STEEL MAGNOLIAS
Encore Theatre Club
Bridport Arts Centre
March 20-24, 7.30pm


WHEN the film version of Steel Magnolias was released in 1990 it came with the tagline the funniest movie to make you cry'. Encore Theatre Club's production this week left hardly a dry eye in the house.

Written by Robert Harling the play features the ups and downs of six women as they meet each week in a beauty parlour somewhere in Louisiana.

Through four scenes spanning three years parlour owner Truvy, her naïve new assistant Annelle, and four of their regular customers unveil the best and worst of times and help each other through what life has to throw at them.

Even if like myself you somehow missed the silver-screen example of star-studded female bonding - the film featured Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts no less - you'll know it is a sentimental piece, but boy is that an understatement.

This wasn't just about saying your lines and the odd hand gesture here and there, this was a truly touching portrayal of women's lives, with plenty of laughs along the way.

Bubbly Truvy, Christine Prideaux, and unsure Annelle, Ann Seogalutze provided a strong basis as the salon team - even pluckily having a go at hair-styling as they said their lines. Andrea Prentice as Shelby gave an engaging performance as the pink-loving girlie of the piece who grows up, marries and has a child. Jenny Wiles was brilliant as forthright Clairee while Viv Ironside's Tom-boyish I'm not crazy, I've just been in a very bad mood for 40 years' Ouiser provided some of the best laughs.

But particular praise must go to Hilary Bosworth, as Shelby's mother M'Lynn, who despite having one of the least engaging roles in the first three scenes totally stole the show in the last with one of the most heart rending performances you will ever witness in amateur theatre.

Director Lynne Thomas has wonderfully teased the best out of her cast with each scene building up to the emotional climax - thankfully for the sake of the audience's well-being, if not the cast's, cleverly diffused at the end.

Despite just the one set, subtle changes showed the passing of time and there is no doubt the back room staff - containing many of the male faces we may normally expect to see up there on stage, helped pull off a major coup.

You have to admire the total effort that has gone into this production, not least from the cast burdened with a vast amount of dialogue to battle through - all with an American accent.

And if you haven't seen it yet, don't forget to take the tissues. If you don't need them the person sitting next to you will.

* Steel Magnolias continues tonight, and tomorrow.