy in the mother-daughter sparring about Shelby’s hairstyle; about Clairee (who may or may not buy the local radio station, because she can); and everyone tolerates Ouiser, ‘who’s not crazy, but [who has] just been in a very bad mood for 40 years’.
One of the things that makes Steel Magnolias so enjoyable is its script, which is fast and funny. Giblin has some very good lines, and punches them out with verve, but the majority belong to Truvy and Bishop is just superb in this Southern Louisiana persona, a warm and commanding presence, who holds every scene.
Also enjoyable (and rare) is that here we have a cast of six women, most of whom are on the stage the whole time and all of whom are great actors. It is refreshing to have a plot that revolves around female friendship and loyalty.
That loyalty is shown early when Shelby, who has diabetes, suffers a hypoglycaemic attack and everyone in the salon rallies to help her recover. Shelby’s health is one of the ongoing concerns among Truvy’s regulars, especially of course to her mother. When, going against medical advice, Shelby proceeds with a pregnancy, it is in the safety of Truvy’s salon that McCune’s M’Lynn can confide her fears. Husbands in Steel Magnolias are off stage and largely out of mind – except when one of them fires bullets into trees to scare off birds!
Simone Romaniuk deserves a special mention for her set and those ’80s costumes – all those shoulder pads, cinched waists and boots (for Truvy anyway, not so much dungareed Ouiser!). Brady Watkins takes care of sound and Paul Jackson the lighting.
Harling’s play is based on his experiences of his sister’s death in 1985 so Steel Magnolias is not just about weddings and babies and shades of pink. It is also about how women bond together when tragedy strikes – and it’s not giving much away to say that Shelby is not going to make old bones – and the support they give each other. There is also (first written in the 1980s, remember) a brief but telling scene when Clairee relates how her brother has become estranged from her nephew after he came out as gay. Clairee stands with the boy.
Like everyone everywhere, these characters face highs and lows in their lives; here they face them with a lot of humour and courage – and with impeccably styled hair! Despite the tragic elements, this is a feel-good play and a fun night out. You go, girls!
Steel Magnolias plays at the Theatre Royal until 30 May, then tours to Wollongong, Canberra, Perth and Melbourne.
Tickets (Sydney): $69-$149 plus $9.50 transaction fee
More: www.steelmagnoliasplay.com.au
