"Steel Magnolias" a beauty of a show for PGLT By ANNETTE ESTERHELD Staff Writer
When you go to see Prince George's Little Theatre's production of "Steel Magnolias," bring your laughter and your tears. It's that kind of play.
Set in a beauty shop in Southern Louisiana, the emphasis here is Southern, with dialogue peppered with Southern expressions said by actresses with Southern accents.
"Steel Magnolias," playing at Bowie Playhouse, is the story of six Southern women who chat, advise and support each other over a three-year period in their lives.
All the action takes place in Truvy's Beauty Parlor. Truvy, a warm-hearted romantic, has three regular customers who come in every Saturday for standing appointments to have their hair done. There's Clairee, widow and once mayor's wife; Ouiser, the town's eccentric; and M'Lynn, the town's social worker. In the first scene, M'Lynn's daughter Shelby joins them to get her "do" for her wedding that will take place that day. Rounding out the cast of six is Annelle, a new hairdresser Truvy hires.
The second scene takes place seven months later and we learn that newlywed Shelby is pregnant, a fact that upsets her mother because Shelby is a Type 1 diabetic and had been advised not to get pregnant.
The first scene in Act 2 takes place 18 months later and we learn Shelby had her baby, but there are health problems for Shelby. There's a lot of focus on Shelby, but the play is also about changes in the lives of all six of the women in the cast and how they support each other through the changes.
Director Ron Wilder said in his director's notes that he grew up in the South and "knew all of these women you will see on the stage tonight." He talks about the "regulars" at the beauty shop his mom went to every Friday and said "watching these ladies interact with one another was an amazing experience. They had the same light banter that is prevalent in Truvy's shop."
Wilder's Southern background and those experiences with his mom and her beauty shop made him an excellent choice to direct "Steel Magnolias." The women in the cast interact well with each other and Wilder is to be applauded for his actress choices and his direction.
Hilary Mazer was perfect as Truvy, the small town Southern beautician, who arranges her life to fit her beauty customers. She sets the atmosphere that fosters the sharing these women do. Meg Yednock is the young Shelby whose character matures on stage as she faces life's blessing and struggles. The scene where she tells her mother M'Lynn, played by Rosalie Daelemans, that she's pregnant is so well done and so realistic it's painful to watch. Yednock and Daelemans physically stand far apart on the stage as Yednock shares her news and you are drawn into the pain both women feel by the skill of the actresses.
There's plenty of humor, too. Linda Smith as Clairee and Gayle Negri as Ouiser both provide many laughter moments with their comments. Be prepared to laugh with them and at their expense with some of the funniest one-liners including a few that are served Southern-style.
The sixth member of the cast is Annelle played by Cassie Youhouse. Annelle plays the newcomer to town. Youhouse does an excellent job of showing us Annelle's changes from timid, frightened young girl through different stages to become a self-assured woman, fully a part of this group of women.
The beauty shop set designed by Mary Seng is perfect and it's all that's needed as the backdrop for the women in Truvy's shop who truly are as the play title suggests as delicate as magnolias, but as strong as steel.
