Steel Magnolias At Theatre Royal, Nottingham Review

Reviewed by Vickie Njoroge

The play, a drama/comedy, centres around six female characters in Louisiana in the 1980s, with the set being that of Truvy’s Beauty Salon. Having seen (and loved) the film version, I was familiar with the plot but wondered how this would be reflected on stage. I went prepared with tissues as I remembered crying when I watched Sally Field’s performance in the 1989 film adaptation of Robert Harling’s play, written in 1987.

The story-line is a testimony to how women turn to each other for support in times of happiness and times of need. According to John Good, Harling himself says that, like magnolias, “the women I’ve known are indeed gorgeous, but their lives can be fragile. But ……their strength, joy and laughter rang out no matter what life threw at them.”

In this production, Truvy is played by Lucy Speed, an actress with a long list of stage, TV and film credits, whom I simply recognised from Eastenders. Her performance was extremely authentic, with a strong Louisiana accent, very much like the Truvy played by Dolly Parton in the film version.

The mother, M’Lynn Eatenton, is played by Laura Main of Call the Midwife fame (to name but one of her acting credits to date). Her Scottish accent replaced with a Louisiana drawl made it easy for me to forget Nurse Shelagh Turner and truly invest in this beautiful character: a mother who only wants Shelby to be happy and finds the strength to support her daughter, even (and especially) when the choices Shelby makes impact adversely upon the lives of those around her. This made me draw parallels with my own mother and the sacrifices she has made for me to be happy, even when the choices I made, that could be seen at times as selfish, impacted on her life.

Shelby, a truly lovable, big-hearted character is played by Diana Vickers, not an actress I was familiar with, but definitely one I will be looking out for in the future. This was another convincing performance that made the relationship between mother and daughter believable.

All-round, this was an excellent performance by all of the all-female cast, including Elizabeth Ayodele, Caroline Harker and Harriet Thorpe. Laugh-out-loud moments were interwoven with a strong, heart-felt story-line, based on the story of Harling’s own diabetic sister and how she refused to let her condition stop her from making the most of life’s opportunities.

My friend and I give this performance a 5/5 star rating. She was unaware of the story-line and was overwhelmed by the performance. The audience must have agreed as they applauded the cast with a standing ovation. And yes, I DID need those tissues, as did many of those watching. The emotional monologue performed by Laura Main was certainly equal to that of Sally Field’s performance in the film and the auditorium atmosphere could have been cut with a knife. Bravo! If I had the time, I would go to see this performance again and this time I would take my own, beautiful mother.

Steel Magnolias is at the Theatre Royal until Saturday 15th April with a matinee performance on Thursday afternoon. Tickets are bookable via: https://trch.co.uk/whats-on/steel-magnolias-2023/

The Theatre Royal, a major landmark in the city of Nottingham, hosted the world premiere of The Mousetrap in 1952, This was a new venue for me, with four tiers of seating (stalls, dress circle, upper circle and balcony). The venue is also easily accessible by wheelchair users.

The theatre is less than 3 minutes away from a range of parking options that are reasonably priced. They offer a validated parking discount in conjunction with Q-Park on Talbot Street.