 |
| Linsey Maxson, Amy Jo Halliday, Meg Farnsworth, Kandyce Hughes, and Kamie Tierce Photo by Nick Woodward-Shaw |
highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)
Click here for more information on this production that runs through July 27
"...Robert Harling's play Steel Magnolias continually gets produced across the country and it's easy to see why. With strong, independent and lovable characters and an abundance of witty dialogue, it is a crowd-pleasing play. In Phoenix there are two productions planned for this summer, including the beautifully cast and expertly directed production that plays on Monday and Tuesday nights at Hale Centre Theatre through July....Director Jere Van Patten has found a crackerjack cast of six strong and gifted actresses who bring these loveable characters to life. He does a phenomenal job staging the action in Hale's in-the-round space so the audience never feels they are missing out on anything in the plot while also being drawn into the plight of the characters...M'Lynn is the voice of reason in the play and (Linsey) Maxson is excellent in the role, especially in how she portrays M'Lynn's emotional outburst toward the end of the play...I last saw (Amy Jo) Halliday as Diana in Next to Normal two seasons ago and with the thick Southern accent, quick comic timing, and funny body language she uses as Truvy, you'd never know it was the same actress. That's how good she is. Shelby is a young woman who is stubborn, always upbeat, energetic and optimistic and who tries to live her life to the fullest and Meg Farnsworth is a glorious and glowing firecracker of movement and energy in the role. As Clairee, Kandyce Hughes is elegant and refined with a clear depiction of this wealthy woman who isn't sure what to do with herself now that her husband has died....Beth Anne Johnson is hilarious and an absolute steamroller who doesn't let anyone or anything get in her way as Ouiser, the cranky, loud and cantankerous, but entirely lovable, woman with a rough exterior that is just housing a big heart underneath. Kamie Tierce hits all the right marks to beautifully portray Annelle.... Truvy states that "laughter through tears" is her favorite emotion and you will most likely find yourself laughing through tears due to the wonderful cast, beautiful direction, and perfect creative elements in Hale Centre Theatre's production of this crowd-pleasing show." -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)
