‘Magnolias’ Delivers Heart and Humor

“Steel Magnolias,” Robert Harling’s 1987 Southern tear-jerker, is frequently performed, but seldom as well as the deeply affecting production from Actors Co-op at the Crossley Theatre.

With its intimate focus on six women coping with personal tragedy in a small Louisiana town, Harling’s drama affords ample opportunities for shameless heart-string-plucking. Director Andi Chapman and her seamless cast appreciate the difference between cliched sentiment and genuine feeling, and they navigate the minefield of potential schmaltz without striking a single false note.

Particularly impressive in this regard is Callan White as M’Lynn, transparently registering a mother’s conflicting emotions when her dangerously diabetic daughter, Shelby (vibrant, earthy Renee Roque), decides to carry her pregnancy to term despite her doctor’s warnings. The courageous good humor with which M’Lynn endures Shelby’s physical deterioration sets up a devastating opening of her pent-up floodgates in the final scene.

Another standout is Kristina Lankford as the beauty shop assistant who mutates hilariously from mousy victim to party girl to born-again fundamentalist. Bighearted beautician Truvy (Lori Berg) and her regulars, a wisecracking widow (Janet Raycraft) and cantankerous divorcee (Cathy Thomas-Grant) round out the well-cast ensemble.

The show’s abundant humor is more than a sugar-coating for tragedy--incisive banter is the principal shield with which these ladies keep heartbreak at bay. Still, Harling’s witty repartee sometimes borders on Noel Coward sophistication at the expense of its down-home context--perhaps the highest compliment to be paid this cast is its ability to pull off quips like “She adored the quicksand he walked on” without disrupting the emotional momentum.

* “Steel Magnolias,” Crossley Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St., Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Ends Nov. 17. $15. (213) 964-3586. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.