Revisiting an old favorite

Creede Repertory Theatre serves up the heart-wrenching yet comedic ‘Steel Magnolias’

Steel Magnolias is 35 years old and remains relevant today. The heart-wrenching play allowed Creede Repertory Theatre to showcase some of its top female actors, including many who have been with the company for decades.

Steel Magnolias was written by Robert Harling and is based on the death of his sister, who died from complications with diabetes. The entire show plays out in a southern beauty salon in Louisiana. It is the meeting place of friends and family on all of the characters’ most important life events. It takes us on a journey through their marriages, pregnancies and deaths, playing out with sometimes hilarious and other times deeply sad dialogue.

Director Amanda Berg Wilson set the play in The Ruth, a black-box theatre. Truvy’s Beauty Salon actually sits in the middle of the audience, with those in the front row getting caught up in the action. Actors enter from all corners of the box and from a small stage that hosts the salon’s entrance and waiting area. The design allows for an intimate setting that would be lost in a larger theatre.

This intimacy helps the audience experience the characters’ joys and sorrows firsthand, as if they, too, are Truvy’s customers awaiting their turn for a wash, cut and style. The show opens with Truvy and her new hire Annelle – a mysterious woman with a secret – who knows her way around a salon. The way the actors – Teonna Wesley (Truvy) and Brittni Shambaugh Addison (Annelle) – portray their characters one would believe they went to beauty school. They interact with the other actors and style their hair as the action takes place.

Wesley is southern to the core, guiding the dialogue and moving along the action in Truvy’s shop. The story doesn’t center around her, yet she is at the center of the story, sharing anecdotes about her life and desire to be a mother figure to Annelle. Motherhood is a main theme throughout the production, as the audience watches the dynamic between M’Lynn and Shelby – the mother and daughter characters portrayed by Creede associate artistic director Kate Berry and Emily Bosco.

Berry perfected the role of M’Lynn (Sally Fields in the 1989 film), taking the role and making it her own. Even those familiar with the film would appreciate Berry’s portrayal of M’Lynn. From her facial expressions to her body movements, Berry’s M’Lynn is beautifully and flawlessly acted. She makes the audience laugh and leaves them in tears.

Bosco as Shelby puts in a strong performance. She also takes an iconic character and owns it from the minute she steps on stage to her final emotional scene. Bosco helps the audience understand what life is like for a person with severe diabetes – a person who has a spirit that cannot be crushed no matter the obstacles life throws at her.

The cast is rounded out with Christy Brandy as Clairee Belcher and Anne Faith Butler as Ousier Boudreaux. Both women are longtime members of the Creede Company, and they too deliver stunning and hysterical performances in Steel Magnolias.

This show provided the audience with an excellent female ensemble in a favorite production from Creede’s 57^th Season.