By
Angela Orlando
Arizona Summer Wildcat
Tale of female camaraderie a 'wonderful way to spend a summer evening,' director says
The women are sitting in Truvy's beauty parlor, gossiping and giggling together as they have every Saturday morning for years.
But this is an extra special Saturday. It is young Shelby's wedding day, and soon she will come in to have her hair styled for the occasion. The tension among the women is tangible; excited electricity vibrates in the humid Louisiana air.
So begins Robert Harding's play "Steel Magnolias," which is best known by the 1989 movie it inspired.
This time, Julia Roberts, Olympia Dukakis and Dolly Parton have been replaced by the Arizona Repertory Theatre players, who present "Steel Magnolias" this summer. Tonight is opening night.
Director Deborah Dickey is enthusiastic to bring the dramatic comedy to the stage. She saw the Arizona Theater Company's rendition of the play three years ago, and was inspired to direct it.
"I knew a lot of fine female actresses and wanted to get them together," she said.
Bobbi McKean, a UArizona assistant professor, plays Clairee - the "grande dame" of Chinkquin Parrish of Louisiana, where the play is set. Dukakis played Clairee in the film adaptation.
"Clairee was born and raised in Chinkquin Parrish," McKean said. "She was the mayor's wife, the first lady of the town. She's very social."
McKean said the role required "a lot of research." Though the play takes place in 1987, McKean had to fully understand the locale's politics and views of that time.
"When you create a character," she continued, "you have to create a whole character. And Clairee is 58 years old. That's a lot of life. The accents took some work, too."
The entire play takes place in the beauty shop over the course of three years. This limited setting, McKean said, is the main difference between the play and the movie.
"The plays asks the audience to imagine," she said. "Every single person in the audience has a different version in their imagination of what the town looks like outside the shop, and who the women's husbands are, since you never see them."
This type of setting requires close attention to lighting and illustrative seasonal decorations. In one scene, the beauty shop is so bright with Christmas lights a fuse burns out, leaving the stage in total darkness.
The emphasis of "Steel Magnolias" is on accurate character portrayal, rather than props though.
"It's such a wonderful character play," Dickey said. "It's very human, and it's very real. Harling wrote this play in 10 days - it was a tribute to his sister Susan, who died of diabetes."
The play's message, Dickey said, is the sanctity of female camaraderie.
"This is a story about the shared intimacy between women," she said, "especially Southern women, who come together and support one another with wit and intelligence through their major milestones, like birth, death and marriage. What a wonderful way to spend a summer evening - getting to know these amazing women."
McKean emphasized the relevance of the play's title.
"It refers to very strong, beautiful, delicate women. Magnolia is a strong wood - it can withstand enormous winds and yet be flexible enough to bend in the wind."
