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| Cast | |
| Truvy Jones | Wendy Marsh |
| Annelle Dupuy-Desoto | Aysev Ismail |
| Clairee Belcher | Viv Stapleton |
| Shelby Eatenton | Kelly Russell |
| M'Lynn Eatenton | Roz Betts |
| Ouiser Boudreaux | Maureen Hardwen |
| Crew | |
| Assistant Director | Liz Gillett |
| Stage Manager | Andrew Kelly |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Charlotte Jacobs |
| Set Design | Richard Banks |
| Set Construction | John Vinnels, Ron Andrews, Peter Smith |
| Set Painting & Decoration | Richard Banks, Steve Grubb, Andrew Kelly, Christine McKeon |
| Properties | Rebecca Mason |
| Backstage | Rebecca Mason, Helen Bezer, Sarah Hills |
| Lighting Design | Jerry McKeon, Christine McKeon |
| Lighting Operation | Horry Stapleton |
| Sound Preparation | Richard Banks, Rebecca Mason, Jerry McKeon |
| Sound Operation | David Shields |
At the end of rehearsals, the director Richard Banks was taken ill. Everyone involved with the production wishes him a speedy recovery. We would like to thank Barbara Smith for providing us with all of the salon equipment used in the construction of this set.
Review
Shampoo drama shines in a
superbly designed set
A large helping of homespun Southern hospitality was served out to packed audiences at the Edward Alderton Theatre recently. Robert Harling's 1987 off-Broadway hit Steel Magnolias was made into a hugely successful film in 1989 with an all-star cast, including Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine and Julia Roberts. But arguably it works best as an intimate theatre piece, detailing the lives and loves of six ordinary women in a Louisiana beauty parlour.
The parlour is owned by Truvy Jones (Wendy Marsh), and when the play opens she is hiring the gawky young Annelle Dupuy-Desoto (Aysev Ismail) to help her. Shelby (Kelly Russell), the diabetic daughter of M'Lynn Eatenton (Roz Betts), is getting married, while Clairee Belcher (Viv Stapleton) and Ouiser Boudreaux (Maureen Hardwen) make acerbic comments from the sidelines. There is clearly a bond between these characters and as the play progresses we see the passage of time affecting each of them in different ways.
Sadly, director Richard Banks fell ill shortly before the play opened, but thanks to his strong leadership and the sterling efforts of his talented cast and crew, this was an expertly mounted production. Set design was excellent, utilizing props and furniture from a recently closed hairdressing salon in Crayford. Every inch of the small Alderton stage was used and the effect was utterly convincing.
The saccharine nature of the storyline was cleverly offset by some wonderfully funny dialogue which all the cast delivered with enthusiasm. Kelly Russell was outstanding as the bright, bubbly Shelby whose early diabetic seizure was shocking in its realism. As her mother, Roz Betts' breakdown at the end was also harrowingly realistic. Aysev Ismail's journey from shy stranger to fully accepted member of the group was delightful, while Wendy Marsh delivered some of the play's funniest lines with finesse. Hovering on the periphery like a particularly bitchy Greek chorus, Maureen Hardwen and Viv Stapleton played the resident town gossips to perfection.
Any disappointment about the lack of obvious 'action' was more than outweighed by Harling's beautifully observed script and the very real chemistry between these six accomplished actresses.
Mark Campbell
Kentish Times | 14 December 2006
