Originally published by John Garcia's THE COLUMN.
Plaza Theatre Company’s production of STEEL MAGNOLIAS on Saturday evening, April 17 was a funny yet poignant tear jerker- just as it should be.
STEEL MAGNOLIAS, by Robert Harling, is the story of six women in a beauty shop in Louisiana over the course of two years in the 1980s. The play begins with Truvy, owner of the shop, hiring Annelle, who is new to town, as her assistant when Shelby and her mother come to get their hair done the day of Shelby’s wedding. Clairee and Ouiser are two of the older ladies who also frequent the salon and partake in gossiping and supporting one another. Shelby is a severe Type 1 diabetic at a time when treatments were not all they are today, and she- along with her friends- struggle to deal with its heartbreaking effects. Clairee is a former politician’s wife turned sports fanatic turned radio station owner while Ouiser is the one known for being a loud mouthed practical joker with more money than tact. Annelle comes to town with her life falling apart and allows the women to guide her back to the straight and narrow. These six ladies are true Southern Women- dainty and beautiful with an inner strength that allows them to hold together and keep going no matter what they are forced to face. And they face it, of course, with heavily hair sprayed hair and manicured nails.
I must confess- I have never seen a production of STEEL MAGNOLIAS. No, not even the movie. And, I’ve never read it. I honestly went to this play only knowing it was a “classic chick flick.” I did have extremely high expectations, though, from this particular theatre given all the awards and nominations they received just this past year at The Column Awards, but I was leery of what a small theatre in a small town was capable of doing. For my first trip to Plaza Theatre, they did not disappoint! I have not laughed so hard at a live performance in many years, and then I was left with tears in my eyes as the play closed. It is clear that STEEL MAGNOLIAS should be required reading and all students should attend a production at the level of the Plaza’s. However, in several places, this production felt like key scenes with key storylines had been cut- perhaps for time or due to staging difficulties, but the choppy “catching up feeling” didn’t hurt the performance much. Perhaps it was written like this or perhaps there were circumstances necessitating these choices, I simply don’t know. All I know is that there was a lot of exposé at the beginning of each scene that, if unavoidable, could have been worked in and made to feel more natural.
Director Danielle Beacham pulled double duty as she also played Shelby. Normally, I loathe a production where a lead character is self directed, but Beacham caused me to forsake this preconceived bias within 10 minutes of the curtain going up. Though only her third show to direct-EVER- she expertly blocked the action in the round and guided a cast of actors, with varying levels of experience, to giving all out truthful performances. A director’s job is meant to be invisible. If you can see it, it probably means they didn’t do it well. I find I am struggling to describe her directing talent because while I KNOW it is ever present, I simply can’t see it. The play in its entirety flowed as one unified force- from set design to costumes to the blocking, it was all centered on the telling of this story. One questionable directing choice was to make Shelby’s diabetic episode (or attack as it is sometimes called) more like a grand mal seizure. Normally, I have seen diabetics become irritable and act intoxicated, but never to stiffen up as Beacham did. I am not a diabetic expert, but I overheard others in the audience discussing it, and the lady behind me said it didn’t look right to her either. Regardless, Beacham is one to watch- she has an incredible directing future ahead. Her bio states she will attend Bible school in California in the fall. Let us all pray we get her back to Texas theatres as fast as she can.
All six of these women came together to form a believable friendship and support system. I know these women, I just happen to know and love them by different names. Wherever a woman is in her life, there is a character in Plaza’s STEEL MAGNOLIAS that will speak to them.
Beacham as Shelby is charming and a classic beauty who warms your heart. There were two times, though, when it felt as if she was skimming the surface of Shelby’s true emotions. One was when she defiantly tells her mother she is pregnant despite the doctor’s advice, and two in her final scene as she says what is suppose to be a casual goodbye to the ladies. The big fight with her mother, though strong vocally and physically grounded, felt like she was imitating every “I’m going to beat this
M’Lynn was played exceptionally well by Barbara Richardson. Her character makes the biggest emotional journey from the beginning of the play to the end. Her physical comedy as she jokes with her husband’s gun in her hand stands in direct contrast to her blood-curdling scream “It’s not fair! I’m suppose to go first!” I imagine Richardson tires of reaching to these depths night after night, and on this night, I felt she held back just a little. The strength of the words and their universal appeal to all parents carried her through this performance though, and still drove even me, a non-parent, to empathetic tears. Not so much because I grieved for the loss of Shelby (as would be easy to do given how much we fell in love with her and willed her to triumph) but because of the eloquence and the power that this most raw, most horrible of pain- the death of a child- was expressed.
Trich Zaitoon as Truvy sets the 80’s atmosphere with her big hair and over the top personality. She is the mother hen of this group and takes her responsibilities seriously in between the jokes. She used her height and booming voice to her advantage, taking control of not only the audience but these very diverse and independent women as needed. She was also soft and caring, bringing the audience close to her heart the same way she drew in Annelle in her time of need. I can only hope a woman exactly like Zaitoon’s Truvy enters my life when I most need her.
Courtney Howell’s Annelle, the quirky new girl who becomes a religious fanatic, was subtly superb. Her timid voice and mannerisms changed into a strong woman with the support of her friends almost- one might think- without effort or thought. Anyone who has ever attempted acting knows the opposite is true. She only made it look easy. Her metamorphosis seemed as natural as breathing. I never once saw Howell ‘acting.’ In fact, there were times when the audience forgot she was onstage and some of her consistent yet small reactions to events on stage went unnoticed. There were also times when the audience was still laughing from a previous line and she didn’t wait for the laughter to quiet before speaking. Her voice simply didn’t carry over a sold out crowd slapping its knees and roaring. I have no doubt Howell could stand out if she wanted to with larger, more attention getting ways, but she instead made the smart choice of staying true to Annelle’s character and story.
Shauna Lewis as Ouiser had most of the laugh lines and jokes that had the audience in stitches all night, but she was not without her dramatic moments of contemplation too. Lewis made me want to put on a nun’s costume and go bar hoping with her! She also touched my heart as an older woman who had given love a try, and was afraid to do so again until nudged on by her friends. Her decision to ‘friend’ a man in the neighboring town could have been overplayed, but instead she smartly chose to let us see into the tender heart of this woman through the change in her physical demeanor and her softer voice. She made me think of my mom’s best friend, Aunt Judy, and about half a dozen other women with the freedom found in getting older to say whatever is on their minds. Ouiser is a character that could be played over the top and campy, as the comedic relief needed in some heavy scenes, but instead, Lewis made her a real person.
If Barbara Rose hadn’t written in her bio that her role as Clairee is her debut performance, I would have thought she was a veteran of the stage alongside her cast mates. Much like Lewis and Howell, Rose felt like a real person I had known all my life. Even when she wasn’t the center of the action, she remained engaged, attentive, energized, and reactive to the action going on around her. She has a good command of her voice, and her laughter and tears seemed equally genuine. Both Rose and Clairee burst out of their shell-in a believable yet extraordinary fashion- in the final scene when she offers up Ouiser as a punching bag. (A line we would have expected from Ouiser, not from the politically correct politician’s wife.) Rose has a stunning future ahead of her as a stage actress if she can pour herself into characters the way she did this one.
All of these fine actors were aided in their storytelling by magnificent costume and set designs. The play was set in the 1980s, and if this decade is known for anything, it is known for its fashion. Designed by Kara Barnes, the woman appropriately wore stretch pants, bright patterns, oversized shirts with belts, and chunky jewelry. Yet, the costumes were not “costumey”, these were still very real clothes that each character would have picked out during that decade. Each character had their own style and self expression that remained true to the time period. Any set designed and well executed in the round deserves a hats off, and the work put in by JaceSon Barrus, Milette Siler, and Parker Barrus deserves two hats off. It was functional yet artistic, minimalistic yet complete. From the ceiling fan hanging at center stage to the sinks with running water to each hair dresser’s work station, the entire theatre became this beauty shop. No detail was left out. Popular 80s music set the mood before the play, during intermission, and as needed via Shelby’s radio, all designed by G. Aaron Siler. No prop was mimed and all props were period appropriate thanks to the work of properties designer Milette Siler. Lighting design is another one of those fields that goes unnoticed when done well, and Cameron Barrus’ work was completely invisible to me. Even some simplistic special effects such as smoke during cannon fire were a nice touch, though the smoke was a little overpowering for most members of the audience.
Plaza Theatre Company’s 150 or so seat theatre in the round is charming and intimate. It has an older style class about it, yet there are plenty of blue jeans and popcorn that when combined make folks from New York to Cleburne feel right at home while expecting a fantastic, high quality show. After three years, 36 productions, and over 60,000 patrons, Plaza Theatre Company’s reputation of excellence is continued with their current production of STEEL MAGNOLIAS.
Reviewed by Laura L. Watson Associate Theatre Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN
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Plaza Theatre Company along with Cleburne Performing Arts Foundation present: Robert Harling's STEEL MAGNOLIAS through April 24th.
Performed at the Plaza Theatre at 111 S. Main St, Cleburne, TX 76033. www.plaza-theatre.com. 817-202-0600
Directed by Danielle Beacham
Stage Management by Becky Watson
Lighting Design by Cameron Barrus
Scenic Design by JaceSon Barrus, Milette Siler, Parker Barrus
Costumer Kara Barnes
Props by Milette Siler
Sound Design by G. Aaron Siler
NOTE: Two characters are double cast.
CAST:
TRUVY Trich Zaitoon
ANNELLE *Courtney Howell, Camille Shaw
CLAIREE Barbara Rose
SHELBY Danielle Beacham
M’LYNN Barbara Richardson
OUISER Mildred Austin, *Shauna Lewis
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