A night in a Southern beauty shop

The many legends of the "Southern woman" fill the annals of most every medium -- from the girls of the WhistleStop Café in "Fried Green Tomatoes" to dark, tragic figures of Tennessee Williams' Blanche DuBois and William Faulkner's Miss Emily, from the vivacious women of "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" to the incarnation of the Southern woman herself, Miss Scarlett O'Hara. \nShe is the epitome of dignity and grace. She can bring down the whole of Atlanta with a single, scornful sneer, but in the next instant melt the hearts of the whole Confederate army with her honey-filled drawl. But above all else, she is strong.\nThis combination of beauty and strength, poise and purpose, finds the perfect title in Robert Harling's late-1980s play, "Steel Magnolias," which premiered at the Brown County Playhouse Friday, opening the venue's 56th season of summer theatre. The audience sat with rapt attention as the ups and downs of six witty, stubborn Southern women unfolded in the local beauty shop. \nTruvy, the shop's proprietor, was played ably by IU graduate student Allison Batty. Her grandly wigged and brightly clothed figure was an effervescent presence in the equally ludicrously bright beauty parlor, designed by IU Theatre and Drama Department's Assistant Technical Director I. Christopher Berg. \nAs the play begins, Truvy is joined by her newest employee, the homely and somewhat secretive Annelle, played adorably by senior Jessica Krueger. As we soon learn, Shelby, the play's diabetic heroine, is marrying later that day and must be prettied up in shades of "blush and bashful." Senior Stephanie Dodge gave a safe but effective performance as the ambivalent Shelby -- obstinate to a point, but ever afraid of her mother's disapproval.\nAdding a touch of gray to the ensemble were Clairee and Ouiser, played by Mary Carol Johnson and Diane Kondrat, respectively. One a wealthy former mayor's wife, the other an equally wealthy and inordinately grumpy caretaker of a particularly vicious dog, Clairee and Ouiser are a never-ending source of friendly bickering. Though Johnson and Kondrat's on-stage rapport was strained and often ill-timed, the dynamics of their characters nearly made up for it.\nCarmen Rae Meyers, who just recently completed her master's degree in acting at IU, turned in a magnificent performance as Shelby's overbearing but well-meaning mother M'Lynn. Meyers handled M'Lynn's many mood swings with the dignity and strength of a true Southern woman, at once scolding and comforting her daughter in the easy tones of what was the most believable approximation of a Southern accent all evening.\nThe women that populated the stage Thursday evening complemented the weary, yet vibrant beauty parlor with their own dramatic mix of humor, wisdom and worry -- not at all assisted, unfortunately, by a sadly uncreative lighting design that did nothing to enhance the many changes of season or mood. Their jokes often dragged -- in fact, were sometimes completely lost -- and their movements excessive to the point of distracting. However, all in all, a passable evening of entertainment was spent in the ladies' company. Certainly, Truvy and company would love for you to stop by.