PLAY REVIEW Scent of 'Magnolias' fills the NCP stage

'Steel Magnolias' showcases the friendship of six Southern women.
By GARRY L. CLARK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A hefty dose of country charm, Southern hospitality and true grit was portrayed Friday evening as the New Castle Playhouse presented "Steel Magnolias" in its Annex Theatre.
A perfectly splendid ensemble piece by Robert Harling, "Steel Magnolias" is the story of the friendship of six Southern women. The action is set in Chinquapin, La., in a beauty parlor owned by Truvy, a down-home country gal who oozes friendliness and good old common-sense advice.
Her new employee is the extremely reserved Annelle, a recent transplant to the town who is unsure about everything, including the eccentricities of these women.
M'Lynn, Clairee and Ouiser are regulars at the shop, and M'Lynn's daughter, Shelby, is at the forefront of the first scene as the others gossip while they help prepare her for her wedding that afternoon.
That these women share a bond is obvious from their reparte & eacute; about virtually everything, no subject being too sacred for them to offer their thoughts on, and it is this camaraderie that carries them through their triumphs and their tragedies with humor, candor and gentleness.
Cast
Shelby, ably portrayed by Caryn Nicholson, is constantly at odds with her mother over the wedding plans, making for some lighthearted comedy that works well.
For her part, the excellent Tina Barretta Cole brought M'Lynn to life with an easy grace that exuded the maternal feelings required of her.
Sara Klimenko as Annelle was perfectly cast as a wide-eyed innocent who retains an element of her naivet & eacute; throughout the events which span more than two years in the women's lives.
Anchoring the women to the beauty salon as Truvy was Donna Natskakula, who gave the role true realism. Some of the lines may have been in error -- interrupting one another a few times, pausing, then coming back to the subject -- but if so, it worked perfectly because it showed the natural progression of real conversation rather than something simply contrived for the stage.
Clairee, the mayor's widow, was superbly played by Kathy Leighgaber, whose task it was to deliver some of the funniest dry humor of the evening: "If you can't say something nice about someone, sit over here next to me," for example.
Of course the meatiest role comedy-wise in this play belongs to Ouiser, and Helen-Marie Gould was in fine form as she boldly and brashly played the cantankerous old biddy who really has a heart of gold.
Director Jeffrey Hall has gathered a truly excellent cast for this delightful, though at times sad, journey south to where the women may be genteel on the outside, but when hard times come, they show themselves to truly be "Steel Magnolias."
clark@vindy.com