Steelymags Debrief

                Better late than never I guess.  Also, I’m doing this out of order.  I should have done a post on my huge job change first.  I’ll catch that another time.  For now, Steel Magnolias. 

                The show went really well.  The audience loved it.  The cast was excellent.  We had a great venue in the Nancy Howe Auditorium.  (You’d know the story behind that if I’d done a post on the job change.)  Anyway, the Howe Auditorium is great.  Vintage look, perfect sized stage, huge back stage, cast bathrooms and dressing rooms!  As much as I like the Houghton Fire Hall (and I really do, that isn’t sarcasm), it was nice to be back in a traditional theatre space.

                All that sounds great, so why didn’t I like Steel Magnolias?  That’s not quite right, because I did like it.  I just didn’t love it.  There are many factors as to why, but it boils down to script issues.  Thanks to the far superior movie, the play has become this sentimental favorite, and because of that the inherent weaknesses in the script get glossed over.  But they are there.  First, the format of each scene is nearly identical.  Characters enter one-by-one, usually in the same order and all scenes end with everyone still in face.   There’s no deviation.  No one leaves a scene to allow the vibe to change.   It’s tough to work with that.  Also, it is written so that each of the 5 scenes takes place up to 16 months apart.  Which means a lot of the growth and drama happens off stage in between scenes.  This also causes problems.  The emotional conclusion feels forced to me because I don’t think you ever really get to the point where you care enough to be moved naturally.  In the hands of a capable actress (which I had) you can still make it work, but you should have the character journey to back it up, even with a lousy actress (Thankfully I didn’t have any of those!).  Bottom-line, it’s a fun show to do, but not that great to direct.  I had trouble connecting to the story and the characters.  I couldn’t find my hook.

                To be fair, I knew that going in.  I just figured I’d find it or make it work.  I think it’s fair to say that I made it work. It was a good show.  I just feel conflicted about it because I always felt like I was on the outside of it.  I feel strongly that a director shouldn’t direct a play he doesn’t like.  I broke that rule, and learned a valuable lesson.

                Again, let me be clear, it was a good production.  Cast if you are reading this, you each did an excellent job.  Really.  I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.  My issues with Steelymags are with the script and my connection to it.   

                Anyway, sorry to be such a downy-clowny.  On a positive note, I’m really looking forward to finally starting work on The Odd Couple.  That’s about 10 years in the making, so I can’t wait to dig in.