BWW Reviews: TAP'S Captivating STEEL MAGNOLIAS Bridges Tears and Laughter

The year is 1987 on an April Saturday at Truvy Jones' beauty salon in a rural parish of Louisiana. Shelby Eatenton will marry Jackson Latercherie surrounded by nine bridesmaids in her favorite color pink instead of the peaches and cream colors her mother M'Lynn Eatenton prefers. With this as the opening scene, Robert Harling's iconic Steel Magnolias tickles the funny bones and heartstrings in a way similar to how Shelby joyfully touches her world with pink at Truvy's Salon. Owner Truvy succintly says what she appreciates every Saturday morning in her salon, "Laughter through tears is my very favorite emotion."

Third Avenue Playhouse's Stage Door Theatre Company assembled a marvelous cast of six actresses to revisit a timeless play and the cult freindship film (Starring the acclaimed cast of Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley McLaine, Dolly Parton, Oympia Dukakis and Daryl Hannah in 1987)) reflecting mother-daughter relationships and the stee-like bridge forged by women's friendships when faced with life's tragedies and triumphs. Which in this play includes how good a women's hair looks on any given day,, still a truism, becaus women all want "good hair days" to make the world look brighter and ease their diasppointments.

Throughout the performance Kay Allmand sparkles playing the ringleader Truvy, who manages her salon brushed with her individual brand of sassy humor. Amy Ensign's M'Lynn and Katherine Duffy's "Pretty in Pink" Shelby match parental love and wits with perfect charm. The pair captures the endruing essence of a mother-daughter relationship along with the struggles this engenders when a daughter marries---Shelby warns her mother she can make her own decisions regarding her health and her future, including having a baby when her doctors advise otherwise, despite a mother's misgivings.

In the role of Claree Belcher, Claire Morkin delightfully overcomes her fears after the loss of her husband while Claudia Schneider energizes the stage with the dry negativity of her character, Ouiser Baudreaux, and makes the audience smile. Special kudos to TAP summer intern Anya Kopischke in the challenging role of Annelle, a lost young woman who discovers life can be joyfully lived after a disasterous first marriage when Truvy, the mother of two sons leaving the home nest, takes Annelle under her wing.

Thrown into this accomplished feminine mix Director James Valq creates a satifsfying Southern blend of personalities and genuine emotion similar to the south's favorite non-alcoholic drink, Sweet Tea, tinged with just the right amount of lime. A completely refreshing summer evening of humor and poignancy drenched in Shelby's delicious shades of pink, which she wears in her costumes all night, as Duffy transforms from the blushing bride to the young mother role with confident ease.

Kärin Kopischke's costume and hair designs enlivens the entire production as these six actresses, several who have worked together before, bond while changing hairstyles and hairy situations over a brief period of time. When Ensign's M'Lynn rages in anger over her daughter's diabetes and then her ensuing kidney failure, the grief on stage can be palpably drunk in by the audinece. While M'Lynn would probably give any child, although especially her daughter, her own kidney, she says as only a mother could, "I had a chance to give my child life not just once,but twice."

Current facts reveal that more than 12 people per day die waiting for a kidney transplant, while more than 500,000 survive on dialysis, hoping to have another kidney to replace their failing organ. Often live donors match their loved one's need, and speed the process for the waiting patient and another chance at a long life. With the rise of diabetes in young and old, the possibility exists that these statistics will increase dramatically over time, The piight of M'Lynn and Shelby in Harling's play, which was dedicated to his sister who suffered from the same condiditon, remains a constant reminder of the substantial stress chronic diseases place upon friends and family, causing emotional strain and sometimes tears.

Tears sometimes flow when at Stage Door productions more than any other company. The intimate space combined with exceptional acting connects to the audience so those in their seats feel as if they stand on the stage, a silent partner to the actors performing their scenes. With only a small budget, the high production value offered by this three man team (Valcq, Robert Boles, and Ryan Patrick Shaw, along with assorted interns and volunteers) increases the oppotunity for an audience to appreciate live theatre, the performing arts. TAP"S Steel Magnolias provides tender amounts of laughter and tears that certainly tickles the audience pink.

Love theater? Support Third Avenue Playhouse. The inventive Sturgeon Bay company continually presents a captivating brand of theatrical magic that casts a memorable spell over all who walk ithrough their stage doors on any given evening in every season.

Stage Door Theatre Company presents Steel Magnolias at Third Avenue Playhouse in Historic Sturgeon Bay through August 22. For more information, please call 920.743.1760 or thirdavenueplayhouse.com ."

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