Reviewed 9/26/04
With no legitimate chance to get his performers nearly naked, you might wonder what the appeal of Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias holds for cutting edge director Damon Dering. Simply put, it’s not so easy to pigeonhole Dering. More than the human form, Dering appreciates depth of character. While an unabashed tearjerker, Harling’s script highlights six strong women as they band together in their comfort zone, Trudy’s Beauty Salon, and drop their southern belle ways to become their own support group. Dering takes this nearly twenty year old script and breathes a little life into it greatly aided by two very strong actresses.
Those actresses are not the main four of the ensemble. The
leading actresses (Erin Singleton as sickly Shelby, Kandyce
Hughes as practical
mom M’Lynn, Heather M. Jubie as comedic Truvy, and Terri
Lee Soviero as rags to religion Anelle) are varying degrees of acceptable. The two heavyweights
that Dering has snagged for Tempe Little Theatre’s production are the
legendary Jacqueline Gaston as misanthropic Ouiser and the consistent Barbara
J. McGrath as small-town socialite Clairee. Hughes is a little too soft-spoken
for M’Lynn, with a voice that is hard to hear until her tirade late
in the play. Singleton is perky, but not remotely sickly as Shelby; her perkiness
is not quite ethereal enough to flood the stage with the required spirit.
Jubie is stronger, but while she’s funny, her presentation is a bit
jerky and halting. Soviero is a sweet Annelle, though more presentational
throughout her character’s arc. They do what is necessary to move the
action along, along with the generally by-the-books blocking, pacing, and
movement. It’s only with two very specific moments within the play
and the two outstanding performances that the play achieves any kind of transcendence.
McGrath is a strong spirit. Though not as haughty as her character could be, she is in the moments that the others glide through. Gaston is even better. She doesn’t don Ouiser like a hat, but instead makes organic all of the bitterness of this grand dame. The two are the linchpins that allow this production to move from long stretches of ordinary to brief moments of special.
Dering’s hand is not specifically evident through most of the over two-and-a-half hours. His work is consistent and generally above reproach. Two moments, though, are vintage Dering, letting his art grab hold of the sentimentality. In one section near the beginning of the play, we enter into Shelby’s illness in a disconcerting way. For a surprisingly long time, we see the world through Shelby’s eyes, and this experience gives us entrée into the true situation of the character. It’s just as strong a moment as any he would offer for Nearly Naked Theatre. Near the end, he allows a character a lot more leeway in an emotional outburst than is usually staged, and the jolt is a welcome release. These are the moments where workable becomes workmanship.
Dave Durnil has created a roomy set for Truvy’s and appointed it with the same furnishings as have populated this production through most of it’s presentations in Phoenix, but it’s been a few years, and they’re effective. He’s even created a cute moment in his set changes that draws a huge laugh. Bob Nelson’s lights are unremarkable, though his sound design is often intrusive. Though Dering has chosen to keep this play in it’s original era, the music is straight from 70s FM and Thelma’s costumes are surprisingly generic.
This is a pleasant, generally enjoyable evening with a few exceptional moments. If you’re in the mood for a good laugh and a good cry take a side trip to Truvy’s.