Theater Review -- Tom Titus
There’s a good reason why “Steel Magnolias” has been the most produced
play locally over the past few seasons (along with “Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”).
The Robert Harling dramatic comedy is one of the most effective -- and
affecting -- plays around. It pushes both the comic and dramatic buttons,
and it pushes them hard. Never mind that the comedy is built on a series
of carefully set up one-liners; the punch lines still tickle the audience
members, no matter how many times they’ve heard them.
The latest version of “Steel Magnolias” is now onstage at the Costa
Mesa Civic Playhouse, where director Jack Millis has brought the 1983
play into the 21st century with great success. An updated line making
reference to Anne Heche, for instance, drew the loudest guffaws of
opening night.
The “Steel Magnolias” of the title are six women of varying ages
congregated in a small-town beauty salon in Louisiana where they first
rock the house with laughter, then chill it by turning the prevailing
mask from comedy to tragedy. And Millis has attracted a half-dozen highly
accomplished actresses to present this familiar, but still highly
involving, play.
The central conflict of a volatile but heartfelt mother-daughter
relationship is particularly well-depicted by Kristina Leach as the
headstrong but physically frail beauty and Roxie Lee as her often
adversarial but always caring mother. Leach brings a plethora of facial
grimaces to her determined character, and her timing (as well as her
Southern accent) is the finest of the cast, while Lee delivers a riveting
and heart-rending monologue that caps a marvelous interpretation.
Jane Nunn as the beauty shop proprietor offers homespun wisdom in a
somewhat uneven but attractive performance, maintaining the salon’s
folksy atmosphere. Her new assistant, a young girl with a mysterious
past, is delicately underplayed by Kristina Davis, whose eagerness to
please is affecting, but whose newfound religious zeal rankles the other
customers.
The town’s former first lady, widow of its mayor, receives a sparkling
performance from Marie Nussle, whose velvet-tinged wisecracks soften the
prevailing comic antagonism. And Judy Jones gives a rollicking
interpretation of the crotchety old crone (with, of course, a heart of
gold) who stirs up most of the neighborly insurrection.
Playwright Harling based “Steel Magnolias” on a true incident
involving his mother and sister, and the authenticity of the story is
reflected in the Costa Mesa production’s staging and interpretation.
Kathy Endicott’s colorful setting gives off a warm, welcoming quality,
abetted by the lighting designs of Mark Phillips and Megan Endicott, who
also serves as assistant director.
Yes, “Steel Magnolias” has been around -- and around and around -- but
even on the umpteenth viewing, its rich comedy and compelling drama still
mesh for a pleasurable experience, particularly when the cast is as
strong and accomplished as the sextet performing at the Costa Mesa Civic
Playhouse.
* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews
appear Thursdays and Saturdays.
FYI
* What: “Steel Magnolias”
* Where: Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse, 661 Hamilton St., Costa Mesa
* When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays until April
7
* Cost: $15
* Call: (949) 650-5269
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