Review: Palm Canyon Theatre STEEL MAGNOLIAS

Special Contribution To BWW by SHELBY WINSTEAD

Palm Canyon Theatre’s “Steel Magnolias” was the first dramatic work in their primarily musical season and, wow, it was the perfect artistic choice! The story revolves around Shelby (no, NOT me) played by Erin Shull, and her life in the small town of Natchitoches Louisiana where love, sass and hairdressers fill the air. If you’ve seen the film, you know what an absolutely brilliant and engaging piece of theatre this is. Timeless!

I always admire the great strength and deflation of ego it takes for an actor to get up on a stage, lose themselves in a role, and bring new life to a production. I want to express my great admiration for the pace and direction of the play (Derik Shopinski) and his ability to cast such dedicated individuals to carry this story through.

Erin Shull played her Shelby as a very calm and grounded individual -- even throughout times of great distress. It didn’t appear that Shelby was greatly impacted by the events in her life and on stage it appeared that the connection to her inner turmoil wasn’t fully realized. However, I do want to applaud Erin for her connection with her mother, M’Lynn Eatenton (Judith Chapman). Their love was undeniably visible and Judith’s outpouring of pain enduring her daughter’s death was devastatingly brilliant. 

Michele Davis as Ouiser had a stunning wit and her stage presence was consistent throughout the show. Georgia Smith's Annelle Dupuy-Desoto had a strikingly visible transformation and by the end was an entirely different person from who she was in the beginning.

I was in awe of the beautiful set design (Neil Kapple, Jackson Enzler, Joyanne Tracy). You felt as though you were in the 80’s/ early 90’s and that is the first visual that you take in as an audience member -- very well done!

Although at times the high stakes that this story demands seemed to fall short of its full potential, but I believe that each performance will only grow that potential. The cast will have endless possibilities of depth to be discovered throughout the run of this production. A very important person in my life told me “An uneven night in the theatre is better than no night in the theater” and I think, in that perspective, it was a gift to share this night in the theatre with artists and an audience who love the art of performing as much as I do. I have no doubt this show will quickly find its rhythm. The beauty of theatre is that discovery is endless and I cannot wait to enjoy more shows at Palm Canyon Theater. I encourage you to do so, as well!

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