CEDAR CITY — Every year on my social media pages, I place the shows I’ve seen that year (whether I reviewed them or attended as a guest) into categories; the highest being “Upper Echelon of Shows I’ve Ever Seen.” Let me not bury the lede here. Simonfest’s production of Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling was in the upper echelon of any show I’ve ever seen. I’m seriously debating seeing it again despite living 250+ miles away. I have two minor critiques of the show which I’ll start with, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a better show for your time and money. I laughed, I cried, and I have thought about the show regularly since.
The first critique is that the staging made some moments hard to see. Two lovely salon chairs and accompanying beauty product cabinets were placed down center. At times, this blocked minor moments from support actors in a scene. It would be an easy fix to restage a few of those moments somewhere , or else adjust the scenic design. The second critique is that Ginger Nelson, who played Shelby, was unconvincing in the moment of her diabetic slump in act one, scene one. She appeared withdrawn, not showing the tell-tale signs of a low that my diabetic seatmate — and many others — sometimes do. That’s it. Those are my grievances for the entire show. A microphone might have popped once. I’m grasping at straws to find something that doesn’t resonate with me because this production was so profound.
Nelson’s portrayal of Shelby was electric. The moment she entered the salon space, everyone else’s performances elevated, and that never diminshed through the show. It was as if the rest of the cast was reassured by her being there. Nelson’s cadence and conversational flow of the lines felt like she was saying them for the first and five hundredth time simultaneously. Nelson’s fire during the second scene clash between Shelby and M’Lynn (Jan Brogerg) was borne of a place of deep pain. Nelson tapped into the motherly need to protect her unborn child as she demanded that Shelby’s choice to have a baby be accepted. At times in the arguement you could have cut the tension with a knife. It was a profound moment amongst many such moments for Nelson.
Alyson King Wheeler as Annelle performed a masterful character arc. Anelle begins the play shy and needing acceptance, grows confident, and then becomes religiously zealous. It’s a transformation across nearly two years of story. The beginning of each of the play’s four scenes, Wheeler entered the space immediately performing the new complexities of Anelle. It didn’t feel jarring as much as it supported a strong interpretation of a sometimes vanilla character. Wheeler’s gait and vocal cadence would shift between scenes; awkward and speedy in one, bouncy and bold in the next, impassioned and calculating after that. It always made sense, and Wheeler elevated this character.
The other four women all brought great zest to their characters. Katherine Wood’s Truvy was grounded and in control as the business woman. Wood felt nurturing in her connection to all of the characters, and she semed to carry the pulse of the audience. Chrystine Potter Hyatt was a laugh a minute as Clariee and delivered iconic lines with freshness and humor. I found myself laughing at Hyatt’s portrayal of Clairee in ways I never had before. Jane Williams’ Ouiser Boudreaux was a radically different interpretation than the iconic 1989 film, but it resonated deeply. Rather than being the uptight debutant of the film, Williams transformed into a cantankerous flannel and denim clad woman whose lack of traditional femininity amongst the salon’s more elegant women was a beautiful contrast. Watching Williams help the character of Ouiser become less crusty made tender moments all the dearer. Finally, Jan Broberg’s portrayal of M’Lynn brought tears to my eyes. I’ve seen and directed the M’Lynn monologue where she recounts Shelby’s death dozens of times. It is among the profoundest texts ever written as it is drawn from playwright Robert Harling’s own lived experiences losing his sister to diabetes in 1985. Broberg took something iconic and made it her own. I found my strongest emotional reactions to her performance were not the moments that get me when Sally Fields (or others) have done it. Broberg was exceptional in the way that she was herself in a complex and beautiful character. All six women, independently, deserved standing ovations. And they got them.
So much of the show’s chemistry is a huge credit to the mother/daughter directing team of Desiree R Whitehead and Hyatt who was also Clariee. The mother daughter tension was profound. The hilarity of many moments was stellar. As I mentioned, the characters were not copies of another highly successful production, but strong in their own right as there was a clear grasp of the characters. The show moved so well, I never marked the time, and with minor exceptions, the spacing and blocking was dynamic and impactful. This was a praiseworthy show borne of strong women telling the story of strong women. It brought tears of laughter and sorrow to my eyes at some point in all four scenes, and flowing tears in the play’s concluding moments.
I wish I knew who to give credit to, as it isn’t listed in the program, but the sound, costumes and makeup designs were so solid. It was fascinating watching the actresses do fairly complex hair on stage. The wig for Shelby’s haircut at the end had me questioning which hairstyle was really Nelson’s. Both Ouiser and Anelle were greatly aided in their character by strong costumes that helped tell the story of these women. One of the sweetest moments of the show was the radio being turned on again at the end of the play to boom out the original Hawaii 5-0 theme song that had been a love of Shelby’s. The simple changes of the set to show the passage of time were just enough to be nice and interesting while not being a self-aggrandizing technical element. So much good technical work came under the guidance of stage manager Maximillian Gilyard.
I’m always flabbergasted when someone admits they haven’t seen Steel Magnolias. Its place in pop culture stands the test of time and is emotional and moving every time. This play on the short list of shows I wish companies would do more often, and theatre makers who see Simonfest’s production will understand more profoundly why. Bravo.
