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'Steel Magnolias' emotion in full bloom

The Bakersfield Californian | Wednesday, Apr 22 2009 05:51 PM

Last Updated Wednesday, Apr 22 2009 05:51 PM

We all have our own ways of dealing with grief; Robert Harling's way was to write "Steel Magnolias." Shelby, the charming heroine of the play, is based on Harling's younger sister, Susan, who died from complications of diabetes.

Yet, even though the outcome is grim, there's plenty of laughter in the play itself, says Bruce Saathoff, director of the show that opens Friday at Stars.

"The best thing about it is that it speaks to the human experience," he said. "There are a lot of different coping mechanisms, and laughter is one of them. Comedy is an important element" in the play and in real life.

To illuminate his remark Saathoff quoted a line spoken by Laurie Howlett, who portrays Truvy, the ditzy beauty parlor owner: "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion."

All of the action takes place in Truvy's salon, which has all the equipment you would expect to find in such a business, including hair dryers provided by Bakersfield hairstylists Larry and Alice Rector, who helped design the set. The drama begins on the morning that Shelby, played by Berean Chambers, gets married and goes on to cover events over the next 18 months, including Shelby's decision to have a child despite having Type 1 diabetes and the complications that result from the decision.

Unlike the movie version of "Steel Magnolias," there are no men in the Stars production although they are alluded to in the script. "But all the great lines that people remember from the film are still there," said Saathoff, noting that Harling also wrote the screenplay for the 1989 motion picture that starred Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Sally Field and Olympia Dukakis.

Evening and matinee performances of continue through May 10.