ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 21, 1997 TAG: 9702210017
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: DONNA ALVIS-BANKS STAFF WRITER
Mike Vaughn is a pretty big dude, but it's easy to overlook him when he's surrounded by all these women.
Perky women.
Gossipy women.
Southern women.
Need we say more?
Vaughn is directing Playmakers & Company's 78th community theater production, "Steel Magnolias." Robert Harling's touching comedy is set in Chinquapin, La., where the belles of the bayou gather at Truvy's Beauty Shop.
Vaughn feels right at home here.
"I can remember my Mom going to the beauty shop," he says. "I feel like I know these ladies."
Not only does Vaughn feel close to the characters in "Steel Magnolias," he's actually awed by them.
"They remind us of our mothers, daughters, aunts and old family friends," he wrote recently. "They are fragile and beautiful. They are strong and resilient. They deal with what life brings by offering support and empathy to each other. These ladies live life to the fullest and find ways to smile through the tears."
The "ladies" of this small Louisiana town include the saucy Truvy, played by Diana Stout, who dispenses shampoos and slick one-liners:
"There's no such thing as natural beauty."
"Honey, there's so much static electricity in this room, I pick up everything except boys and men."
"This is the '80s. If you can achieve puberty, you can achieve a past."
The 26-year-old Stout, who lives in Shawsville, said she had no trouble effecting a Southern accent for her role as Truvy ("I was born in Charleston, South Carolina").
Indeed, the hardest thing for Stout was learning how to style hair while reciting her lines. The combination of acting and coiffing, she noted, is akin to patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time.
"I didn't know about hair at all," she groaned, shaking her head. "I've learned about the magic of bobby pins."
Fortunately for Vaughn (who also pleads ignorance when it comes to hairdressing ) and the cast of "Steel Magnolias," the Hair Force came to the rescue.
Debbie Heslip, Penny Vest and Jacque Foster of Hair Force, Inc., a Christiansburg salon, donated their time and experience by attending rehearsals and training the actresses as beauty shop operators and customers. The business also provided equipment, supplies and set pieces to give the production an authentic look.
"The ladies from Hair Force have been so helpful," Vaughn said. "We couldn't have done this without their expertise."
Elsie McCombs, a seasoned Playmaker who admirably fills the shoes of M'Lynn in this production of "Steel Magnolias," has the cleanest hair in town, thanks to the Hair Force helpers.
In every show, McCombs has to get her blond hair shampooed and put up on rollers. She portrays the local social leader and mother of Shelby, the prettiest girl in town. When the play opens, Shelby is about to be married and M'Lynn is determined to make this a perfect wedding.
Beth Bankowski is the delicate but dauntless Shelby. She's also the inspiration in the play.
"I love cloudy days," she says in the first act. "On cloudy days, I feel God's not trying too hard, so I don't either."
Barbara Lloyd, Shannon Allen and Sharon Everett round out the cast. Lloyd, who plays Miss Clairee (an eccentric millionaire with a taste for sweets), has performed with Playmakers before. Allen and Everett are newcomers.
Allen acts the role of Annelle, Truvy's antsy assistant. Baffled by the direction her life has taken (Annelle isn't sure whether or not she's still married), she finds female friendship and womanly wisdom at Truvy's Beauty Shop.
Everett is making her stage debut as the rich, cantankerous Ouiser Boudreaux ("I'm not crazy, I've just been in a bad mood for 40 years") in this Playmakers show. Although she seems a natural on the stage, the 48-year-old mother has never acted before.
"My daughter put me up to trying out for a part," Everett said. "She loves this play."
Everett's 29-year-old daughter, Shelli, also tried out for "Steel Magnolias" but didn't make the final cut.
"She was tense," Everett said. "I was only doing it for fun to begin with."
All of the women in this production agree that working together has been plenty of fun.
"It's like a sorority," Everett said. "There's not a lot of testosterone running around."
"Yes," Bankowski agreed, "There's a lot of feminine energy in the room."
"Steel Magnolias" opens tonight and runs weekends through March 9 at Playmakers Playhouse in Blacksburg's University Mall. For reservations, call 382-0154.
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM STAFF. Playmakers production of "Steelby CNBMagnolias" will open today at University Mall. color.