Steel Magnolias - Review

Hope Theatre, London


****


Written by Robert Harding
Directed by Matthew Parker

Maggie Robson

A beautifully bittersweet comedy/drama, set entirely in a small Louisiana town’s hair salon, Steel Magnolias focusses on six women from all walks of life who we discover have a bond between them stronger than the volumes of hairspray securing their expertly coiffured styles.

Written by Robert Harding, the book is based on his experience of his sister's death and by the end of the show’s press night never mind a dry eye, there wasn't a person in the audience who wasn't sobbing uncontrollably.

Samantha Shellie's performance as Shelby is key to the plot. Her fast approaching wedding and dire health conditions knit the piece together and Shellie's understated performance lends itself well to the piece, particularly in contrast to the high energy given from all six actresses that does not drown her out.

Playing Shelby’s mother, Stephanie Beattie is M'Lynn. Throughout the narrative we see M'Lynn constantly battling with her daughter over the wedding and her fragile health conditions and her future. She may be a a concerned controlling mother, but she has good intentions. The raw emotion though, that she portrays in the final scene, is remarkable.

There is similar excellence from the redoubtable Maggie Robson playing Ouiser Boudreaux. Robson’s manic characterisation of the older Southern woman is sheer perfection, from her ever changing voice to her eccentric movement. Quite simply she is a woman who has seen it all, done it all and we love her for it.  And as Truvy, the salon’s owner, Jo Wickham is a treat. Wickham can shift from have the audience clutching their sides with laughter to holding their breath trying not to sob within the space of about 30 seconds. The care and time that she has invested into her character is evident.

Matthew Parker does a fine job working within the Hope Theatre’s compact space. And paired with Rachael Ryan’s fun and engaging set that creates a fully functioning salon, complete with stationary blow-dryer and hair washing station, the audience are made to feel engulfed in the on stage action.  Throughout, the cast do themselves proud offering a whirlwind of female empowerment and a masterclass in acting.

Runs until 3rd September

Reviewed by Charlotte Darcy

Photo credit: LH Photoshots

The Clockmaker's Daughter - Review

Landor Theatre, London

****

Jennifer Harding

Written by Michael Webborn and Daniel Finn

Directed by Robert McWhir

As Carrie The Musical closes in Southwark, so another show about a misunderstood young woman, who's blessed with supernatural powers, opens south of the river. But where Carrie was the re-imagining of a classic modern horror story, The Clockmaker's Daughter in Clapham’s Landor Theatre is a boldly written new fairy tale.

There are hints of Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz and Howard Goodall in the music as we learn how many years ago clockmaker Abraham made himself a clockwork young daughter named Constance (geddit?) to replace his young dead wife. Notwithstanding the potentially "mechanically incestuous" complications that the scenario suggests (and which need to be ironed out in the inevitable future re-writes), the very best of fairy tales, on close examination, are all horror stories and there are distinct nods to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as a starting point for this fable. We see Constance, like Dr Frankenstein's creature before her, learning to reason and to feel emotions and going on ultimately to be shunned by the world around her.

The plot is simple - and as Constance goes around the village performing acts of kindness, she represents a wholesome focus for the story to pivot upon. Her craving a human mortality only adds to the story's poignancy and with the inclusion of an appropriately boo-worthy villain, the show offers some gorgeous potential.

That this story works at all is largely due to the outstanding performance of Jennifer Harding in the title role. Robert McWhir has coaxed from her a subtly portrayed reality that convinces us of her soulless plight. Her robotic movements are just right, not too pronounced and Harding's gold-painted face defines her as being not of this world. Her singing is gorgeous too, making fine work of her big solos A Story Of My Own and the climactic Clockwork.

Jo Wickham hams it up magnificently (though she could shout a bit less) as the wicked Ma' Riley, out for Constance's downfall, Alyssa Martyn convinces as a charming young bride Amelia, whilst elsewhere the large company numbers again demonstrate Robbie O'Reilly's ability to achieve impressive ensemble work in the Landor's compact space, with both Keep It To Yourself and Market Day being cleverly staged numbers that were easy on both eye and ear. 

David Shields' stage design works wonders with a set that's a combination of trucks, projections and ingenious contraptions and credit too to Richard Lambert's lighting work that for the most part enhances both ambience and location.

This ain't the finished product yet, but it's a damn good work in progress. The show needs to lose at least 30 minutes and its script would benefit from some expert treatment too. But make no mistake, The Clockmaker's Daughter is a charming show that celebrates the ingenuity of today's new writing - it's fun to watch and a bit of a tear-jerker too. This wonderful story deserves a future life, possibly as a Xmas show somewhere or who knows, possibly on screen? There's enough potential in the story to hook even the most Disney-fied of today's audiences and I wish it well.

Runs until 4th July 2015

Picture credit: Poppy Carter Portraits at www.poppycarterportraits.com