Theater Review: Steel Magnolias

by Gina Robertson of of John Garcia's The Column

This was my second visit to the McKinney Performing Arts Center Courtroom Theater. As before, I was charmed by its warmth, hospitality, and careful attention to preserving beauty and tradition. It was the perfect venue for Steel Magnolias, a story of six southern ladies who gather over the course of three years in a one-room beauty salon to bond and chatter about their lives.

In this theater more than many others, the director and cast are challenged by the limitations of a small stage without a curtain, so the set must be simple and static throughout. This works well for a play that relies on character development, as this one does.

The front of the stage represents the wall of mirrors where all of the characters stare at themselves and primp while directing their dialogue to each others' reflections rather than turning and speaking directly. It works very well to create a cozy, intimate setting, and is of course what real women actually do in a beauty salon.

The six women have become so familiar to us that they sometimes come across as caricatures more than real people, but each cast member manages to bring a bit of life to her role from time to time. The stage business with the women's purses and coffee cups is a good example of real women with real personalities. Jana Walters as Clairee brings particular class and charm to her role as the sweet, upbeat widow with a wry sense of humor.

Robert Harling's script challenges the actresses with lines that, again, have become so familiar to audiences as to be predictable rather than funny. With a comfortable understanding of southern women and their unique sense of sass and manner of speech, the cast manages to deliver the self-conscious one-liners realistically at least half the time. The character of Truvy is particularly fond of dropping rimshot quips into her dialogue, and Jean Roberts occasionally makes them sound like something someone would actually say. One wonders if a play like this requires a strong, seasoned director to help herd the cast of actresses toward their voices without tripping on the clichés. Director Preston DeWitt did a remarkable job for his first directing experience, but it's easy to see how he might have been overwhelmed at all the estrogen he was expected to manage in this production.

Jaime Wilson as Annelle does a nice job with a character who evolves remarkably throughout the story. Jean Trout as Ouiser appears to be forcing herself to be cranky when she really would prefer to be polite. Carissa Powell and Tammy Williams bring emotional depth to the story as Shelby and M'Lynn, engaged in various aspects of a touching mother-daughter relationship. Williams grapples with the heavy emotions of motherhood and conveys grace and courage in the face of a tragic paradox—how to protect her precious daughter from her own pursuit of happiness, how to be supportive while consumed with worry, how to give and give of herself and then gracefully let go when she's lost what's most precious to her.

Steel Magnolias, presented by McKinney Repertory Theatre, runs through May 3. Purchase tickets online or by calling 214-544-4630.