★★★★½
Picture this: Six women, one small-town beauty parlour, a series of life-changing moments unfolding over coffee and clouds of hairspray.
Steel Magnolias returns to Melbourne in full bloom, with an astounding production and tremendous cast delivering a jubilant finale against the stunning backdrop of the Athenaeum Theatre’s old-world charm.
Set in the fictional parish of Chinquapin, Louisiana, Truvy’s luminous hair salon springs to life as a sanctuary where a tight‑knit group of women navigate love, loss, and life’s highs and lows together, with humour as their armour, anchored on their faithful, unbreakable bonds.
Robert Harling’s original 1987 play was a tender love letter to the women who helped shape his formative years. The 1989 film adaptation firmly cemented the timeless tale in pop‑culture memory.
This 2026 Australian revival, under the steady hand of Director Lee Lewis, affectionately honours all the best elements of both incarnations. It is evergreen and lived-in, with a refreshing contemporary wit.
Iconic Australian actress and Gold Logie winner Lisa McCune leads the extraordinary ensemble cast as stoic matriarch M’Lynn. McCune’s beautifully restrained performance stands tall as the story’s emotional centrepiece.
She cautiously conveys M’Lynn’s unwavering desire and obligation to nurture and protect her loved ones with extraordinary clarity, gently carrying the weight of her character’s grief until it becomes impossible to contain.
Opposite her, Mandy Bishop (Blue Heelers, Wharf Revue) is nothing short of brilliant as confident shop-owner Truvy – a kind, dependable hostess, and the community’s central beating heart.
Bishop’s scene-stealing sparkle is evident from the get-go, with razor-sharp comedic timing and a buoyant spring in her step as she radiantly shimmies across the stage. With her irresistible warmth and reliable listening ear, Truvy makes her every guest feel right at home and embraces their every quirk unconditionally.
As innocent, delicate Shelby, Jessica Redmayne (Home & Away, 800 Words) glows with bright-eyed ingenuity. Redmayne portrays Shelby’s bittersweet fate with remarkable finesse, enabling us to become emotionally invested in her story
She delicately captures the young woman’s determination to live her life fully and turn her dreams into reality, accepting that the cards are stacked against her and choosing to charge ahead anyway.
Rounding out the spectacular cast are Belinda Giblin (Home & Away, A Country Practice) as moody, boisterous dog-lover Ouiser, Tracy Mann (Reckless, Five Bedrooms) as sassy-widow turned radio-station-patron Clairee, and Lotte Beckett (Julia, The Election Monologues) as innocent wallflower and newcomer Annelle.
Mann’s take on Clairee, in particular, is a breath of fresh air, effortlessly floating through the chaos with elegance, delivering sly one‑liners with the precision of someone who’s spent a lifetime mastering the art of genteel shade.
Overall, this production is bursting at the seams with excellence. The mischievous script, featuring the originals’ hilarious one-liners, “Laughter through tears is my favourite emotion!” are delivered with impressive pace.
The maximalist set, costume and lighting design – with kudos to Simone Romaniuk and Paul Jackson – join forces seamlessly in making Truvy’s larger-than-life beauty parlour truly shine.
By focusing on the universality of human connection and the value of lifelong friendships, Steel Magnolias closes on a note of irreverent timelessness that feels as relevant now as ever. In the end, all of life’s eventual wins and inevitable tragedies are better shared, mourned, or celebrated with those we love most around us.
As Truvy wisely says, “life marches on – and eventually you realise it is marchin’ across your face.”
Make the time to pay Truvy’s a visit, and be sure to dress up and accessorise before it leaves town for good. Steel Magnolias is a show that deserves a full house!
Steel Magnolias is presented by Woodward Productions and Neil Gooding Productions and runs to 16 August at the Athenaeum Theatre as the final stop on the national tour. 188 Collins Street Melbourne Vic 3000.
Tickets are available here.
Website: http://www.steelmagnoliasplay.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/steelmagnoliasau/
Photo credits: Brett Boardman
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