‘Steel Magnolias’ – a slice of southern pie

By Dianne Cserbak aka “Ouiser”

MARYVILLE – Foothills Community Player’s, “Steel Magnolias,” opened Thurday evening to an enthusiatic and crowded Capitol Theatre.  Producer’s Tom and Carole Ireland stated, “This was the best opening night ever for FCP!”

A beauty shop, six women, some of whom have been friends since before Jesus was born, and an upcoming wedding are the setting for the opening of Robert Harling’s “Steel Magnolias”.  Based on Harling’s personal experience with his diabetic sister and her driven, determined mother, his story is moving and true.

Truvy is the proprietor of a beauty parlor that has been at making women beautiful for nearly 20 years.  Her dedication to her profession is as big as the hair she turns out.  Truvy’s shop has become the center and social heart for the prominent ladies of Chinquapin Parish.

Truvy is in a tight situation, this being Shelby’s wedding day and special attention must be paid to the bride, she is short-handed.  Annelle wanders into Truvy’s shop looking for a job.  She is a shy, soft speaking young woman in desperate need of employment.  Truvy hires her on the spot and thus begins another new friendship in Chinquapin Parish.

Shelby, the bride, is the epitome of a debutante.  She’s lovely, engaging, and dives into life with a positive enthusiasm.  Shelby is also a diabetic and must be guarded about her life choices to remain healthy.  M’Lynn, Shelby’s mom, enters the shop bearing the burdens of a mother of the bride.  She is beside herself with a daughter who has chosen to make her wedding beyond “precious.”  This wedding has brought mother and daughter to the brink of an abyss.  Not unlike many wedding plans between a mother and a daughter.

Among the ladies having their hair done for the big day at Truvy’s Parlor of Beauty, is Miss Clairee, a grande dame in Chinquapin Parish.  She’s the former mayor’s wife and owner of the local radio station.  Clairee makes it her business to know everyone’s business.  If there is a juicy rumor in the pipeline, you can bet Clairee is on one end of that line.  Joining them for a little sprucing up is Clairee’s lifelong friend, the loveable curmudgeon Ouiser Boudreaux.  Having managed to marry two of the most worthless men in the universe and having three of the most ungrateful children ever conceived, Ouiser has turned her full attention to her hairless dog, Rhett.  These ladies are the glue in their societies and as true friends, they are there when needed.  Underneath the veneer of the bantering between Clairee and Ouiser, there is a lifetime of common threads and a genuine friendship.

The tightly woven bonds between women in “Steel Magnolias” wrap around us like a warm comfortable blanket.  The women in Truvy’s beauty parlor are very real and familiar to us.  They are the women who were friends to our moms, the sculptors of the face of our hometowns, the young women looking for the path they should be on and the newlyweds anticipating a new life.

“Steel Magnolias” continues playing at the Capitol Theatre in Maryville, Friday, Sept. 18 through Sunday matinee, Sept. 20.  Evening shows begin at 8 p.m. with two matinees beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  Tickets are $16/$14 (seniors/students and groups of 10 or more).  Tickets may be purchased online at www.foothillscommunityplayers.com or at the door.  Reservations are encouraged.