Steel Magnolias: This concise ensemble piece is a memorable production

Photo. Maria  Vartanova

So many things could go wrong with a production of Steel Magnolias, Robert Harling’s comedy/drama about the bond between six southern women in the 1980s.
Drama could slip into melodrama. Bad timing could kill Harling’s wonderfully comic lines. Chemistry between the six characters, who represent three generations of southern women, could be frail or non-existent. The entire show  could be overplayed, the characters becoming mere caricatures and the narrative a blunt instrument of stock situations.
None of that happens in OLT’s memorable production. Instead, director Tom Taylor, his cast and the design/technical crew give us a funny, moving and smartly concise ensemble piece that gazes into the lives of these six women and the culture that surrounds them. It’s a gaze that’s steady but compassionate, theatrical but credible, layered but refreshingly direct.
Steel Magnolias continues until June 15. Don’t miss it.