Steel
Magnolias and Muses Create Plenty of Humor and Lots of Drama
Steel
Magnolias and Muses Create Plenty of Humor and Lots of Drama
I
am guessing that a lot of people who attended the performance of
Steel Magnolias, a play by Robert
Harling and directed by Marilyn Nicholas-Dahan, presented by Calliope Sound
Productions’ Muses at the University of Toronto’s Erindale Studio Theater
probably had some familiarity with either the play or the film and therefore
they knew what to expect, but not so for this reviewer. When you are critiquing
a play that is wholly dependent on the relationships that exist between six
women and that is set entirely in a beauty salon, it is a good thing to have
little prior knowledge of the story as it unfolds, because it allows one to
approach the play objectively and to remain sensitive to the stories behind the
story.
To be honest for the performance that I attended, the
first half of scene one was emotionally flat, but then two things happened that
injected life into this production and seemingly into the other actors. The most
significant thing that happened was the appearance of Helen Conway in the role
of Ouiser, a cantankerous, Louisiana woman who barely gave you time to recover
from one bout of laughter when she would zing you with another comedic line or
facial expression. What an absolute treat to watch this woman perform. In all of
the years that we have reviewed theater from San Diego, to Los Angeles to
Vancouver to New York and Toronto, it is very possible that Helen Conway’s
performance was the funniest of any actor we have watched on stage. The dramatic
tension between Ouiser and Clairee (played by Lori Koenen) was superb and what
on the surface often appeared to be contempt for one another, merely disguised
what was a deep friendship that spanned decades and two friends who simply go on
one another’s nerves from time to time. Ouiser would be the crotchety one, while
Clairee would be the exasperated individual who at times egged Ouiser on just
for the pure enjoyment of winding up her up for another round of contemptuous
and outlandish remarks.
The appearance of Katherine MacKenzie as the young
diabetic woman Shelby who is engaged to be married, energized this play, but in
a much more subtle way. We have watched MacKenzie perform in several other
productions, including a minor role in a poorly directed and choreographed
production with another theater troupe earlier in the year and when she shines
most is when she is in a quality production like this rendition of
Steel Magnolias and she is given a
meatier role. She is maturing as an actress, learning to let less be more.
Katherine MacKenzie’s eyes, facial expression and body language often spoke
louder than the lines that she delivered. During the course of this play Shelby
experiences the joy of her engagement, a strained relationship with her mother
M’Lynn, excellently portrayed by Nancy Reed, during Shelby’s pregnancy,
frustration with her husband and a sense of gratitude in the face of significant
challenges during the later stages of the play. MacKenzie as Shelby became
someone that the audience fell in love with, because of her heart. She always
remained in character in the moment even when there was a lot of excitement
created by other characters and she was not directly involved in the scene.
There is no way to pay proper tribute to the performance
of Nancy Reed without somewhat spoiling the storyline for the reader. Reed, as
M’Lynn accurately portrays the concern a loving parent has for their child’s
wellbeing and in the final stages of the play her anger, due to a tragic event
is believable and the intensity level is very accurate.
Mary Lynn Merklinger does a good job with her character
Truvy the spacey beauty shop owner and Susan Turnbull is equally adept, as
Annelle, Truvy’s new space cadet. The playwright Robert Harling did well to
insert these characters into the storyline, because they provide balance, humor
and keep the play from becoming dark. Lori Koenen’s character Clairee is
reminiscent of so many Betty White characters we have seen over the years and
Koenen does a good job of bring that sensibility to this role.
Harling gave his character Ouiser some memorable lines,
such as the one she serves up when remember an old lover who enters her life
once again. Of Owen Jenkins she says, “He had the longest nose hairs in the
world.” At another point during the play, Ouiser has the audience rolling with,
“I’m not crazy. I’ve just been in a very bad mood for forty years.” What writing
these lines here does not allow the reader to do, is to experience the wonderful
facial expressions of Helen Conway, as she is delivering those lines.
Steel Magnolias is being presented at the same venue at
8 p.m. August 14th to 16th and Riveting Riffs Magazine highly recommends that
you take in this production. While the venue is Spartan in nature, the acting is
as good as it gets.