Not just for the ladies
Coryse Borg meets the cast of Steel Magnolias - no not Julia Roberts - being put up at the Manoel next week
Many of you may remember a film starring Julia Roberts in her pre-Pretty Woman Days. Called Steel Magnolias, it told the story of six women whose lives come together in Truvy's Beauty Shop somewhere in smalltown Louisiana. The film was originally a play by Robert Harling, which first debuted off-Broadway in 1987. It was made into a film starring Roberts, Dolly Parton, Shirley Maclaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Sally Field in 1989.
Spanning three generations, six women share the thrills, joys, challenges and little tragedies that life throws at each one of them as their lives follow the birth-marriage-death cycle. Beneath what appears to be superficial banter, there is actually a deep and significant support structure that keeps them going despite the hardships they each face.
The script is a terrifically comic one that manages to juxtapose moments of deep poignancy with others of side-splitting hilarity. It is being put up by the MADC and stars Polly March, Pia Zammit, Isabel Warrington, Charlotte Grech, Katherine Brown and Emily Jones.
The director is Michael Zammit Maempel - the sole male among six females. He seems to have taken being surrounded by so much oestrogen in his stride, saying that the cast have bonded closely among themselves for this production.
"Casting the right people in the right parts took up the largest chunk of time in the preparations leading up to this production, not least because finding people of the right age to play the parts proved to be a task of Herculean proportions. The hunt for the right script also went on for months and months. Ultimately the artistic director of the MADC proposed that I take a look at this one. I read through the night, waking up the household with my laughter!" said Mr Zammit Maempel.
Although the film and play versions of Steel Magnolias are very similar, nevertheless there are important differences.
"Our script keeps things a far lot simpler than the film and I think this will make it more accessible to local audiences who should expect to be entertained, amused, and ultimately touched by the honesty of the story and the straightforward delivery we are aiming to achieve in this production. This is not a Hollywood weepie version: It is a powerful production, and audiences should be prepared to come and see a good show performed by good quality actors," he explained.
The cast is made up of a veritable who's who of local theatre. Pia Zammit, plays Truvy, the mainstay of the play from whose shop the entire action unfolds; Katherine Brown plays Annelle, her new assistant who isn't sure whether she's married or not; Charlotte Grech plays M'Lynn, the local social worker who will do anything for her daughter Shelby (whose wardrobe is composed exclusively of pink items) played by Emily Jones; Polly March, plays Clairee, the former mayor's wife and eccentric millionaire who seems to live to taunt Ouiser, played by Isabel Warrington, the acerbic local oddity who loves her dog Rhett more than any human.
When the film originally came out, Steel Magnolias was seen as the ultimate chick-flick. Is there anything in it for the men, or should we expect audiences to the MADC production to be predominantly made up of women?
"This is not just a play for women by women. It is a story of how uplifting our friends can be in the face of adversity. This is a theme that remains universally valid, and it's not one that floats in and out of fashion. It explores themes that touch at the very core of our humanity, regardless of gender. It is a well-crafted drama with some of the wittiest lines you're likely to hear on stage this season," said Mr Zammit Maempel.
Ms Brown agreed:
"Women should watch it because they can watch a play that directly relates to them. Men should watch it because they're always saying that they don't understand women... so maybe this will give them some insight. And if they've ever wondered what women talked about in a beauty salon when there are no men about, here's their chance to find out!"
She said that the most difficult thing for her during this production was relating to her character, mainly because Annelle is so very unlike her. "She goes from scared newcomer to perky decorator to born again Christian throughout the course of the play, although she has a core of sweetness and naïveté that runs throughout. The challenge is to play her with complete sincerity without making her an annoying mixture of Pollyanna and Shirley Temple," she laughed.
One big challenge for the Steel Magnolias backstage crew was to construct a fully-functional working hair salon with running water and all, to be used as Truvy's hairdressing parlour. Both Ms Zammit and Ms Brown are going to have to create a number of hairstyles on stage... a thought which is rather terrifying to Ms Brown!
"The worst part of this play is having to do hairstyles. I don't do hair... let alone '80s hair! I have to look like I know what I'm doing. It's not just pretending; Pia and I have to actually roll, tease and spray hair into something that looks decent and professional!" she says.
UK actress Polly March says she loves Steel Magnolias because it has wit and wisdom in equal quantities.
"At the first read-through, I was almost unbearably moved by some of the insights shared by these women... and have taken them into my own life. The use of laughter as a tool to diffuse a difficult situation is made such good use of here. It is a hugely funny play depending on the inter-personal relationships of the women to generate the humour," she said.
Young thespian Emily Jones plays the part made famous by Julia Roberts - Shelby Eatenton, a 20-year- old diabetic about to be married.
"As the youngest of the cast, I can say that it has been a true pleasure and an honour to work with the other five incredibly talented women in the cast. I have learnt so much from them and that has made the whole experience very rewarding and exciting. Steel Magnolias is a wonderful play which had us all in fits of laughter, as well as tears, from day one. It will warm and inspire regardless of gender, and shows how the facts of life, regardless of their harsh realities, can be faced with dignity and strength," she added.
• Steel Magnolias is being staged at the Manoel Theatre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets may be obtained from the booking office by phone on 2124 6389, by e-mail: bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt or online at: www.teatrumanoel.com.mt. More information from website: www.madc.biz .
Spanning three generations, six women share the thrills, joys, challenges and little tragedies that life throws at each one of them as their lives follow the birth-marriage-death cycle. Beneath what appears to be superficial banter, there is actually a deep and significant support structure that keeps them going despite the hardships they each face.
The script is a terrifically comic one that manages to juxtapose moments of deep poignancy with others of side-splitting hilarity. It is being put up by the MADC and stars Polly March, Pia Zammit, Isabel Warrington, Charlotte Grech, Katherine Brown and Emily Jones.
The director is Michael Zammit Maempel - the sole male among six females. He seems to have taken being surrounded by so much oestrogen in his stride, saying that the cast have bonded closely among themselves for this production.
"Casting the right people in the right parts took up the largest chunk of time in the preparations leading up to this production, not least because finding people of the right age to play the parts proved to be a task of Herculean proportions. The hunt for the right script also went on for months and months. Ultimately the artistic director of the MADC proposed that I take a look at this one. I read through the night, waking up the household with my laughter!" said Mr Zammit Maempel.
Although the film and play versions of Steel Magnolias are very similar, nevertheless there are important differences.
"Our script keeps things a far lot simpler than the film and I think this will make it more accessible to local audiences who should expect to be entertained, amused, and ultimately touched by the honesty of the story and the straightforward delivery we are aiming to achieve in this production. This is not a Hollywood weepie version: It is a powerful production, and audiences should be prepared to come and see a good show performed by good quality actors," he explained.
The cast is made up of a veritable who's who of local theatre. Pia Zammit, plays Truvy, the mainstay of the play from whose shop the entire action unfolds; Katherine Brown plays Annelle, her new assistant who isn't sure whether she's married or not; Charlotte Grech plays M'Lynn, the local social worker who will do anything for her daughter Shelby (whose wardrobe is composed exclusively of pink items) played by Emily Jones; Polly March, plays Clairee, the former mayor's wife and eccentric millionaire who seems to live to taunt Ouiser, played by Isabel Warrington, the acerbic local oddity who loves her dog Rhett more than any human.
When the film originally came out, Steel Magnolias was seen as the ultimate chick-flick. Is there anything in it for the men, or should we expect audiences to the MADC production to be predominantly made up of women?
"This is not just a play for women by women. It is a story of how uplifting our friends can be in the face of adversity. This is a theme that remains universally valid, and it's not one that floats in and out of fashion. It explores themes that touch at the very core of our humanity, regardless of gender. It is a well-crafted drama with some of the wittiest lines you're likely to hear on stage this season," said Mr Zammit Maempel.
Ms Brown agreed:
"Women should watch it because they can watch a play that directly relates to them. Men should watch it because they're always saying that they don't understand women... so maybe this will give them some insight. And if they've ever wondered what women talked about in a beauty salon when there are no men about, here's their chance to find out!"
She said that the most difficult thing for her during this production was relating to her character, mainly because Annelle is so very unlike her. "She goes from scared newcomer to perky decorator to born again Christian throughout the course of the play, although she has a core of sweetness and naïveté that runs throughout. The challenge is to play her with complete sincerity without making her an annoying mixture of Pollyanna and Shirley Temple," she laughed.
One big challenge for the Steel Magnolias backstage crew was to construct a fully-functional working hair salon with running water and all, to be used as Truvy's hairdressing parlour. Both Ms Zammit and Ms Brown are going to have to create a number of hairstyles on stage... a thought which is rather terrifying to Ms Brown!
"The worst part of this play is having to do hairstyles. I don't do hair... let alone '80s hair! I have to look like I know what I'm doing. It's not just pretending; Pia and I have to actually roll, tease and spray hair into something that looks decent and professional!" she says.
UK actress Polly March says she loves Steel Magnolias because it has wit and wisdom in equal quantities.
"At the first read-through, I was almost unbearably moved by some of the insights shared by these women... and have taken them into my own life. The use of laughter as a tool to diffuse a difficult situation is made such good use of here. It is a hugely funny play depending on the inter-personal relationships of the women to generate the humour," she said.
Young thespian Emily Jones plays the part made famous by Julia Roberts - Shelby Eatenton, a 20-year- old diabetic about to be married.
"As the youngest of the cast, I can say that it has been a true pleasure and an honour to work with the other five incredibly talented women in the cast. I have learnt so much from them and that has made the whole experience very rewarding and exciting. Steel Magnolias is a wonderful play which had us all in fits of laughter, as well as tears, from day one. It will warm and inspire regardless of gender, and shows how the facts of life, regardless of their harsh realities, can be faced with dignity and strength," she added.
• Steel Magnolias is being staged at the Manoel Theatre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets may be obtained from the booking office by phone on 2124 6389, by e-mail: bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt or online at: www.teatrumanoel.com.mt. More information from website: www.madc.biz .