THE cast of Steel Magnolias must have gone through a crash course in hairdressing before even beginning rehearsals for the iconic play which is currently running at the Lyric.
Cans of hairspray are let loose and hair rinsed as Truvy’s Salon comes to life in a familiar set design that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a 1980s high street. Here we’re introduced to Truvy (Orla Mullan) and her new assistant Annelle (Eímhear Jackson), and a host of clients, Shelby (Simone Collins) and her mother M’Lynn (Janet Moran), along with Clairee (Marion O’Dwyer) and Ouiser (Carol Moore). We’re in small town Louisiana with all the gossip and curtain twitching that you’d hope to expect from such a gathering.
The movie of the same name is of course something of a 1980s cult classic. Annelle – who is hiding a secret – has just moved to the town and is looking for a job and is hired on the spot by Truvy. We watch the six women as they laugh and cry at what life throws at them. The one-liners come thick and fast. “Well, you know what they say: if you don’t have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me.”
And then: “The nicest thing I can say about her is that all her tattoos are spelt correctly.”
And for good measure: “He’s a real gentleman. I bet he takes the dishes out of the sink before he pisses in it.”
The characters are believable as real friends who know each other so well due to their regular visits to Truvy’s where the excellent Orla Mullan as Truvy “will not let my personal tragedy interfere with my ability to do good hair”.
Definitely one to be pencilled into the diary for a group of female friends heading out for the night. Expect to laugh and cry in equal measure.
Steel Magnolias runs until July 10. Tickets available at the Lyric website.
