WOKINGHAM Theatre welcomes the audience to a beauty salon for its June production .
There they can settle in, not for a cut and blow dry, but to enjoy a funny and heart-warming true story about a small group of women and their close bond of friendship.
Steel Magnolias is set in a Louisiana hairdressers where ‘there is no such thing as natural beauty,’ nail colours are never the same as on the bottle, and more importantly – there are no secrets.
Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, Sally Field and Daryl Hannah all starred in the 1989 film which has become a go-to favourite for many of its fans.
When a young beautician new to the area finds work in the salon, she is drawn into a circle of women friends; a bride to be with health issues, her over protective mother, the salon owner, a wealthy widow, and a loveably miserable eccentric.
Together the six women offer each other love and support to cope with life’s ups and downs.
And they are never short of things to talk about.
One isn’t sure she’s married, another nurtures dreams her mother can’t accept, and all the while the men-folk’s gun shots and escapades (always amusingly off-stage) are heard but never seen.
Director Juilan Hirst, said: “This is a brilliant play – it’s very witty, and I think there’s something in it that everyone can enjoy.
“Robert Harling wrote it about his own sister and it’s all based on true events.
“He originally created it as a novel, but then decided it would be better on the stage because he wanted to hear it told in the Louisiana vernacular.
“It was his gift for his nephew who grew up not knowing his mother.
“Harling’s quoted as saying that the boy would know she ‘must be special to be played by ‘the greatest actress in the world,’ Julia Roberts.”
The women in Steel Magnolias share life’s joys and tragedies with a sense of fun, and plenty of wit.
“There’s a lot of meaning to Steel Magnolias, and I’ve tried hard with this production to make sure that it’s all about love and the memories that make people happy,” added Julian.
“Even when sad things unfold they’re shared in an upbeat and hopeful way.
“It’s about recognising what a wonderful time has been had, rather than focusing on the events that unfold, and it shows that it doesn’t matter who you are, rich or poor, the bonds of friendship can bring people together.
“The audience will go out on a high.”
Steel Magnolias can be seen at Wokingham Theatre from Thursday, June 6 through to Saturday, June 15, with the exception of Sunday.
Doors open at 7.45pm, with tickets costing £16.
For tickets and information, visit: www.wokinghamtheatre.org.uk
