BWW Reviews: Rubicon Presents Reliable STEEL MAGNOLIAS

Steel Magnolias
by Robert Harling
directed by Jenny Sullivan
Rubicon Theatre, Ventura
through September 18

After three decades, Robert Harling's Steel Magnolias remains a treasure, a cherished tale of the endurance of female friendship. Now on stage at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, Magnolias has slick and sturdy direction from Jenny Sullivan and a magnanimous cast, and above all, it stands the test of time.

Written for and about six Southern women, the play became a box-office blockbuster film in 1989, so most by now are familiar with Clairee (Von Rae Wood), Truvy (Clarinda Ross), M'Lynn (Stephanie Zimbalist), Shelby (Amy Handelman), Ouiser (Bonnie Franklin) and Annelle (Angela Goethals) whose hair appointments keep the coffee boiling in Truvy's beauty salon, where all of them come together to glamour up for diverse events over the course of two years, the time frame of the play. For those who have not seen play or film, let it be said that a temple should be erected to Shelby and M'Lynn whose strong mother/daughter relationship weathers every storm and lives on eternally as the ideal for future generations to emulate. And solitary souls like Ouiser and outsiders like Annelle do not stay on the fringes, but are assured a permanent place in the reliably tight circle.

Though without male presence in the play, the female characters' male relatives and friends are the object of gossip, so, men, do not feel completely neglected. What riveted my attention this time around was not only the wonderfully spicy humor and the familial anecdotes reflecting cultural changes in the 80s, but the undeniable fact that in spite of diverse reactions and disagreements, the women rarely argue and their bonds never break. Ouiser may curse life at one moment, and in the next, extol its virtues. It's this love/hate thing, laughter through tears that gives living its special meaning. Superficial friends, whose lives touch and go in today's world, could profit a great deal from Harling's tale and these role models, who, in every way, stay grounded, true to the core.

The play insists on a marvelous chemistry from the ensemble, and no one disappoints. Zimbalist is caring to a fault and miraculously together, or at least makes M'Lynn appear that way on the outside; Wood, Ross and Franklin are uniquely hilarious, and Handelman and Goethals show how total opposites may influence one another in unexpected ways. Sullivan's direction is smooth and the pacing divine. Thomas S. Giarmario has created a splendid two-level set.

Visit Ventura and see Steel Magnolias, which is still a treat, especially with this troupe. Live exposure to Harling's now classic play sure beats renting the movie!

 

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