by Mike Hoban

Steel Magnolias – Written by Robert Harling. Directed by Paula Plum. Set Design by Cassie Chapados; Lighting Design by Chris Bocchiaro; Sound Design by Kyle Lampe; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl. Presented by Hub Theatre Company of Boston at Club Café, 209 Columbus Avenue, Boston through August 3.

Following a tragedy towards the end of the play Steel Magnolias, which is set entirely in an in-home beauty salon where women come as much for the sisterly camaraderie as the hair care, Truvy Jones, the owner of the salon, remarks to her customers/friends, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.”

In this highly entertaining production, now being presented by the Hub Theatre Company at Club Café in the South End, there’s plenty of laughter but a surprising dearth of tears, as director Paula Plum opts to emphasize the humor in the piece – creating a much-needed light summer offering. Plum, one of Boston’s premier comic actresses herself, has assembled a talented cast of new and seasoned talent to give the play a kind of comic makeover. I must confess that I have never seen the star-studded (Dolly Parton, Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis) movie version – or any previous version of the play for that matter – but my companion assured me early on in the performance that despite the non-stop one liners, that I should brace myself for a tear jerker. That never really occurs as the tragedy is given a bit of a softening, but to the untrained eye, Steel Magnolias works just fine as a comedy.

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